During your first meeting with an employment law attorney, you may be asked to bring certain documents with you. These documents will help the lawyer evaluate your situation and determine the best course of legal action to take. The type of documents you may be asked to procure will vary, depending on the type of employment claim you are making. The list of documents below is general and should only serve as a guide.
- Pay stubs
- Copies of paychecks
- Time sheets, written or electronic
- A copy of your job description
- Employment manual, handbook or other documentation containing your employer's policies
- W-2 forms
- Employment contract and any addendums (such as noncompete agreements)
- Benefit statements with account balances
It is also a good idea to keep copies of any correspondence — whether a report, email or other written form — between yourself and your employer, and to bring them with you. These may include:
- Copies of written complaints made by you to your employer (for example, any requests sent to your employer requesting reasonable accommodations for a disability or religious belief)
- Any relevant emails or other correspondence sent to your employer or coworkers concerning your employment law concern
- Copies of any reports or results of internal investigations regarding complaints made to your employer
- Copies of any disciplinary actions taken by your employer against you
- Copies of any poor performance reviews given by your employer regarding your work
- Any personal logs or recordings you may have kept regarding the legal matter, such as a log tracking co-workers harassing behavior
If you have access to them, you also may want to bring:
- Copies of any medical examinations required by your employer, such as to determine the extent of a disability
- Copies of any OSHA violations against your employer
- Requests for FMLA leave
- Copies of any early retirement incentive plans offered to you
When you speak with your employment law attorney, he or she will let you know specifically the type of information you should collect and bring with you to your meeting. In some instances, you may not have or be able to gain access to all of the documentation your attorney will need to evaluate your case. If that is the situation, your attorney may be able to procure the information with discovery requests to your employer.
There are relevant statutes of limitations that limit the amount of time you have to bring employment law claims. Contact an experienced employment law attorney in your area to learn more about the legal remedies that may be available to you under state and federal law.
