By Howard Levitt and Robert Taylor

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So you’ve been fired.

For some of our clients, it is a bolt out of the blue. Completely unexpected and a shock. For others it will come as no surprise but nonetheless represents an exceedingly unpleasant, unwelcome life event.

Whether you have been terminated with or without cause, it is essential you immediately consult with an experienced employment lawyer. And one who actually takes cases to trial, which is necessary if you need to enforce your rights. Otherwise, they will have no credibility with your employer’s counsel. Yes, you want to settle. Virtually everyone does. But you also want the other side to know that you can fight effectively if necessary. Too many employment lawyers have never seen the inside of a court room. As a result, no one fears them which redounds directly against your prospects.

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If you have been terminated without cause, typically your employer will provide you with an offer to settle the claim arising from your dismissal.

If you have a written employment contract, it may set our your financial entitlements on termination. However, just because you signed an employment agreement (perhaps many years ago) does not make that agreement the last word on your entitlements. Many agreements, especially those two years old or more, contain termination provisions which the courts have held are unenforceable. This is why it is essential that you consult experienced employment law counsel....

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