Prepare to see an Employment Lawyer on the Sunshine Coast

An employment lawyer on the Sunshine Coast advises on employment law and employment disputes.

Has something gone wrong at work and you are looking to hire a lawyer?

Just as you must decide whether a lawyer is right for you, an employment lawyer must analyse your case and determine whether you have a valid legal claim and whether they should represent you in your matter.

Many lawyers, including employment lawyers, offer free initial consultations.

To make the most out of your time with your lawyer (whether it is free or not), it is helpful to organise information and documents before your consultation.

The more relevant information you provide your lawyer, the better they are able to evaluate your case.

This article will tell you how to prepare for a consultation with an employment lawyer on the Sunshine Coast.

Employment Lawyer on the Sunshine Coast

With the appropriate information, an employment lawyer on the Sunshine Coast is in a better position to accurately answer questions such as:

• Do I have a case?
• What are my options?
• What is the best possible outcome?
• What is the likelihood of success?
• How long will it take?
• How much money will this cost me?

Employment lawyers on the Sunshine Coast are trained to spot the legal, and other issues in a complex set of facts.

However they can only provide advice on the information you have provided them.

Before meeting with an employment lawyer, it is important to have the right information to allow them to best analyse your case.

This information might include:

• A chronology of events concisely explaining to your lawyer what has occurred.This should be a neat, written record of what happened, when it happened, who was there and who can support your claim. What happened to make you seek out an employment lawyer? What was said or done or how were you treated? How has it affected you? Did you make any formal complaints? How were they handled.
• Do you have any witnesses who can support your version of events? Write down the name and contact details of anyone who has knowledge relevant to your claim, as well as how they can support your version of events.
• Emails, text messages and other written communications between you and your employer, or you and anyone from your employer that relates to your claim.
• Relevant notes and other documents discussing your employer.
• Documents reflecting your job performance. Have you had any formal feedback from your employer regarding performance? Are you on a plan for managing under performance?
• A copy of any documents your employer provided you with upon commencement. This includes your offer of employment, employment contract, the employee handbook, and/or an enterprise agreement if applicable. It is a good idea to bring along a copy of any relevant workplace policies.
• What date did you start working for the employer? What holidays have you taken? Were these holidays paid or unpaid? This is vital information for many claims under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).
• A copy of your resume. This allows your lawyer to better understand your employment history and the type of work you do.
• If you were fired, when did this occur? This is an imperative question for wrongful dismissal claims. Did your employer provide you with any documentation when your employment was terminated?
• Payslips and other document that show how much money you were paid. Be prepared to answer how much money you earn. This is particularly important if your guaranteed annual earnings was approaching, or above, the high income threshold. This includes the value of any non-monetary benefits such as company cars. A person earning above the higher income threshold is not protected from unfair dismissal by the Fair Work Act.
• Where relevant, any documents that support your efforts to secure a new job after termination. This should include the names of any business you have applied to, when you applied, what remuneration was associated with that job and whether your application received a response (whether positive, negative or no response).

While this list is not exhaustive, it provides an idea of the type of documents and information you should bring to your consultation with your employment lawyer on the Sunshine Coast.

Make sure the documents are well organised, and you can quickly find relevant information.

This will help to make the most out of your time with an employment lawyer on the Sunshine Coast.