Helping you take your sexual discrimination case to court is not the only way a lawyer can help you with this problem.  A lawyer can investigate your case and gather evidence, negotiate with your employer and their insurance company, help you file a complaint with your employer or a government agency, or take your case to court as a last resort.

Investigation

The best way to win a favorable resolution of your sexual discrimination case is to effectively gather as much evidence as possible.  Having a lot of evidence is the best way to convince your employer to do the right thing and stop the conduct that is causing you problems, and give you fair compensation for it. An experienced lawyer knows where to look for crucial evidence and what to do to protect and preserve it. It’s important to speak to an lawyer as soon as you start having problems so that as much evidence as possible, and all your legal rights, can be fully protected.

Negotiation

Once your lawyer has investigated your case, the lawyer can make a demand on your employer to resolve the matter. Your employer can’t fire you because your lawyer makes this demand, that’s against the law.  Your lawyer can present evidence to the employer and negotiate with the employer or the employer’s lawyers or insurance company and try to convince them to do what is necessary to stop the discrimination in order to avoid the lawsuit. This means that the problem will end quickly and you will receive fair compensation for your mistreatment. 

Filing a Complaint

If your employer won’t negotiate, you can discuss with your lawyer filing a formal complaint with your company’s equal employment opportunities office or with an agency of state or federal government. Sometimes one of these offices will be able to intervene with your employer and convince them to do the right thing.  Employers know that government agencies can take legal action to penalize employers who illegally discriminate, and they may not want to risk such action.  It’s very important to have a carefully investigated case with all available evidence ready to be presented to the agency, and you should consult an experienced attorney before taking such action because it can significantly affect your legal rights.

Filing a Lawsuit

If all else fails, your attorney can file a lawsuit on your behalf in state or federal court.  Sometimes government agencies are not willing to take action on behalf of certain employees, and their employers refuse to negotiate. In that case you have no other choice but to go forward with a lawsuit.  Your employer can’t fire you because you file a lawsuit or make a complaint with a government agency, and if you do nothing your ability to sue can be lost because of the statute of limitations.  What’s more, many times sexual harassment escalates into a serious sexual assault, so you should not just ignore the problem and hope it will go away. An experienced attorney can explain the risks and benefits of filing a case in court and can guide you through the process.