Workplace discrimination is becoming very common in the US. Discrimination can be of many types, like age discrimination, gender discrimination, disability discrimination, etc. Victims of discrimination will go through mental trauma, which can be very hard to deal with. As a remedy, victims can sue their companies to punish them. By filing a lawsuit, victims can get compensation for what they had to go through, and the company will also pay additional fines.
Taking action against a negligent employer is crucial to controlling workplace discrimination. However, taking action against an employer may sound scary, which is why you need to hire a lawyer. You need to consider many things before hiring an employment lawyer because an attorney can affect the outcome of a case to a great extent. The attorney you hire must have the following 5 qualities:
- Communication Skills
- Investigation Skills
- Empathy and Understanding
- Legal Knowledge
- Problem-Solving Skills
Table of Contents
Communication Skills
Communication is an important skill a lawyer should possess. A lawyer’s work is to convince the judge and jury why the employer should be punished. To do that, they have to speak a lot. How a lawyer communicates in court can affect your case.
In addition, communicating with the client is also important. Communication between a lawyer and a client is crucial to winning a case. A lawyer needs to communicate with the client to know what they want and work for it.
Investigation Skills
An investigation is a big part of any case. Conducting a thorough investigation can lead to important evidence that can win the case. During the investigation phase, lawyers will speak with your colleagues, ex-employees, and others who may have witnessed or experienced discrimination in your workplace.
Providing relevant evidence is crucial in civil cases since the plaintiff bears the burden of proof. The lawyer you hire must possess this skill. You can speak with a lawyer’s past clients to learn about their investigative skills.
Empathy and Understanding
Taking action against an employer can be stressful. You might already have gone through a lot of emotional trauma due to the discrimination you experienced. A lawyer should understand that. The employment lawyer you hire must understand your feelings and support you throughout the process. Empathizing with the victims is the only way to understand the extent of the issue.
Legal Knowledge
You must remember that not all lawyers are knowledgeable. Legal knowledge comes with experience. Go for experienced lawyers instead of inexperienced ones. A lawyer should have an in-depth understanding of the subject in general and specific to your case.
If a lawyer doesn’t have enough understanding of your particular type of case, the defendant’s lawyer will take advantage. This is why it is important to hire lawyers who have prior experience related to your case. For instance, if you’ve been a victim of gender discrimination, you’ll need an attorney who handles gender discrimination cases.
Problem-Solving Case
Analytical and critical thinking and problem-solving skills are important for a lawyer. A lawyer is forced to think on the spot in many cases. Your lawyer should be prepared for that. Your lawyer should be a great problem solver, since solving problems is what gets you a favorable outcome.
The lawyer you hire should be able to analyze the issues in your case, find potential solutions for them, and develop strategies to achieve those solutions. It is not really easy to analyze the problem-solving skills of an attorney. You can read reviews about them to know about that.
Summary
Hiring an employment lawyer is mandatory. But you should hire after careful consideration. You need to consider their communication skills, investigation skills, empathy and understanding, legal knowledge, and problem-solving skills. When you are faced with legal challenges and want to hire a lawyer, do not miss these things.
