Employment Law Attorney for Workers, Executives, and Financial Professionals

An employment law attorney helps workers protect their pay, their careers, and their rights when a job goes wrong. Think of an illegal firing, unpaid wages or bonuses, or a non-compete that blocks your next job. It can also be a loan your employer now wants repaid.

Weltz Law represents employees, executives, and financial professionals in disputes with their employers. Our employment law attorneys work with clients in New York, Beverly Hills, and Boca Raton, and represent clients nationwide. This page is part of our practice areas and links to each type of employment dispute our team handles.

What Does an Employment Law Attorney Do for Employees?

An employment law attorney reviews what happened at work, explains your rights, and pursues the claims the facts support. That can include negotiating a better severance, demanding unpaid compensation, challenging an unfair contract term, or filing a claim in court or arbitration.

Employment law is the set of rules that governs the relationship between workers and employers. It covers hiring, pay, workplace treatment, contracts, and firing.

Your employer almost certainly has lawyers. Most companies do. Our employment lawyers level that out, so you are not trying to read a 20-page separation agreement alone at the kitchen table.

Many employment disputes settle without a hearing. Some do not. Either way, knowing your options early changes the conversation.

What Employment Disputes Do Our Employment Law Attorneys Handle?

Our employment law attorneys handle wrongful termination, unpaid wages and overtime, and commission and bonus disputes. The work also covers non-competes, forgivable loans, partnership breakups, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Several of these have their own pages with more detail.

Start with the dispute closest to your situation:

• Wrongful termination: Firings that broke a contract, violated public policy, or punished an employee for protected conduct. Read more about wrongful termination claims.
• Wage and overtime violations: Unpaid overtime, misclassification as exempt or as an independent contractor, and other wage law violations. See our page on wage and overtime violations.
• Compensation disagreements: Disputes over commissions, bonuses, deferred pay, and promised compensation that never arrived. Learn about compensation disagreements.
• Restrictive covenants: Non-compete, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements that limit where you can work or who you can serve. Read about restrictive covenant disputes.
• Employee forgivable loans: Signing bonuses and transition loans an employer demands back when you leave. See our page on employee forgivable loans.
• Partnership disputes: Conflicts between partners over profits, control, buyouts, and exits. Learn more about partnership disputes.
• Harassment, discrimination, and retaliation: Unfair treatment based on a protected trait, or punishment for reporting a problem.

Employment problems often overlap with business disputes. When they do, our commercial litigation team works alongside the employment side of the case.

Can My Employer Fire Me for Any Reason, or Was I Wrongfully Terminated?

Most jobs in the United States are at-will, which means an employer can end them for almost any reason or no reason. But not for an illegal reason. A firing that breaks a contract, punishes protected activity, or is based on a protected trait may be wrongful termination.

The word "almost" is doing a lot of work there.

An employer cannot fire you because of your race, sex, age, religion, disability, or another protected trait. It cannot fire you for reporting fraud, filing a complaint, taking protected leave, or refusing to break the law. And if you have an employment contract that limits when you can be let go, the employer has to follow it.

Employers rarely admit an illegal reason. That's why timing, emails, performance reviews, and how others were treated often matter more than the official explanation.

What Can I Do If My Employer Owes Me Unpaid Wages, Overtime, Commissions, or a Bonus?

You may be able to bring a claim to recover the money. Federal and state wage laws require employers to pay earned wages and overtime. Contracts and commission plans can create more rights. Depending on the claim, extra damages, interest, and attorney's fees may also be available.

Wage problems take many forms. A salaried worker who should have been paid overtime. A worker labeled an independent contractor who was really an employee. A sales rep whose commission plan changed after the deal closed.

Bonus disputes are often harder. Whether a bonus was earned or purely up to the employer usually depends on the written plan and what was promised. Our employment law attorneys read the plan documents, offer letters, and emails together to see what was actually agreed.

Is My Non-Compete or Non-Solicitation Agreement Enforceable?

It depends on the state and the terms. Many states enforce non-competes only if they are reasonable in time, place, and scope and protect a real business interest. California generally refuses to enforce most employee non-competes. New York and Florida may enforce them in some situations.

A non-compete limits where you can work after you leave. A non-solicitation agreement limits which clients or coworkers you can contact. A confidentiality agreement protects business information.

These agreements are often broader than the law allows. Employers still push to enforce them. They may send warning letters to you and your new employer. They may also ask a court for an injunction, which is an order that stops you from doing something. Getting advice before you resign, not after, gives you the most room to plan your move.

What Happens If I Leave a Job Owing Money on a Forgivable Loan or Signing Bonus?

The employer will usually demand repayment of the balance. Forgivable loans shrink over time as you stay with the company. If you leave early, the remaining amount often comes due. But the reason you left, and how the employer treated you, can create defenses.

These loans are common in sales, finance, and the brokerage industry. They are often called signing bonuses, transition packages, or retention loans.

Leave two years into a seven-year note, and the balance can be large.

If the employer cut your pay, took away accounts, or pushed you out, you may have arguments against repayment or claims of your own. For brokers and financial advisors, these disputes usually go to FINRA arbitration. FINRA is the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, which runs the arbitration system for the brokerage industry.

What Should I Do If I Face Harassment, Discrimination, or Retaliation at Work?

Write down what happened and report it if it is safe to do so. Then talk with an employment law attorney before deadlines run. Retaliation means punishing an employee for reporting a problem or using a legal right, and it is illegal on its own.

A few steps can protect your position:

• Keep a record: Write down dates, times, what was said, and who was there, as soon as possible after each event.
• Save evidence: Keep copies of texts, emails, and messages on a personal device, without taking confidential company files.
• Use the complaint process: Report the problem to HR or a manager in writing when it is safe to do so.
• Watch for changes: Note any sudden schedule changes, bad reviews, or lost duties after you complain.
• Get advice early: Some agency filing deadlines are as short as 180 days.

You do not have to have a perfect case to ask questions. Many people wait too long because they are not sure whether what happened "counts."

Should I Sign a Severance Agreement Before Talking to an Employment Lawyer?

It is usually wise to have an employment lawyer review a severance agreement before you sign. Most severance agreements ask you to give up your right to bring claims in exchange for payment. Once signed, that waiver is often hard to undo.

Severance offers often come with a short deadline. That pressure is part of the design.

Our employment law attorneys look at what you are giving up, what you are getting, and whether the terms are fair. The agreement may include a non-compete, a non-disparagement clause, or a repayment demand buried in the fine print. In many cases there is room to negotiate the amount, the timing, the reference language, or the restrictive terms.

Will My Employment Dispute Be Settled, Heard in Court, or Sent to Arbitration?

Many employment disputes settle through negotiation or mediation. Those that do not are decided in court or in private arbitration, depending on your contract. Brokers and other registered financial professionals usually resolve disputes with their firms through FINRA arbitration.

Check your offer letter and employment agreement. Many include an arbitration clause, which requires disputes to be decided by a private arbitrator instead of a judge or jury. Some claims, like certain harassment claims, may still be brought in court even with that clause.

Mediation is a voluntary meeting with a neutral person who helps both sides try to reach a deal. It often happens before or during a case and can save months of time.

Court cases are public and allow appeals. Arbitration is private and usually ends with a final decision. Each has tradeoffs, and the choice is not always yours to make.

What Deadlines Apply to an Employment Claim?

Employment claims have strict deadlines, and some are very short. Discrimination and harassment claims often must be filed with a government agency first, sometimes within 180 or 300 days. Wage and contract claims usually have longer limits that vary by state.

Missing a deadline can end a claim before anyone looks at the facts. That is true even when the facts are strong.

The deadline usually starts when the harmful event happened, such as the firing or the missed paycheck. When in doubt, assume the clock is already running and get advice soon.

What Records Should I Gather Before Meeting With an Employment Lawyer?

Bring anything that shows your job terms, your pay, and what went wrong. Your offer letter, contracts, pay records, and key emails tell most of the story. A short timeline in your own words helps our employment lawyers understand your case quickly.

Gather these if you have them:

• Job documents: Offer letter, employment agreement, handbook, and any non-compete or confidentiality agreements.
• Pay records: Pay stubs, commission statements, bonus plans, and loan or promissory note documents.
• Performance records: Reviews, warnings, awards, and any written praise.
• Communications: Emails, texts, and messages about the dispute.
• Separation documents: Termination letters and any severance offer.
• A timeline: Key dates, names, and events.

Do not worry if your file is incomplete. Our team can help identify what else may be needed and how to get it.

How Do Our Employment Law Attorneys Handle a Case From Start to Finish?

Our employment law attorneys move each case through clear stages, from the first review to resolution. Many cases resolve through negotiation. Others move to court or arbitration. At each stage, clients get a clear picture of their options before making decisions.

It begins with a case review. Our team listens to what happened, reads your documents, checks the deadlines, and identifies the claims that may apply.

Next comes investigation and a demand. Often the first formal step is a letter to the employer laying out the claims and what you are asking for. Many disputes resolve here.

If they do not, our employment lawyers file the claim with the right agency, court, or arbitration forum. Discovery follows. That is the stage where both sides exchange documents and, in many cases, take depositions, which are recorded interviews under oath.

Mediation and settlement talks can happen at any point. Cases that do not settle go to trial or a final arbitration hearing, where a judge, jury, or arbitrator decides.

Why Do Employees in New York, California, and Florida Choose Weltz Law?

Weltz Law handles employment disputes alongside business and securities disputes, which helps when pay, contracts, and financial products overlap. Our employment law attorneys work with clients in New York, Beverly Hills, and Boca Raton, and represent clients nationwide.

Many employment cases involve more than a firing. They involve commission plans, deferred compensation, forgivable loans, and partnership interests. Our team is comfortable reading those financial documents and explaining what they mean for you.

Cases are handled in house. The attorneys who review your documents are the ones who handle your case. You can meet our attorneys to learn more about the team.

Talk With an Employment Law Attorney at Weltz Law

Employment disputes move fast, and the deadlines do not wait. Maybe you were fired, shorted on pay, handed a severance agreement, or told to repay a loan. Talking with an employment law attorney early gives you the clearest view of your options.

Our employment law attorneys represent workers, executives, and financial professionals in New York, Beverly Hills, Boca Raton, and nationwide. Bring your offer letter, pay records, and a short timeline if you have them. Contact Weltz Law today to talk through what happened and what may come next.