Washington Employment Lawyer

Your job should be a place where you are paid fairly and treated with respect. When an employer breaks that trust, Washington law gives you a way to fight back. A Washington employment lawyer at Malk Law Firm can help you hold your employer accountable and protect your career.

We represent employees, never employers. Whether you were sexually harassed, discriminated against, denied your wages, or punished for speaking up, we can review what happened and explain your options at no cost. The sooner you know where you stand, the easier it is to protect your job and your record.

We handle a range of workplace claims under state and federal law. These are the main areas we focus on.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination, and it is illegal under the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD). It can look like a supervisor pressuring you for dates, a coworker who will not stop with the comments or touching, or an employer that ignores your complaints. It does not have to be physical, and in Washington even comments alone can be enough to support a claim. This is the heart of our practice. Learn more on our Seattle sexual harassment page.

Workplace Sexual Assault

Unwanted sexual touching at work crosses the line from harassment into assault. If you were grabbed, groped, or assaulted by a supervisor, coworker, client, or customer, you may have a claim against your employer for allowing it to happen. You can pursue that claim whether or not you also report the assault to the police. See our workplace sexual assault page.

Workplace Discrimination

The WLAD makes it illegal for an employer to treat you worse because of a protected characteristic. That includes your sex, race, age, disability, pregnancy, marital status, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, and honorably discharged veteran or military status. Discrimination can affect hiring, pay, promotions, discipline, and firing. It can be obvious, like a slur, or quiet, like being passed over again and again while less qualified coworkers move up. Visit our workplace discrimination page to learn more.

Workplace Retaliation

Your employer cannot punish you for reporting harassment or discrimination, filing a complaint, or taking part in an investigation. Retaliation can mean being fired, demoted, written up, or having your hours or pay cut after you spoke up. It is one of the most common claims we see, because employers often react to a complaint instead of fixing the problem. Read more about workplace retaliation.

Whistleblower Protection

Employees who report illegal activity are protected under state and federal law. If you were punished for reporting fraud, unsafe conditions, or other unlawful conduct, you may have a claim, even if you reported the problem only to your own manager. See our whistleblower protection page.

Unpaid Wages and Overtime

You must be paid for all the time you work. In Washington, that includes overtime at one and a half times your regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a week. Common violations include unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, missed meal and rest breaks, and being misclassified to avoid paying you correctly. The state Department of Labor and Industries handles many wage issues. Learn more on our unpaid wages and overtime pages.

Wrongful Termination

Washington is an at-will state, but your employer still cannot fire you for an illegal reason, such as discrimination, retaliation, or refusing to break the law. Being at-will does not give your employer a free pass to fire you for a reason the law forbids. See our wrongful termination page.

Class Actions

When an employer cheats a whole group of workers the same way, one case can cover everyone affected. We handle class action cases on behalf of Washington employees, which can be a strong option for wage violations that hit an entire team.

It is not always easy to tell when a bad situation crosses into an illegal one. These are some of the warning signs worth a closer look:

• Comments or jokes about your sex, race, age, religion, or disability.
• Being left out of meetings, raises, or promotions you earned.
• Sudden discipline right after you reported a problem.
• Paychecks that do not match the hours you actually worked.
• No overtime pay for weeks when you worked more than 40 hours.

If any of these sound familiar, it is worth talking to a lawyer before you decide what to do next.

A few steps can protect you and make your case stronger:

• Write it down. Keep a record of what happened, with dates, times, and who was there.
• Save the proof. Hold on to emails, texts, pay stubs, and schedules, and keep copies somewhere your employer cannot reach.
• Report it in writing. If your company has a complaint process, use it, and keep a copy of what you send.
• Watch the deadlines. Different claims have different time limits, and some are shorter than you would expect.
• Talk to a lawyer. A Washington employment lawyer can tell you where you stand and handle the next steps for you.