Work Discrimination Lawyer in California

When the employment rights attorneys at Burris Nisenbaum Curry & Lacy take your case, we will begin by talking to you and finding out all the circumstances around the unlawful practices by your employer. We’ll collect the relevant records, such as pay stubs and salary history. We may also interview or take depositions from other people at your workplace who are familiar with the situation. A strong workplace discrimination lawsuit generally requires a great deal of documentation and background information, because in a lawsuit, your employer will likely present arguments saying that whatever way they treated you was justified by your performance and wasn’t due to your identity, for instance by claiming your work record was subpar. We will work with you so that we can effectively defeat these arguments.

Usually, we will then file a complaint with the EEOC, or with DFEH (the California Department of Fair Housing and employment that oversees claims based on California's FEHA laws.

Often, we are able to reach a favorable settlement for our clients without needing to take the case all the way to court, by convincing your employer that they will lose. This is often the best outcome for the people whose rights we protect, because they receive financial compensation and assurances of fair treatment going forward.

Filing your employment discrimination complaint with the EEOC triggers protections for you against employer retaliation. It’s illegal for your employer to fire you because you’re suing them— and it’s also illegal for them to take ‘adverse action’ against you, for instance by demoting you or reassigning you to less favorable shifts. At Burris Nisenbaum Curry & Lacy, we know how to prevent this from happening by asserting your rights— and we also know how to use any attempt at retaliation to strengthen your employment discrimination suit and ultimately win a larger settlement or victory on that basis.

In other words, don’t let the fear of retaliation prevent you from standing up for your rights in the workplace. It’s an understandable concern— nobody can easily afford to lose their job, or make a bad situation at work even worse. But at Burris Nisenbaum Curry & Lacy, we know how to handle these issues and we protect our clients fiercely.

Almost by definition, people harmed by civil rights violations are usually regular people without a lot of money or power. Sometimes they assume that because they don’t have a lot of money, they can’t hire a law firm like Burris Nisenbaum Curry & Lacy to take their case. But we often work on a ‘contingency’ basis, meaning we’re paid a percentage of the settlement or court order if we win, so that our client doesn’t need to pay us anything out of pocket. So if you’re a victim of a civil rights violation, you should consult with us, even if you don’t have money to pay us. We still may be able to help.