Free Employment Law Help
File, Negotiate, and Protect Yourself
Most employment issues don't require a lawyer to take the first step. You can file discrimination, wage, retaliation, and unemployment claims directly with a government agency — no fee, no attorney required. And before you sign anything — a severance agreement, a noncompete, a release — you can understand what it actually means for you.
This page provides general information only. It is not legal advice, and using it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Workplace Law Partners.
Free Resources
Understanding your rights at work should not require a law degree. Workplace Law Partners has assembled free videos, guides, articles, checklists, sample language, and course materials addressing common employment issues in Illinois. These resources explain the law in practical terms and identify steps employees can take to document a problem, communicate with an employer, preserve important information, and locate the appropriate government agency
Discrimination, Disability, and Retaliation
- How to get a reasonable accomodation at work. - Need a reasonable accommodation at work—but not sure how to ask? In this video, an Illinois employment lawyer explains the practical steps employees can take to request a reasonable accommodation for a medical condition, disability, pregnancy-related limitation, or religious need. Learn what to say, when to make the request, what documentation may be needed, and what employers are generally required to do once you ask. You do not always need a lawyer to make the initial request. This video is designed to help you advocate for yourself, communicate clearly with HR or your supervisor, and recognize warning signs that your employer may not be handling the request appropriately.
- Fired? Here's exactly what to do in the first 72 hours – without a lawyer and for free.- Sign nothing. Say little. Write everything down. Then use the rights Illinois law already gives you. In this video, employment attorney David Fish of Workplace Law Partners walks you through the first three days after a termination, hour by hour: HOUR 1 — Why you should never sign anything in the room (and the one sentence to say instead). The 21-day rule for workers 40 and older. What to write down tonight before the story changes. HOUR 2 — What to gather from your own devices and email — and what not to touch. DAY 2 — The Personnel Record Review Act: how to force your former employer to hand over your file in 7 days with a five-minute email (the exact wording is on screen — pause and copy it). Plus your final paycheck and vacation payout rights. DAY 3 — Why "fired" does not disqualify you from unemployment, what "misconduct" actually means, and how to handle it if your employer contests. Then the three questions to ask before you sign any severance agreement.
- What Are My Rights If I'm Being Discriminated Against at Work?
- Workplace Discrimination: Employee Rights, Complaints, and Remedies - A practical overview of federal and Illinois protections against workplace discrimination, including protected characteristics, common forms of unequal treatment, filing options, retaliation protections, and possible remedies.
- When HR Becomes Part of the Problem - Uses a discrimination and retaliation verdict to examine weak investigations, post-complaint papering, predetermined performance plans, shifting explanations, and the harm caused when HR appears to manufacture a termination record.
- Racial Discrimination in the Workplace - Explains how race and color discrimination can affect hiring, pay, assignments, discipline, promotion, harassment, and termination, with guidance on preserving evidence and pursuing a complaint.