“I thought the severance paper was the only thing on the table. She read it with me line by line and showed me what I was giving up.”
Dmitri K.Warehouse lead
Employment law in San Francisco
When the job ends badly,
what happens to my pay?
Fired, laid off, shorted or handed a paper to sign: the worries arrive in the same order. I answer them for employees only, and one lawyer reads your papers from the first call to the last.
When work ends
Start with the worry that fits
The worry usually comes before the legal question. Pick yours, and read what to look at first.
My job
Let go with a reason that keeps changing, laid off right after a complaint, or pushed to resign.
Read moreMy last paycheck
Final wages, overtime or commissions that did not arrive in full, or arrived late.
Read moreMy severance offer
A release asks you to give up claims in return. It is worth reading before you reply.
Read moreMy complaint
You spoke up about pay, safety or treatment, and then your schedule or reviews changed.
Read moreMy reference
What a former manager may say to the next employer, and what to do if it hurts.
Read more
The office
One lawyer, from the first read to the last signature
Estelle Sutcliffe works only for people who are employed, and that is why she can ask for the whole story. The first call is for listening. The second is a plain answer on whether there is a claim, what it would take, and what you may want instead.
The lawyer who reads your papers is the lawyer who handles them
Answers in plain words, and in writing when you ask
Whether to settle, stay or leave is your decision
After you call
The weeks after you call
- 01
A first call
You tell me what happened. If there is nothing I can do, you hear that on the first call and not three months in.
- 02
Your papers
Pay stubs, the offer letter, the handbook, texts and emails. Photos from a phone are fine.
- 03
A plain answer
What a claim would need, what it might be worth, and how long each path usually takes.
- 04
Your choice
Send a letter, file a complaint, negotiate, or let it go. I lay out each and you pick.
In their words
From people who made the call
“My last check was missing two weeks of overtime. She counted it from the photos of my own schedule.”
Irene L.Hospital billing clerk
“After I reported my manager, my reviews changed. First thing she did was have me write down the dates.”
Keiko A.Product designer
These are sample quotes. Every client’s case is different, and what happened in one says nothing certain about another.
Before you hire anyone
Questions I hear in the first week
Do I have a case?
Sometimes I can tell on the first call, and sometimes only once I have seen the papers. Either way I will say which. Plenty of unfair things at work are not unlawful, and I will tell you when that is so.
How long do I have?
Deadlines for pay claims, agency complaints and lawsuits are short, and they differ by claim and by place. Do not wait to find out. Call before you sign anything or let a date pass.
Should I sign the severance paper?
Not yet, and not today unless a deadline forces it. Ask for more time in writing, then send me the paper before you reply.
What does it cost?
On pay and wrongful-termination claims I usually work on contingency, so there is no attorney’s fee unless you recover money. Costs such as filing fees and depositions are separate, and your fee agreement says in writing whether you repay them if there is no recovery. Reviewing a severance paper is billed another way, and you get that in writing too.
Will my employer know I called?
Not from me. What you tell me is confidential, and I do not contact your employer without your say.
Start with the date it happened
A few lines is plenty. I read every message myself and reply on the next business day.