Chicago Employment Law Attorney

Protecting the Rights and Best Interests of Employees

The average person in the United States spends a significant part of their life at work. After all, employees depend on their jobs to support themselves and their families, and that often means working full-time. Unfortunately, many employees experience a difficult or even toxic workplace environment that can be mentally, physically, or even financially draining – while their employers either do nothing or continue committing their wrongful actions.

If you believe your employment rights have been violated in Chicago, our legal team at Atlas Law Center represents employees dealing with a wide range of legal issues involving the workplace. When you come to us for legal assistance, we will thoroughly examine your case, listen to your questions and concerns, and determine all your legal options to obtain the most favorable outcome inside or outside the courtroom. Call our Chicago law firm today to schedule your free initial consultation with compassionate employment lawyers.

What Types of Employment Law Cases Do We Handle?

Considering how much time you likely spend in the workplace, you deserve to feel safe and valued there, not harassed, scared, or discriminated against. If you’ve started to dread going to work because you feel you’re being treated poorly or unfairly in any way, you should contact our Chicago employment lawyers to determine if you have a legal case to make.

Our legal team has fought and won the following types of employment cases for clients across Chicago:

Regardless of the type of employment claim you wish to make to hold your employer accountable, an experienced employment lawyer is here to help. We’re dedicated to ensuring your workplace rights are upheld by your employer and fellow employees, meaning you shouldn’t have to worry about dealing with discrimination, harassment, a hostile work environment, or other common workplace issues. Contact our Chicago law firm to begin your case.

What Rights Do Illinois Employees Have?

To identify when your workplace rights have been violated, you first need to know what rights you’re entitled to as an employee in Illinois. Many local, state, and federal laws protect your rights at work, and it’s helpful to get an idea of what these are and how they work before you file a legal claim against your employer.

One example of an important law that protects Chicago residents is the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA). This act applies to companies with 15 or more employees in Illinois, prohibiting them from discriminating against employees based on certain protected characteristics when hiring, firing, promoting, compensating, or training at work. Examples of these protected traits include:

Ancestry
National origin
Color
Citizenship status
Marital status
Military status
Arrest record
Disability
Age (40 and over)
Race
Pregnancy
Religion
Sex
Sexual orientation
Gender identity

There are other laws that Illinois employers must abide by, as well. For example, you must be paid at least the current minimum wage for Chicago employees. You must also get a 30-minute meal break if you work at least 7.5 hours in a day. Similarly, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires your employer to give you overtime pay when you work more than 40 hours in a week, unless you’re an exempt employee.

If you need to take some time off work, you’re likely covered by the Illinois Family and Medical Leave Act (IFMLA). This lets you take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to deal with family or medical matters, such as childbirth, adoption, or long-term health issues.

Another law that should protect you in the workplace is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act prohibits employers from discriminating based on color, sex, religion, race, pregnancy, or national origin. If you have evidence that your employer has broken this law, you have the right to report the problem to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Skilled Illinois employment lawyers can guide you through your case.

These are just a few examples of the state and federal laws that provide Illinois employees with rights in the workplace. If you believe your employer or coworkers have violated these or other legal rights, contact our Chicago employment law firm today to discuss your legal options with caring lawyers.

Are You Experiencing Workplace Discrimination or Harassment in Illinois?

If you feel that you’ve been mistreated at work through no fault of your own, you might consider filing a legal claim alleging discrimination or harassment at work. It’s important to know that these are two separate claims with unique definitions, though some situations might fall into both categories.

Harassment in the workplace is unwelcome behavior based on one or more protected characteristics, such as race, sex, disability, or age. This can create a hostile work environment that causes the victim to feel afraid, anxious, or intimidated at work, which could result in them frequently calling in sick or performing poorly at work.

Note that harassment can come in different forms. Verbal harassment can include inappropriate or offensive jokes and comments, while physical harassment involves unwanted physical contact. Sexual harassment can involve unwanted sexual advances, sexual jokes, unwanted touching, and sexually explicit text messages or emails. If the harassment you face at work has severely affected your mood, health, or job performance, you should contact an employment law firm for legal help.

On the other hand, discrimination involves treating an employee unfavorably due to race, sex, religion, or other protected characteristics. This can occur when the employer hires for a position, determines who to fire, chooses an employee to promote, or decides on the pay rate. So, if you have reason to believe you were not hired for a position due to your race or missed out on a promotion because of your sex, you should consider filing a discrimination claim with the EEOC.

If you’re unsure if you have a discrimination or harassment claim to make, it’s time to talk to skilled employment lawyers. Chicago employers must follow local, state, and federal laws regarding employee treatment or they risk facing harassment and discrimination claims. Our Illinois employment law firm has handled these and other employment law matters, so we urge you to contact us for legal advice as soon as possible.

What Are Wage and Hour Disputes?

Sometimes unfair treatment at work extends to your paycheck, meaning you don’t get the money you deserve for your hard work, all due to circumstances outside of your control. Rather than continue to let your employer take advantage of you, it’s a good idea to hire an Illinois employment law firm to review your case and pursue the money you’re owed.

One example of a wage dispute involves overtime. In most cases, if you work more than 40 hours per week, you should be paid one and a half times your normal hourly rate. However, some employers try to find ways to avoid giving employees their rightful overtime pay. They might also refuse to pay for job training, meetings, and other work events that employees are required to attend and should therefore be compensated for.

In some cases, employers refuse to pay the minimum wage or fail to pay commissions and bonuses their employees have earned. This is especially common in retaliation for an employee quitting their job, as some business owners or managers might withhold the employee’s last paycheck, unused vacation time, and commissions because they’re upset that the employee quit. This is illegal and can be remedied by hiring employment lawyers to take legal action in order to get your hard-earned money.

Another employment law matter that affects your compensation is misclassification at work. More specifically, if your employer has classified you as an independent contractor or an exempt worker, they may be trying to get away with not giving you valuable benefits that employees are entitled to.

After all, independent contractors typically don’t get paid time off, overtime pay, access to health insurance, and other benefits that federal and state labor and employment law grants employees. They also lack certain legal protections in the workplace and pay higher taxes. While being classified as an independent contractor makes sense for some workers, it becomes unfair if your employer has the same expectations of you as they do an employee, all without giving you the same benefits.

If you want to find out if you’re correctly classified at work, or if you’ve noticed you’re missing overtime pay, commissions, and other payments you earned, talk to skilled employment lawyers about your situation. When you contact our Chicago, IL employment law office, our attorneys will review the details of your employment law issues to determine how to resolve them so you get the money you’re owed and your employer is held accountable.

Were You Wrongfully Terminated?

If you were fired from your job and believe this occurred for an unfair or even illegal reason, you should speak with a Chicago, IL employment lawyer to explore whether you’re a victim of wrongful termination. While employers have the right to terminate employees at any time – especially in an at-will state like Illinois – there are certain reasons that are considered illegal.

For example, if you have evidence that you were fired due to your race, sex, religion, age, disability, or other protected characteristics, you might have a case for wrongful termination. This is because labor and employment law in this country says employers cannot discriminate based on these traits.

In addition, if your termination appears to violate your employment contract, you could have a wrongful termination case to pursue. After all, the point of setting up employment contracts is to establish the rights and responsibilities of the employee and employer when it comes to important details like work performance, promotions, benefits, and termination. The right employment lawyer can review your contract to determine if your employer violated it when firing you.

It is also illegal for employers to terminate employees in retaliation for using their rightful benefits and legal protections at work. For example, if you were injured in the workplace and filed for workers’ compensation as is your right, and you were fired shortly after this action, you might suspect wrongful termination. Similarly, if you took time off work in accordance with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and lost your job afterward, your employer may have violated your workplace rights.

Another example of wrongful termination is if you were fired for refusing to partake in illegal, unethical, or unsafe actions at work. You have the right to refuse and report it if you desire. If you’re fired in retaliation, your employer could be in legal trouble when you gather evidence and initiate a wrongful termination case with the help of employment lawyers in Chicago, Illinois. If you’re ready to find out if you have any legal recourse after unfairly losing your job, call our employment law firm today.

Why Should You Call a Chicago Employment Lawyer?

At Atlas Law Center, we’ve helped countless clients with various employment disputes in the Chicago area. Our skillful employment lawyers understand the importance of feeling safe and appreciated at work, so if you often feel afraid, humiliated, or unfairly targeted in the workplace, it’s time to consider your legal options to resolve your employment issues.

Hiring an experienced employment lawyer can help you get answers as to why you’ve been treated poorly at work. You deserve to know why you were fired, demoted, harassed, or not paid your fair wages, and a Chicago, IL employment lawyer can uncover the evidence to prove the underlying reasons. They can also help you pursue the compensation you’re entitled to after spending months or years dealing with unfair treatment at work.

If you’re ready to hold your employer accountable, collect compensation, and then put your employment disputes behind you, contact our law office today. When you call 630-394-6350, you’ll get practical advice and support from a trusted Chicago, IL employment lawyer dedicated to getting justice for clients like you. We look forward to your call.