Employment Discrimination & EEOC: Do You Need an Attorney?

In an Employment Discrimination claim at EEOC, what I THOUGHT would happen when I hired my attorney wasn’t what ACTUALLY happened. In this video, I share five factors to consider before you hire an attorney to represent you . POTENTIAL ESCALATION I thought if I had an attorney NASA would start obeying the law. Instead, they escalated. MONEY At EEOC, “justice” is expensive. Most attorneys don’t accept cases on contingency. It's easier in the private sector, because of the the potential for punitive damages, but in the federal sector, it's harder! I could only afford to hire a lawyer for my hearing. I did the leg work myself. TIMING Time is money. I wanted to put off hiring an attorney as long as I could. You probably don’t need to hire a lawyer to file a complaint. In the private sector, depending where you work, you might have more protections than just EEOC, and talking to an attorney as early as possible is a good idea. If you aren’t sure, ask your local bar association. Consults, either in person or online, are a great idea. Consult a few firms. Good ones will give you some general advise about how to document your case and advise you on when to bring them in. Steer away from firms that try to rush you into sending them money right away. Ask for a copy of each firm's contract well before you plan to hire anyone. Pay special attention to what happens if you lose. SKILL SET I handled my case, up to the point of NASA’s motion for summary judgement. Employess do represent themselves (Pro Se) & win. Essential Pro Se skills: Read/comprehend legal documents. -Organize your evidence in a way that supports your case.    • Unions & Your Employment Discrimination Ca...   -Think critically to build a case & refute employer’s pretext. Follow detailed instructions. 5. EXPECTATIONS TV attorneys are like superheroes. My attorney was AMAZING, but she was no super hero. Before I could afford to hire her, I developed a strategy, gathered evidence, and got through the questionnaires, interrogatories & investigation without blowing up my case! After I hired her, I still drafted my own responses. She took my drafts & did great things with them. In spite of my best attempts to keep my legal fees affordable, it was impossible. Thankfully we won and NASA was ordered to 100% of her full fee. I hope thinking through these five factors will help you figure out whether or when you need to hire an attorney. And if you can’t find or afford one, pro se can work. Sometimes, it’s the only option. If that’s your situation, hang in. There’s lots of help online. You just have to put in the effort to find it an apply it to your situation. PRO SE RESOURCES LIST: This list is in progress. To suggest additions, [email protected] or comment below. EEO21: https://eeo21.net/services How to File a Pro Se Complaint https://eeo21.net/how-to-file-a-pro-s... FEDERAL BAR ASSOCIATION Representing Yourself in Federal District Court: A Handbook for Pro Se Litigants https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/upl... EEOC Guide to Appeal Brief Writing for Unrepresented Complainants before the EEOC Office of Federal Operations https://publicportal.eeoc.gov/Portal/... WASHINGTON EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS ASSOCIATION Representing Yourself in the EEOC Process: A Guide for Pro Se Claimants Updated: August 2019 https://welalaw.org/wp-content/upload... UNITED STATES COURTS Forms: Complaint for Employment Discrimination https://www.uscourts.gov/forms/pro-se... .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. All opinions are my own. Not intended as LEGAL advice. It's me sharing my perspective as an employee who went through the EEOC claims process & won. I am not an expert at all things EEOC. While I do my best to be factual in my observations, viewers should assume that all observations or statements are allegedly. Never put trust your fate to a YouTube content creator. Do your own research, pilot your own vessel. --- .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Background photo on thumb courtesy of searchable NASA Image Library: https://images.nasa.gov/