All employees deserve a safe and satisfying environment to grow professionally and personally. Unfortunately, despite countless laws designed to protect employee rights, many workers needlessly endure discriminatory or hostile work environments perpetrated by management, co-workers, or both. While doing your best to perform at work, you may find yourself unfairly fighting for your workplace rights in an arena of complicated laws, countless regulations, and tight timelines. This fight is often overwhelming and can truly upend all aspects of your life.
Not all law firms are the same, and only the right, personalized legal representation specializing in Federal employment matters can see you through this confusing time and provide the best outcome for your unique situation. Successful resolutions that ER&SS can provide may broadly include include monetary compensation, job retention, promotion, equal pay compensation, leave restoration, reassignment, reasonable disability accommodations, security clearance retention, and removing adverse materials from official personnel files.
As a former Department of Defense labor and employment attorney, Ms. Crista D. Kraics of ER&SS brings years of experience navigating the workplace’s legal intricacies. She knows each case involves distinct facts and issues and, therefore, deserves individualized treatment at every litigation stage. Her expert negotiation and trial strategies include approaches not typically found in other employment law firms, large or small. Because each scenario is personal, Ms. Kraics works with you to generate the optimal outcome for your case, focusing on preserving your employment and eliminating the discriminatory behaviors adversely impacting your well-being.
Why Choosing a Small Firm Specialist over a Large Firm is Better for You:
Although large law firms typically promise the best representation, hiring a small, streamlined firm specializing in Federal employment law is often your better choice in terms of costs and expertise. Many large law firms attract clients through expensive facilities, excess staff, and glossy websites. They may also boast excellence in a broad range of practice areas.
Yet the gloss and overhead expenses have no effect on the quality of representation, and large firms usually pass those costs to you as the client in the end. Additionally, the breadth of practice areas often dilutes legal expertise, and large firm partners often hand your case to a revolving door of young, inexperienced associates reachable only through their staff.
In contrast, choosing a small firm specializing in Federal employment means that the expert will personally handle your case. You will get the direct, responsive, and experienced attention you deserve, and nobody will pass your case to a generalist or associate learning the practice. Retaining a small firm specialist means that you will get an attorney who personally answers your calls, is passionate about the Federal employment law, and zealous about your case. Through experience and minimal overhead expenses, your case strategy and pricing are tailored for you and your success. You will risk less yet get the best possible outcome.
Questions to Ask When Choosing an Employment Attorney:
Have You Ever Worked for a Federal Agency?
The best attorney for you should have inside experience. Employment law experience within a Federal agency is crucial to understanding the complex, multi-layered manner in which junior management, senior management, and Human Resources interact with one another and react to your needs. Most importantly, prior Federal agency practice teaches attorneys how to strategically approach settlement officials with employment solutions that maximize your best outcome.
Do You Understand the Various OPM, EEOC, MSPB, OSC, and Various Military Departments’ Regulations?
Your attorney must be particularly versed in your agency’s regulations. In addition to the the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulations, Federal agencies, especially the military departments, operate under multitudes of interwoven, formal, and informal regulations unique to that organization. Failing to recognize these intricacies easily results in missed deadlines, faulty discovery requests, and deposing the wrong witnesses for your case, any of which could result in a lesser outcome for you.
Do You Understand My Union’s Master Labor Agreement?
Your best outcome requires legal counsel who understands not just standard employment law, but also how to maximize your union protections and benefits under your Master Labor Agreement (MLA). A strong employment attorney will work with you and your union representative to ensure all parties understand the benefits, and limitations found in your MLA. In unskilled hands, an employee can easily miss crucial decision points and filing deadlines that will permanently harm the potential for a positive outcome in your case.
How Much Experience Do You Have Practicing before the MSPB and the EEOC?
To succeed in labor and employment law, your attorney, must be comfortable with public speaking and have built a significant body of courtroom experience practicing before a variety of Federal Administrative Judges and jurisdictions. Moreover, a seasoned litigator understands the nuances of various legal strategies and how to use them most effectively to advocate on your behalf, to include precisely when in the litigation process to approach the Agency for meaningful negotiations. Without this experience, you risk a sub-optimal outcome in your case.