What to bring to an employment lawyer consultation

• Your offer letter or employment contract, and anything you signed when hired, such as arbitration, confidentiality or non-compete agreements.
• The employee handbook or the policies that apply to your situation, if you have them.
• Performance reviews, commendations and any written warnings.
• The termination letter or notice, and any severance agreement you were offered.
• Recent pay stubs or pay records, and records of bonuses or commissions.
• Anything you filed with, or received from, a government agency.

Want the core questions on one page? Get the free consultation sheet by email.

Bring the emails or messages that show what happened: the concern you raised, the reply, the decision. Print them or save them as they are. Do not edit them, and do not delete anything.

Keep only what you are allowed to keep. Ask a lawyer before taking or sharing confidential company records, because doing so can create problems of its own.

Write the events in order with their dates: how things were going before, when you raised a concern or asked for leave, what changed afterwards, and the decision. For each line, note whether you have a document that supports it. A clear sequence is often the most useful thing you can hand a lawyer.

• When you started, and when the termination or other action happened.
• When you received any severance offer, and its deadline.
• When you raised a concern, or requested leave or an accommodation.

Some claims must be filed with a government agency or court within a short time. The deadline depends on the claim and on where you work. This page cannot tell you yours. If you think one may be close, say so when you book.

Bring the same written questions to every consultation, so the answers can be compared: see the employment lawyer consultation checklist. If you have a severance offer, see questions to ask about severance.

You do not need every document from your time at the company, and you do not need to have a legal theory worked out. Bring what shows the sequence of events, and let the lawyer tell you what else matters.