How to Hire an Employment Lawyer in California

People looking for the best way to find an employment lawyer in California, or asking when to hire one, whether it is worth it, and how to find a lawyer to sue an employer, need a method. They do not need a ranked list of firms.

Direct answer. Hire a California lawyer who represents employees, not companies, and who handles your kind of problem: wages, discrimination, harassment, whistleblower retaliation, or wrongful termination. Do it before you sign a severance agreement and before the shortest deadline. Most jobs are at will, so not every firing is a case. Starpoint Law takes employment cases on contingency: the consultation is free, and there is no attorney fee unless we recover money. If we don't win, you owe Starpoint Law nothing — no attorney fee and no case costs. We do not bill those cases by the hour, and we do not charge a retainer or a flat fee. What that fee looks like is explained in how much an employment lawyer costs in California.

Talk with Starpoint Law. Call 310-424-9971 or request a free consultation. Consultations are free. There is no attorney fee unless we recover money for you. Learn more about our California employment lawyers.

When to hire an employment lawyer in California

California jobs are usually at will. An employer can fire someone for a harsh reason, a wrong reason, or no stated reason. What it cannot do is fire someone for an illegal reason. Hire, or at least have the consult, when one of these is true:

• You were fired, demoted, or pushed to resign soon after a complaint, a wage question, a leave, or a request for a disability or pregnancy accommodation.
• You were treated differently from coworkers after disclosing a pregnancy, a disability, your age, or another protected characteristic. Our wrongful termination page lists those claims.
• Pay looks short: unpaid overtime, missed meal or rest breaks, or a final paycheck that did not arrive when it was due. See wage and hour.
• You reported something illegal and then lost hours, a job, or a shift. See whistleblower retaliation.
• Someone is asking you to sign a severance agreement, a release, or an arbitration agreement.

Our wrongful termination page explains the timing rules we tell clients to watch: California employers have to tell you that you may consult a lawyer and give you at least five business days to consider a severance agreement. If you are 40 or older and the agreement waives age claims, federal law generally gives 21 days to consider it, 45 days in a group layoff, and 7 days to revoke. Discrimination and harassment complaints with the Civil Rights Department are generally due within three years. Some other claims are shorter. A consult is how you find the short one before it passes.

Is an employment lawyer worth it?

It is worth a consult when the facts might be illegal and a signature or a deadline is in front of you. The employer already has human resources and, if the dispute grows, lawyers. Starpoint takes employment cases on contingency. The fee is a share of a recovery. You are not billed by the hour, and you do not pay a retainer or a flat fee, including while you are out of work.

It is often not worth hiring anyone to file a lawsuit that is only about a boss who was unkind, a shift you disliked, or a firing that at-will employment allows. A good consult ends with a no when the facts do not support a claim. That answer is useful. It keeps you from signing nothing, or from signing away a claim you do have, for the wrong reason.

Because the consultation is free and the attorney fee is contingent, the cash cost of asking is not a retainer. The cost if you hire, and the percentage, are covered on the cost page. Read that before you compare lawyers on price. A low verbal percentage that is not in a signed agreement is not a price.

Is a wrongful termination lawyer worth it?

Yes, as a consult, if the firing followed a complaint, a protected characteristic, or a broken promise of job security. No, as a lawsuit, if the firing was lawful. Those are different questions. People blend them because the firing felt personal. The legal question is narrower, and our wrongful termination guide walks through it.

A wrongful termination lawyer is also worth calling before you accept a severance that releases the company. Five business days is not very long if you are still reading the agreement alone.

How to find a lawyer to sue your employer

Use a checklist, not a trophy list. Paid lists of the best lawyers are advertisements. Starpoint Law does not rank other firms, and a ranking is not a way to choose.

• Employee side. The lawyer should represent workers. A lawyer whose job is defending employers is on the other side of your claim.
• The right kind of case. Wage claims, harassment claims, and whistleblower claims are related and not identical. Ask who would actually handle yours. Our employment hub links the practices.
• A California license. You can look up a license on the State Bar of California site.
• A written fee before you sign. Contingency and tiers, as the cost page explains. Section 6147 requires that writing.
• A direct conversation. You should be able to talk about the deadlines and the weak points in the facts, not only hear a promise.
• A willingness to decline. If every call ends with a guarantee, keep looking. We will not tell you a result in a first conversation.

What to gather before the call

• A short timeline: what happened, who said it, and the date.
• The termination notice, severance draft, or write-ups you were given.
• Pay stubs, schedules, and reviews you already have in your own records.
• Names of people who saw or heard the events. You do not need their affidavits yet.

Do not take confidential company files, Slack exports, or personnel databases to prove your point. That can create a separate problem. Ask first.

How a Starpoint consult works

You call 310-424-9971 or use the contact form. We ask what happened and when. If the claim is one we handle, we explain the next deadline and the fee in a written agreement before any hiring. If it is not, we say so.

Aidin Ghavimi, managing attorney, represents employees and previously represented companies and insurers, which is useful when you are reading a termination file the company built. Danielle Riddles has represented employees for more than a decade in discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination. More about the firm is on the about page and the team page. Case results are published separately. This page does not add figures, and past results are not a prediction.

Starpoint Law handles California claims only. We represent people in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento, and Orange County, and elsewhere in the state. Phone and video meetings cover the state. In-person meetings are at our Century City office, 1801 Century Park East, 24th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067, or our Sherman Oaks office, 15233 Ventura Blvd., PH16, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403.

Related California guides

• How much an employment lawyer costs in California
• California employment lawyers
• Wrongful termination
• Wage and hour
• Sexual harassment
• Whistleblower retaliation
• Free consultation

Questions people ask

When should I hire an employment lawyer in California?

Hire before you sign a severance or release, and before the shortest deadline for your claim. A consult is especially useful after a firing or pay cut that followed a complaint, a leave, a pregnancy or disability request, or a wage dispute. Most California jobs are at will, so a firing is not illegal by itself. A lawyer helps you sort an unfair firing from an illegal one while the papers and the dates are still fresh.

Is an employment lawyer worth it?

It is worth a free consultation when the facts may violate California law and a deadline is running. It is usually not worth filing a lawsuit over a firing that was only harsh. Starpoint Law takes employment cases on contingency: no attorney fee unless we recover money. If we don't win, you owe Starpoint Law nothing — no attorney fee and no case costs. The cost of finding out is the conversation, not a retainer, an hourly bill, or a flat fee.

Is a wrongful termination lawyer worth it?

A wrongful termination lawyer is worth consulting if you were fired after protected activity, because of a protected characteristic, or in breach of a contract that promised job security. Our wrongful termination page explains those claims. Many people should not file. The consult is how you learn which group you are in before you sign a release.

How do I find a lawyer to sue my employer in California?

Look for a lawyer who represents employees rather than companies, who handles your kind of case, and who explains the fee in writing before you sign. Confirm the lawyer is licensed in California. Ignore paid ranking lists. Starpoint Law represents employees only.

Can I hire you if I do not live near the Los Angeles offices?

Yes, for a California employment matter. We meet clients across California by phone or video, including in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento, and Orange County. In-person meetings are in Century City and Sherman Oaks.