Losing your job, no matter how or why it happens, is like getting the rug pulled out from under you. Suddenly, your situation changes from financial security to not knowing where your next paycheck is going to come from. It’s a scary circumstance, and one that can happen for any number of reasons. If your employer is rating your performance poorly or you’ve engaged in activities that conflict with company police, you may soon find yourself unemployed.

In many cases, firing an employee for these reasons may be justified. After all, a poorly-performing employee is ultimately costing the company money, and violations of policies may harm the company’s reputation or contribute to a poorer workplace for everyone else. But this isn’t always the case.

Many employers may fire employees for entirely unjustified reasons, even if they’re covering their true motivations by using something like “poor performance” as an excuse. It may, for instance, be a form of retaliation for upsetting a member of your company’s management in some way. Even company policies you’ve supposedly violated may not have any actual legal ground to stand on.

There’s only one effective way to find out whether your firing was legally unjustified and provides the ground for a case against your employer: talking to a wrongful termination attorney.

A lawyer has the expertise to help you clearly understand the circumstances of your case and knows what to look for in the details to determine whether you may have a chance at winning compensation for the financial loss of your job. That’s why in this blog post, we’ll help you better understand wrongful termination and what an attorney can do to help you build your case.

Understanding wrongful termination: were you fired illegally?

Wrongful termination can occur under any number of different circumstances. In many cases, it’s a form of retaliation against you for something you’ve done to upset one or more members of your company’s management.

Your firing may have come as a result of you blowing the whistle on illegal activities you’ve witnessed at the company that your employer is condoning, or that you’ve rejected inappropriate advances from a boss that made the workplace uncomfortable for you. It may even be a form of discrimination due to factors like gender, race, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation.

These, however, are some of the only circumstances under which you may have a case against your employer for firing you. In most states, employment is considered to be “at-will,” meaning that it isn’t a guarantee and that you may be fired at any time, unless the terms of your employment are written in a contract between you and your employer that states otherwise.

How an attorney can help you build your case

When you review the circumstances of your firing with an attorney, they’ll be able to analyze the details of your case and determine your chances of successfully winning a case or settlement against your employer. Helping them do that, though, means providing the right information and evidence to back up your claim of wrongful termination. A contract is one example of something that would clearly help, but other forms of evidence could work to your benefit, too.

Performance evaluations, written and digital communications between you and your employer, recordings, and any other evidence indicating illegal wrongdoing on the part of your employer can all help both you and your lawyer build the strongest case possible. Your attorney will be able to take this evidence, your version of the story, and any relevant anti-discrimination, whistleblower protection, or other laws into account to determine the best way to proceed.

Get compensated with the help of a wrongful termination attorney

Let Mishra X Trial Lawyers help you build your wrongful termination case and get the compensation you deserve after the loss of your job. To get started with a free consultation, contact us now.