Wrongful Termination Representation
If you were fired for an illegal reason — discrimination, retaliation, or blowing the whistle — that termination may be unlawful, and you may be owed back pay and more. Thurgood represents employees in wrongful termination claims, without the cost of a law firm.
Get a free evaluationSigns your firing may be illegal
Being fired unfairly isn’t automatically against the law — most jobs are “at-will.” A firing crosses into wrongful territory when the real reason is one the law forbids. The clearest signs:
Fired because of who you are
You were let go because of your race, sex, age, religion, national origin, or disability — or it clearly played a part in the decision.
Fired after you reported harassment or discrimination
You complained to HR or a manager about harassment or discrimination, and lost your job not long after.
Fired after taking medical or family leave
You requested or took FMLA, medical, maternity, or family leave, and were pushed out around the time you used it.
Fired after requesting an accommodation
You asked for a disability or religious accommodation and were let go instead of accommodated.
Fired after disclosing a pregnancy or health condition
You shared that you were pregnant, expecting maternity leave, or managing a medical condition — and were gone soon after.
Fired after a safety, fraud, or whistleblower report
You flagged an unsafe condition, an environmental issue, or financial wrongdoing — and were retaliated against for blowing the whistle.
Fired after a work injury or workers’ comp claim
You reported a workplace injury or filed for workers’ compensation, and your job disappeared soon after.
The timing doesn’t add up
Your reviews were fine until you did something protected — then a sudden PIP, write-up, or termination appeared, sometimes right before a bonus or commission vested.
The reason keeps changing
You were told one thing, then another — shifting or pretextual explanations often hide an unlawful motive.
Not sure if what happened counts?
A free evaluation tells you where you stand — no cost, no obligation.
We negotiate a settlement with your employer
Settling directly with your employer is where we focus and where we specialize. Most matters can be resolved right here — privately, and faster than any filing.
Refine your story so it lands
We help you shape what happened into a clear, credible account that translates to the people deciding your case.
Strategize the approach
We read how the company and their attorney open discussions, and adapt our strategy to the way they negotiate.
Organize the evidence for impact
We identify the documentation that matters most and arrange it for maximum impact to close a deal.
If we can’t settle, we file and represent you
When a settlement can’t be reached up front, we pursue an award through the agency — and stay with you through every step of that process.
Prepare your filing
We convert your story and evidence into formal charge documents written to the agency’s standards.
Represent your interests with the agency
We become your point of contact, handling communications and deadlines throughout.
Prepare you for the investigator interview
We get you ready for the agency investigator’s questions so you can tell your account with confidence.
Prepare you for fact-finding conferences
We ready you for the conference where both sides present their version of events.
Prepare you for administrative law hearings
If your case reaches a hearing before an administrative law judge, we prepare you for that too.
Filing with the right agency
Because a workplace claim can be unlawful for many different reasons, there’s no single agency for every case. Part of what we do is match your claim to the agency that actually has jurisdiction — federal or state — and to the deadline that comes with it.
EEOC — discrimination & retaliation
Race, sex, pregnancy, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, and equal-pay claims. Employers with 15+ · generally 180–300 days.
OSHA Whistleblower Protection Program
Reporting safety, nuclear or energy, food, transportation, consumer-finance, or securities-fraud concerns — more than 20 statutes. Some deadlines as short as 30 days.
DOL Wage & Hour Division (WHD)
FMLA leave retaliation and minimum-wage, overtime, and child-labor (FLSA) claims. Up to 2–3 years.
NLRB — union & concerted activity
Organizing, or raising group concerns about pay or working conditions (protected concerted activity).
State labor & civil-rights agencies
Most states run their own fair-employment or labor agency enforcing state law — often reaching smaller employers and allowing longer deadlines. A claim can frequently be filed with the state as well as, or instead of, the federal agency.
Special-industry civil-rights offices
Some sectors route through an agency’s Office for Civil Rights — for example the U.S. Department of Education (OCR) for school staff, or HHS (OCR) for healthcare and HIPAA matters.
How an agency charge unfolds
Whichever agency has jurisdiction, the path a federal charge follows looks broadly the same — only the deadline changes with the claim.
- 01
A charge is filed
A formal charge goes to the agency with jurisdiction, within a deadline that depends on the claim — anywhere from 30 days to 300.
- 02
Your employer is notified
The agency notifies your employer of the charge and invites a written response.
- 03
Investigation or mediation
The agency may investigate the claim or offer voluntary mediation to resolve it early.
- 04
A determination is issued
The agency issues findings. Where it finds cause, it may pursue a settlement or conciliation.
- 05
Your rights are preserved
If the matter isn’t resolved, you’re issued a notice that keeps your right to take the claim further intact.
Filing with your state agency
Most states have their own fair-employment and labor agencies — with their own laws and deadlines, often more protective than federal. Thurgood is authorized to represent state-level claims in the states below; everywhere else, we represent your claim federally. Your evaluation pins down exactly what applies where you work.
- 01
Dual filing preserves both
A charge can usually be cross-filed, so your state and federal rights are protected at the same time.
- 02
Often broader coverage
State laws frequently reach smaller employers and more situations than federal law — and can give you far longer to file.
- 03
Investigation & resolution
The state agency investigates and may hold hearings or facilitate a settlement.
- 04
We pin down your state’s rule
Your evaluation identifies the agency and deadline that apply where you actually work.
Two roads to an award
You don’t have to sue in civil court to be made whole. The administrative agency process can deliver the same kinds of awards — back pay, reinstatement, damages — through a different, more accessible path.
Both can result in a real award. The agency route is built to be reached without a law firm — which is exactly where Thurgood represents you.
Frequently asked
Most employment is “at-will,” so an unfair firing isn’t automatically illegal. It becomes wrongful in the legal sense when the reason is one the law forbids — discrimination, retaliation for protected activity, or whistleblowing. Your free evaluation checks whether yours fits one of those.
That’s the exact question to ask. A firing that feels unfair isn’t necessarily unlawful — but if it followed something protected (a complaint, a leave request, a disclosure, a safety report) or the timing and stated reason don’t line up, it may be wrongful termination. A free evaluation tells you which side of that line you’re on.
No. A strong claim sometimes gets passed over not because it’s weak, but because it wasn’t explained in the right terms — or because the lawyer you spoke with couldn’t relate to the situation. A reviewer who maps what actually happened to the law can reach a very different conclusion. That’s exactly what a free evaluation is for.
Often, yes. Going through an internal grievance, an HR appeal, or a union process first doesn’t erase your claim — even if it made some firms lose interest. What matters most now is the filing deadline, which may still be open. The sooner we look, the more options you’re likely to have.
Yes — and the same holds across the agencies. Whether your claim belongs with the EEOC, OSHA, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division, or your state agency, you can file on your own or have an authorized non-attorney representative prepare it, deal with the agency, and represent you throughout. That’s what Thurgood does.
No. You’re not required to have an attorney to file with the EEOC, OSHA, or a state agency. An authorized non-attorney representative can file and pursue the claim for you — which is how you fight a wrongful termination without a law firm.
No. Most civil employment firms charge a large retainer up front or take 30–40% of any settlement. Because the administrative agency process is less complex than civil-court litigation, Thurgood works on a smaller retainer and a lower contingency fee, so more of any recovery stays with you. The evaluation is free.
It depends on the claim and the agency. Discrimination charges with the EEOC are generally due in 180–300 days; OSHA whistleblower deadlines can be as short as 30 days; family-leave and some Department of Labor claims allow up to 2–3 years; and state agencies set their own windows.
It depends on the agency. The EEOC, OSHA, and the Department of Labor each move at their own pace, and state agencies differ again. Some matters resolve quickly through mediation or a negotiated settlement, while others run longer if investigated in full.
Usually not. Most claims are resolved through negotiation or the agency process without ever filing a lawsuit.
Depending on the claim, relief can include back pay, reinstatement, and other remedies. Outcomes depend on the facts, and no one can promise a result.
Facing harassment, retaliation,
or wrongful termination?
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