Home > Research Legal Advice > Employment / Labor > Are any employment attorneys in SD to defend poor, discriminated employ...
Asked 3 months ago - La Mesa, CA
FlagI had to file my case in pro-per due to the statue of limitation, in July 2012. While I was keeping up with the defendant's motions(in lieu of answer), I was activelly looking for an attorney in San Diego area, who would take my case in contingency. Nine causes of action including PAGA....I am tired to see in AVVO the words "find an attorney" when I cannot afford one...Is it justice for the "economically desadvantaged", hard working, single mothers like me?...I started to lose hope....Pro-Per representation is a joke, a "cat and mouse"game, where the legal firm's "associates" are making the first steps in litigation, on the firm's shareholders' directions, against a pro-per wronged employee.? I need that dedicated attorney who can combine his business with his heart...Are you the one?
If you are the plaintiff in an employment law action, then it is likely that you can obtain counsel on a contingent fee arrangement if your case is evaluated as having sufficient merit. On a contingent fee arrangement, your attorney's fees will be deferred until there is a successful recovery of damages in the case. Use the Find a Lawyer feature hereon Avvo or try www.cela.org
Maybe this will help. If you are having trouble finding an attorney for your case, there are several possibilities:
-- you are not looking in the right place for the right kind of attorney;
-- your case does not have as much value as you think; or
-- you are not presenting your case in a way that makes sense to the attorneys.
Employment attorneys want certain information right up front: the name of the defendant, the name of the employee; if the employee was fired (or denied reasonable accommodation, or laid off, or whatever the issue is, in five words or less); the date this happened; the reason the employer gave for whatever happened; how long the employee worked for the defendant; what job the employee did; how much the employee made; and any deadline.
And I completely agree with Ms. McCall that an excellent way to find a plaintiffs employment attorney is via the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA). CELA is the largest and most influential bar association in the state for attorneys who represent working people. The web site is www.cela.org. Click on "Find a CELA Member" and you can search by location and practice area. Many CELA attorneys represent clients throughout the state.
I hope you can resolve your situation and wish you the best.
Marilynn Mika Spencer
San Diego
The other attorneys who answered your question have provided excellent information. I will stress, however, that if you have been encountering great difficulty in finding an attorney to front the costs of your litigation and represent you on a contingency basis, that may be a sign that you do not have as strong a case as you think.
Discrimination cases are tough and employers fight them vigorously. Absent reasonably strong evidence that your race, gender, age, ethnicity, etc. played a role in your termination, the odds of success are slim.
As proposed above, consider how you can "market" your case to attorneys in a concise and appealing manner, and be persistent with your efforts.
I truly wish you the best moving forward.
The lawyers above have provided excellent guidance. Hopefully this helps you learn a little more about the things we're looking for in evaluating a case. There is a presumption of "at-will employment" in California. So lawyers are picky when examining "wrongful termination" cases. However, one exception to "at-will employment" is if you were terminated because of some sort of harassment and discrimination. Keep trying. Most good plaintiff's employment lawyers represent economically disadvantaged, wrongfully terminated, employees, on a contingency basis, against deep pocket employers, who hire big name lawyers, all the time.
Don't speak legalese? We define thousands of terms in plain English.
Browse our legal dictionary