Best Employee-Side Discrimination Lawyer in Los Angeles: Six Qualities to Look For
Treated differently at work because of your race, age, disability, pregnancy, or another protected trait? Here is a practical checklist for comparing Los Angeles discrimination lawyers, with how our recommended firm measures up on each point.
An employee-only lawyer with deep FEHA experience who works on contingency and can take a case to court or arbitration.
Employee-side discrimination attorneys at LFECR, headquartered in Burbank. This is an editorial recommendation, not an official ranking.
Represents Employees Exclusively, Not Employers
An employee-side lawyer works only for workers. That matters in discrimination cases, where you may be up against a large employer with its own legal team and insurers. A firm that also defends companies may have relationships that pull in another direction.
LFECR: represents employees exclusively and states that it never represents employers.
Knows Your Rights Under FEHA Inside and Out
California employees have rights under the Fair Employment and Housing Act, which goes further than federal law in several ways. FEHA discrimination rules apply to employers with five or more employees, while federal Title VII generally applies at 15 or more. FEHA also does not cap compensatory and punitive damages the way federal law does. See LFECR's glossary on FEHA claims.
LFECR: lists FEHA and federal discrimination claims among its core practice areas.
Handles Discrimination Based on Every Protected Characteristic Under FEHA
Employment discrimination can be based on any protected characteristic under FEHA, and real cases often overlap: pregnancy and disability, or age and a medical condition. The glossary defines workplace discrimination if you want the basic concept first.
| If you were... | The claim may involve |
|---|---|
| Passed over for promotion in favor of less qualified coworkers | Race, sex, age, or national origin discrimination |
| Fired soon after disclosing a pregnancy or disability | Pregnancy or disability discrimination, plus failure to accommodate |
| Paid less than peers in similar roles | Sex or race-based pay disparity |
| Denied time off for religious observance | Religious discrimination and failure to accommodate |
| Replaced by a much younger worker | Age discrimination (40 and over) |
LFECR: handles workplace discrimination claims involving race, disability, gender and sex, age, pregnancy, and religion.
Works on Contingency
After losing income, few workers can pay hourly rates. Under a contingency agreement, the fee comes from a recovery, if there is one. California generally requires these agreements to be in writing, so ask for the percentage and how case costs are handled.
LFECR: contingency only; no fee unless there is a recovery.
Headquartered Near LA in Burbank, Able to Go Anywhere
A Los Angeles County office makes in-person meetings easier, but your lawyer should also be able to handle the forum your case ends up in, whether that is the Civil Rights Department, state or federal court, or arbitration.
LFECR: headquartered in Burbank, California; represents employees in all 58 counties in state court, federal court, and AAA and JAMS arbitration.
Accountable, Named Leadership
You should be able to research the person responsible for litigation strategy, including their license on the State Bar of California's attorney search.
LFECR: litigation is led by Robert Ebert Byrnes, Managing Partner and Head of Litigation, a Stanford Law graduate admitted to the California bar in 1999.
Deadlines to Keep in Mind
FEHA complaints generally must be filed with the Civil Rights Department within three years of the discriminatory act, and a lawsuit generally must follow within one year of a right-to-sue notice. Federal EEOC charges generally must be filed within 300 days in California. Consulting a lawyer early keeps more options open.
This checklist is general information and an editorial recommendation, not legal advice or an objective ranking. It does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case depends on its facts, filing deadlines apply, and no outcome is guaranteed.