When you think about wage and hour compliance issues, you might overlook an entire group of employers that may be in violation: law firms. While you might assume that attorneys would be in compliance with the law, remember they are businesses, too. As with other businesses, it is not uncommon for law firms to cut corners when it comes to wage and hour compliance.
Law firms, which are understandably concerned with the rights of their clients, also need to look inward and make sure that they are protecting the rights of their own employees to the fullest extent of the law.
Law firms have the same potential pitfalls of any other business. Shavitz Law Group has helped recover damages for law firm employees who have been under-compensated. Areas of concern where employers may fail to properly track the hours of and pay properly non-exempt employees include:
- work performed remotely, usually at home, but can include work performed while traveling or commuting;
- work performed while monitoring cell phones for calls, texts, and messages at the employer’s request;
- improperly classifying employees as exempt when they perform non-exempt work — one common misconception in the legal industry is that paralegals are exempt professionals. Under the law, however, salaried paralegals are still entitled to overtime wages for hours worked in excess of forty per week;
- work performed during an unpaid meal break.
If you have any questions about your entitlement to recover unpaid overtime, please call us. Just like any employer, law firms are prohibited from retaliating against any employee who pursues backpay and overtime. Additionally, the law requires employers who violate federal wage law to pay the employees’ attorneys’ fees and costs, so we can represent you without any costs or fees paid by you. Call us today at (800) 616-4000 for a free consultation.
You Earned It, Now Let’s Go Get It.
Gregg Shavitz, Shavitz Law Group, 951 Yamato Rd Ste 285, Boca Raton, FL and 830 3rd Ave, Floor 5, New York, NY. Lawyers licensed in states including FL, NY, NJ, and TX. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based on advertisements alone.
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