What Employment & Labor Lawyers Do
Employment lawyers:
- Help clients enforce or comply with laws protecting employees’ workplace safety, freedom from discrimination, pensions, unemployment and workers’ compensation benefits, and rights to organize for collective bargaining
- Represent employers or employees, federal, state and local governments, and unions
- Interpret statutes, regulations, case law, constitutions, and collective bargaining agreements with an understanding of workplace culture
- Practice in firms of all sizes, including many small and solo firms, in-house counsel departments, trade unions, and non-profits
Related Pathway: Government Practice
Who Might Enjoy This Specialty?
You might enjoy practicing employment & labor law if you enjoy:
- Frequent meetings with clients
- Helping clients during life’s low points, such as – discrimination or wrongful discharge claims
and strikes against a business
- Combining significant client advising with litigation
- Pre-trial litigation, including mediation and arbitration
- Complex administrative codes
- “Choosing a side” – generally labor & employment lawyers don’t represent
both businesses and unions
- Strengthening unions, or
- Advising businesses on best practices regarding the employer/employee relationship