Denver Employment Lawyer | Denver Labor Law

Denver employment lawyers help workers protect their rights and compensation. Denver, Colorado employees concerned about their employee rights or fear their job is in jeopardy should seek out the help of an employment law attorney. Denver employment lawyers represent employees is a range of labor and employment law issues. Denver employment lawyers include employment discrimination, unpaid overtime pay, FMLA leave problems, employee benefits problems, wrongful termination, hostile work environment and other workplace problems.

Lawyers specializing in employment law in Colorado understand how workplace problems can have a devastating effect on your career, financial well being and mental health. If you have a problem in these or other labor and employment law areas, contact a Denver employment lawyer in Colorado right away.

Who are Colorado employment lawyers?

As the major urban center of Colorado, many employees concerned about labor law and employment law problems will search out a Denver employment lawyer. Other Colorado employment lawyers, such as those in Longmont, Colorado Springs, Boulder, or Fort Collins, may be equally capable of helping you resolve your problem.

However, Denver employment lawyers may be easier to locate or have specialized knowledge in your particular labor law or employment law problem. An employee rights lawyer in Denver, Colorado may work for an employment law firm that deals exclusively with labor and employment law issues or a Denver employment law firm that exclusively represents plaintiffs in litigation.

Employment lawyers in other parts of Colorado may not have enough labor law or employment law issues to deal with exclusively. Depending on the part of Colorado where you live, you may even ask whether there is an employment lawyer near me. There may not be an employment lawyer near you. If this is your situation then do not worry.

Often in labor law and employment law situations you do not need to meet with your Denver employment lawyer frequently. Much of the work can be done by email or phone between attorney and client. This is true for a Denver employment lawyer as well as other employment lawyers in Colorado.

Choosing the best employment lawyers in Denver, Colorado

An employee with a workplace problem might try to locate the best employment lawyers in Denver. Figuring out the best employment lawyer in Denver or any other part of Colorado is no easy task. The internet will push the most popular websites to the top of the search results. There are many employment law attorney listing sites that show listings of the best employment lawyers in Denver and other parts of Colorado. How do you know which employment lawyers in Colorado are best?

The right answer to this question is not necessarily right for every person in Colorado. The best Denver employment lawyer might be a better question of the best employment lawyer for you. The right answer is likely a combination of many factors including:

• The employment lawyer’s experience in labor law and employment law;
• The attorney’s familiarity with the particular issues in your workplace problem;
• How you and the attorney communicate;
• The labor law attorney’s experience working the administrative or litigation channels available to your particular problem;
• How the employment lawyer receives compensation for legal work;
• The urgency of your workplace problem; and
• The size of the employment law firm.

Employment law lawyer in Denver, Colorado

Workplace attorneys in Denver, Colorado help clients with a wide range of labor and employment law problems. Employment law firms in Denver, Colorado and their Denver employment lawyers handle employment law problems for employees and employers. These include:

• Unpaid wages
• Overtime pay
• Employment discrimination
• FMLA and other medical leaves of absence
• Employee benefits (401k, pension, ESOP, disability)
• Retalition
• Hostile work environment/harassment
• Wrongful termination

Workers in Colorado often begin their search to understand a workplace issue by researching free legal advice in Colorado for employment law issues. Employment law problems in Denver, Colorado often lead workers to talk to Denver employment lawyers. If you believe your employer violated your employee rights then you should contact an employment lawyer for a consultation right away. Similarly, if you are an employer then you should contact a Denver employment lawyer to discuss your defenses and liability.

Denver employment lawyers and labor law problems

Employment lawyers in Denver, Colorado help clients with labor law problems. Labor law governs the relationship between employer and the workforce as a unit. Often this involves unions; however, employees may informally organized into a protected group to improve workplace conditions, pay, and other work issues. Denver employment lawyers help clients–both employers and employees–with labor law issues including:

• National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) unfair labor practice complaints
• Unionization elections
• Decertifying unions
• Grievances under a collective bargaining agreement
• Informal concerted efforts by employees to improve workplace conditions and pay
• Retaliation for participating in a union, union election or informal concerted efforts

Denver employment lawyers represent clients in multiple forums. These include litigation in judicial courts, administrative complaints at the NLRB, administrative hearings before the NLRB, arbitration forums and mediation. Labor law is unique because most labor law claims must begin within an administrative process. This is similar to employment discrimination claims filed with the EEOC or CCRD; however, labor law claims do not exit the administrative process as frequently.

If you believe you have a labor law problem under federal or Colorado law, talk to a Denver employment lawyer right away.

Denver employment lawyers for discrimination in Colorado workplaces

Colorado and federal law prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin and disability. Employers may not treat one employee or applicant less favorably than another for any of these reasons. This includes decisions on hiring, termination, promotion, demotion, pay raises, pay cuts, layoffs/reductions in force, assignment of work responsibilities and assignment of work locations. Employers also must provide reasonable accommodations to religious practices and disabilities.

Additionally, employers may not retaliate against an employee who complains about employment discrimination or participates in an investigation of a complaint of employment discrimination. Federal and Colorado employment law prohibits retaliatory acts including:

• Wrongful termination
• Demotion
• Pay cuts
• Creating a hostile work environment
• Removing work assignments
• Negative performance reviews unrelated to your actual performance
• Removing employee benefits

Employment discrimination are complicated claims with complicated procedures. If you believe you have suffered employment discrimination then you should contact a Denver employment lawyer right away. Employment discrimination claims require specific processes to occur within short time periods.

Most discrimination claims require your attorney to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC or CCRD. Depending upon your employer, you may have to file a complaint in as little as 45 days. Your Denver employment attorney can advise you on the process and help protect your rights.

Colorado employment lawyers for wrongful termination

Wrongful termination happens when an employee is unlawfully fired in violation of one or more labor law or employment law. Not all unfair or unreasonable terminations constitute a claim for wrongful termination under federal or Colorado law. Common wrongful termination claims arise from employment discrimination, requesting FMLA leave, retaliation for complaining about workplace safety conditions and complaining about unpaid wages or overtime pay.

Wrongful termination includes this wide range of employment law claims because there is no one definition for the term. As a result, each wrongful termination claim may have its own procedure and statutory requirements. This is an important reason to hire Denver employment lawyers in Colorado to represent you.

Hostile work environment attorney in Colorado

Like wrongful termination, not all hostile or unreasonable work environments create a hostile work environment under federal or Colorado law. Hostile work environment claims arise when an employer creates or allows to exist harassment or hostility on an unlawful basis. Common forms of unlawful harassment include sexual harassment, racial harassment, hostile work environment following a request for FMLA leave, harassment for complaining about unpaid wages or workplace safety problems.

Additionally, not all foul behavior rises to the level of a hostile work environment claim. Courts established a high standard for the severity of harassment because labor laws and employment laws are not intended to be civility codes. Due to these technical conditions, if you believe you are suffering unlawful harassment in the workplace then you should contact a hostile work environment attorney in Colorado right away.

Overtime lawyer in Denver, Colorado

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, nonexempt employees are entitled to minimum wage and overtime pay. Employees with unpaid wages are entitled to pursue claims to recover the unpaid wages plus attorney’s fees and other relief.

A common unpaid wage claim is for failure to pay overtime pay. Nonexempt employees under the FLSA are generally entitled to one and a half times their regular rate of pay for each hour worked in a workweek over forty hours. Common methods employers use to avoid overtime pay include:

• Misclassifying nonexempt employees as exempt, salaried employees;
• Working employees through lunches;
• Requiring employees to clock out at the end of the shift but continue working;
• Requiring employees to come in early to prepare for work or begin working off the clock;
• Taking employees off the clock when work is slow but requiring them to remain on the work site;
• Taking time off the employee’s timesheets;
• Paying the regular rate of pay instead of the overtime pay rate;
• Shifting hours from one workweek to the next to balance out hours; and
• Promising comp time instead of overtime pay.

Employers do not have to schedule employees for more than forty hours but if the nonexempt employee works more than forty hours, he or she must be paid appropriately. If your employer fails to pay overtime pay then you should contact an overtime lawyer right away.

Finding Denver employment lawyers

There are many ways to find Denver employment lawyers whether you seek one for an administrative labor and employment issue, a Colorado state lawsuit, federal lawsuit, or legal counsel.

You might look online.

You might research employment lawyers through bar associations like the Colorado Bar Association or the Denver Bar Association.

You might seek referrals from coworkers, friends, family, or acquaintances.

You might seek referrals from labor and employment law organizations like NELA or PELA.

There is not a best way to find Denver employment lawyers for every employee. What is right for you may not be best for another employee.

Scheduling a consultation with a Denver employment lawyer

If you believe you have a labor law or employment law problem then you should contact a Denver employment law attorney immediately. It is better to spend a little time discussing your problem with an employment law attorney than suffer unlawful workplace conditions or let your employer rob you of pay for work performed. Many labor and employment law claims include recovery of attorney’s fees; therefore there is little reason not to contact a Denver employment lawyer.

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