Where Can I Find the Best Racial Discrimination Lawyers?

Racial discrimination in the workplace typically involves an employer making one or more decisions based on the race of a worker. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 defines unlawful acts of discrimination, from refusing to promote an employee to firing a worker based on race. A growing number of states have enacted stricter laws that make it illegal for employers to make decisions based on the color of a worker’s skin. Discrimination of any kind in the workplace encompasses every element of an employment relationship, such as hiring, termination, compensation, and job training.

Despite the clear definition of racial discrimination at work, some employers continue to violate state and federal employment laws. The key to holding your employer accountable for committing acts of racial discrimination is to gather and organize persuasive evidence, as well as gain the support of witnesses that confirm your version of events. Without presenting compelling evidence, a racial discrimination charge comes down to your word against the word of your current or former employer.

Discrimination of any kind in the workplace can take on many different forms. Many workers face multiple types of racial discrimination at work.

Wrongful Termination

Wrongful termination represents the most impactful type of racial discrimination in the workplace. Losing a job because of race not only generates a wide variety of adverse emotions but also has a strong influence on a victim’s ability to make a living. If your employer wrongfully fired you because of race, you lose a steady stream of income and the potential to have future earnings affected because a termination on your employment record reduces your chances of getting a high-paying job.

Harassment

If your current or former employer did not fire you because of your race, it can force you off the job by subjecting you to harassment. Racially harassing a worker can include overt acts, such as making jokes and using racial slurs during conversations. More subtle acts of harassment that involve racial discrimination can be more difficult to prove. You have the right to work in a non-hostile environment. If you experience harassment at work because of your race, immediately reach out to one of the experienced employment attorneys at Morgan & Morgan.

Hiring

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects more than just workers from racial discrimination. Job candidates also receive the same protections granted by the historically significant federal law. This means a job candidate who has the same professional qualifications as another job candidate cannot be disqualified from employment based on race. Title VII prohibits employers from using any type of racial factor in considering the professional credentials of job candidates.

Compensation

Victims of racial discrimination often take a financial hit. Employers violate Title VII by basing promotions on race. For example, if your job performance exceeds the performance of another candidate for a promotion, but your employer chose the other worker based on your race, you might have a strong enough case to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Losing a promotion based on race costs you money, as it also does if you get passed over for a raise because of your race.

Working with the team of racial discrimination lawyers at Morgan & Morgan can help you file a persuasive claim to the EEOC, as well as file a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages.

Filing a civil lawsuit is a legal strategy that attempts to recover the money you lost because your employer violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The first step you should take before filing a civil lawsuit is to hire one of the best racial discrimination lawyers. From there, your legal counsel follows a series of steps in the following order.

Gather and Organize Evidence

When you attend a free case evaluation with one of the racial discrimination lawyers from Morgan & Morgan, you need to bring documents that demonstrate your employer committed one or more acts of racial discrimination. Documentation can include performance reviews, disciplinary records, and the dates when your employer turned you down for a promotion. Your attorney reviews the evidence to determine the strength of your case. Presenting strong evidence is the key to convincing a judge to approve your claim for monetary damages.

Present Notice of Lawsuit Intent

After you collect and organize evidence, you need to inform your employer about your intent to file a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. State and federal courts usually prefer the parties involved in a racial discrimination lawsuit to make an attempt to settle the dispute through negotiations. Your legal counsel also will send a Notice of Intent to your employer before contacting the EEOC concerning your allegations. Sending a Notice of Intent by certified mail ensures your employer received the legal correspondence.

File a Lawsuit

One of the benefits of hiring a talented employment attorney to handle your case involves the submission of paperwork. Discrimination cases often require the submission of more paperwork than other types of employment law cases. This is because documentation represents the primary form of physical evidence for a discrimination case. Having your legal counsel file the paperwork to initiate a civil lawsuit ensures the judge hearing the case receives every document that is necessary for the judge to issue a well-informed decision.

Discovery

The discovery phase of a civil trial gives both parties an opportunity to examine the same evidence and interview the same witnesses. Discovery is the point of a civil case when both sides can try to negotiate a settlement that is acceptable to both the plaintiff and defendant. If a series of counteroffers fail to settle your claim, the team of racial discrimination lawyers from Morgan & Morgan will not hesitate to take your case to court.

Trial

A trial held for a racial discrimination case can end with the judge hearing your case awarding you economic, non-economic, and/or punitive damages. On the other hand, the judge hearing your case might deny your request for compensation. The middle ground for a legal decision occurs when a judge requests both parties resume negotiations or possibly allow a neutral third party to mediate negotiations.

Finding the best racial discrimination lawyers used to involve letting your finger do the walking, which was the catchy tagline the Yellow Pages created for its marketing campaign. Although the advent of the internet made the Yellow Pages obsolete, another type of old-school strategy remains an important tool for you to find the best employment attorney.

Networking

Networking with trusted friends and family members can help you find a state-licensed employment lawyer who specializes in handling discrimination cases. If you fail to receive a recommendation from your close friends and relatives, reach out to your professional colleagues. Possibly one of your co-workers has dealt with racial discrimination in the workplace and has spoken with a discrimination attorney about taking legal action. Asking for a recommendation from a lawyer is another effective way to get the legal representation you deserve.

State Bar Association

Every state bar association has created a website for both attorneys and potential clients to use. You should see a link that is frequently called “Find a Lawyer,” which takes you to a page that allows you to input search criteria. You can type “Employment Lawyer” and then narrow your search by typing into the next search box that appears “Racial Discrimination.” Referring to a state bar association website only gets you the names of potential candidates. You still have to conduct the proper research to find one of the best racial discrimination lawyers.

Legal Credentials

After compiling a shortlist of candidates, you then spend time researching their credentials. You should consider experience as the most important criterion. However, do not measure experience simply by the number of years an attorney has practiced law. You want to work with a racial discrimination lawyer who has amassed a proven record of winning cases that involve racial discrimination in the workplace. Other criteria to consider before you hire one of the best racial discrimination lawyers include professional reputation, responsive communication skills, and the feedback left by former clients on sites such as Yelp and Google.

State and federal laws make it illegal for your employer to discriminate against you because of your race. You have the right to make the discriminatory acts stop, as well as see compensation that recovers the financial losses caused by your employer committing one or more acts of racial discrimination.

Schedule a free case evaluation today with one of the experienced racial discrimination lawyers at Morgan & Morgan.