What is the best way to present my discrimination/harassment case to a potential attorney?

Preparing a timeline is very important. Prepare a short version, at first, comprising no more than a few pages, containing the most important events. You can also prepare a list of witnesses, stating what you expect they would know or say and a list of documents you think are most important, supporting your claims. You don't need to send the documents, unless requested by the attorney. Please understand that we get requests via email and phone, every day, asking to review cases, so try to make it as concise as possible, otherwise we probably will not have time to review it. If the case piques our interest, we can then follow up with a meeting and review more of the details of the case. Try contacting several attorneys, either by using the "Find a Lawyer" function on top of the page or through the website for the California Employment Lawyers Association. at www.cela.org . If you work in Los Angeles, focus on lawyers in that area.

I would call some attorneys and ask what they would like from you. Most attorneys probably won't review hundreds of pages of documents right off the bat. if they are interested in your case, they will tell you what they need. Good luck!

I agree with my colleagues. You should prepare a chronology of events which includes significant events, as well as the names of the witnesses and documents supporting each item. You do not need to present hundreds of pages of documents, as most attorneys will not have the time to review them - although if you feel that there is a specific document or two that go to the heart of your claim(s), offer to provide it to the attorney. Also, as my colleague stated, the California Employment Lawyers Association's ("CELA") website, www.cela.org, is a great resource in finding a plaintiff-side employment law attorney in your area. Afshin Mozaffari, Esq. MOZAFFARI LAW 12100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 800 Los Angeles, CA 90025 Telephone: (323) 696-0702 Facsimile: (323) 546-3466 [email protected] www.mozaffarilaw.com

When you call the attorney, know that he or she wants certain information right up front: the name of the defendant, the name of the employee; if the employee was fired (or denied reasonable accommodation, or laid off, or whatever the issue is, in five words or less); the date this happened; the reason the employer gave for whatever happened; how long the employee worked for the defendant; what job the employee did; how much the employee made; and any deadline. Do not send any documents to the attorney unless he or she asks you to do so. Most of us do not have the time to review all the documents potential clients send us, and some of us get annoyed by potential clients who assume we want their documentation before we even ask. But start preparing the chronology for when the attorney does ask for it. Chronologies are extremely helpful and important, as are alphabetical lists of the names, titles and significance of everyone involved (witnesses, management, etc.) A chronology (timeline) of events should be an overview. Prepare it using short, factual paragraphs to describe your educational and employment background, dates of hire and promotion with the employer at issue, job titles and duties, rates of pay, when employment problems began, what happened on each relevant day (what was said or done, and by whom), who else was involved, and who else was present or aware of what happened. Only essential details should be included in the chronology. Typically, each entry will consist of three to five typed lines, although critical events may be longer and more detailed. In most cases, a chronology will be between five to ten pages long; of course, your particular case may require more or less detail.

Great question, and every empoyment lawyer must wish that more potential clients asked this question. I wrote a short guide that I hope you will find helpful to your case. http://www.attorneyqna.com/legal-guides/ugc/how-to-present-your-employment--wrongful-termination-case-to-an-attorney Thank you. Arkady

Try to be organized. A chronological timeline of events is the best way to help a lawyer wrap his or her head around a case. You should also look at: http://www.californiaemploymentlawfirm.com/building-your-workplace-discrimination-case and http://www.californiaemploymentlawfirm.com/law-blog/im-think-im-going-to-get-fired-what-should-i-do Those sites will help you figure out what other information an attorney will want to see. However, keep in mind that you should always error on the side of over-producing.