Many attorneys claim they handle whistleblower cases, when this is actually a small portion of their practice. The problem is that an attorney may be skilled in one area, such as building a solid case, yet lack experience in negotiating a settlement. For this reason, any individual who finds themselves in this situation needs to ensure they hire a firm that is capable of handling all aspects of the case. As the case progresses, more people may need to be called in, which is why it is best to hire a whistleblower lawyer who handles this type of case routinely.
Whistleblowers have been around for centuries, yet didn’t get much attention over the years. It wasn’t until some big cases came along, such as toxic waste cases, that people began to learn about this type of law. Companies selling faulty equipment to the United States military were found in violation of law, thanks to a whistleblower, and a number of companies have been brought down by an employee who reported accounting fraud. People may still be hesitant to report a crime, however, as they are scared of losing their job. These laws are designed to protect those individuals.
Various government agencies have put laws into place to protect employees, and the majority of individual aren’t familiar with these laws. For example, OSHA has put laws into place to safeguard those who report safety and health violations in the workplace, corporate fraud and additional areas. OSHA has a process in place where individuals can file a complaint if they feel they have been retaliated against as a result of sharing information about a potential violation.
To qualify for this type of protection, an individual must in good-faith report a violation of a law. This protects the employee from retaliation even if there turns out to be no violation. If the employer does fire an employee, demote them or cut their pay as a result of the report, the employee may be entitled to back pay and lost wages. Visit Edwardsandbullardlaw.com to learn more about how a whistleblower lawyer can be of great help during this process and more information about whistleblower laws. You can also connect them on Facebook.
