How We Work

Have you hired a lawyer before?

Most of our clients never have and don’t know what to expect. If that describes you, please read on.

As you weigh your options, you’ll find that many law firms follow similar processes. There are crucial differences, however. For example, some firms will take your case without evaluating its chance of success. Not Winfrey Employment & Civil Rights: When we agree to represent you, it’s because we understand your claims, and we believe that your claims can prevail. Our firm is selective in representation in order to maximize the results for each individual client.

Here’s our process, step-by-step. We find that it works well.

Step 1: Fact Gathering

No matter how you contact us, your first in-depth interaction with our firm will be a phone conversation or Zoom meeting with a member of our Client Services team. These employees are not attorneys, but they’re trained to gather the information our attorneys will need — basic data about you and your employer, of course, but also the details of the problem you face.

Our firm’s specialists will listen to your story, ask questions, and take notes. They won’t give legal advice. Your conversation may take anywhere from five to 30 minutes. In the end, your specialist will suggest the next step.

• Sometimes they’ll tell you that we cannot help you. Some workplace problems fall outside our firm’s practice areas, for instance.
• Often they will offer to set up a phone consultation with a Winfrey Employment & Civil Rights lawyer (Step 2 below). Depending on the facts of your case, they may ask you to gather documentation beforehand.
• If you choose not to consult with the attorney, they’ll suggest where you might find an attorney more suitable for your needs.

Step 2: Consultation

A consultation is a scheduled phone conversation with an employment lawyer who is familiar with the details of your case, who knows the relevant law, both federal and local, and who has digested all the documentation you’ve sent.

Most consultations last about 30 minutes. You should expect your attorney to listen carefully and then ask you some questions.

The purpose of a consultation is to determine whether your claim looks viable. We rely entirely on the information you provide, so our opinion is tentative. After your consultation, we’ll tell you a few things:

• Which laws are most likely to apply to your situation
• Whether we believe you have a case that’s worth your time to pursue
• What your next steps might be — and what deadlines do you face

If you seem to have a solid case, we’ll likely offer to evaluate your claims more formally (Step 3 below). We might suggest a different legal path, however — or just advise you to find a better workplace. In some cases, we might suggest moving directly to representation (Step 4 below); this is typical in salary negotiations, for instance.

Some people find that a consultation is all they need from our firm: Our advice satisfies their needs. If that’s the right outcome for you, we are very happy.

Step 3: Evaluation

At Winfrey Employment and Civil Rights, an evaluation involves our full legal arsenal — not just attorneys but investigators, consultants, and support staff if needed. We’ll ask you for more documentation and evidence. We may interview witnesses and other relevant actors.

Our purpose is simple: To establish, as quickly as possible, whether we can formulate a legal strategy that offers you a good chance of achieving your goal.

Evaluations generally take two weeks or less. We’ll estimate the timeline before you sign up. Note that our firm’s standard evaluation includes an assessment of how well you’ll handle the stress of a legal battle.

At the end of your evaluation, you’ll get a detailed written opinion that typically covers:

• Our understanding of all the relevant facts in your case
• Our analysis of the relevant laws — and of how they apply to your facts
• Your options for proceeding with legal action
• The deadlines you must meet in order to proceed
• Our assessment of the risks you’ll face if you proceed
• The terms on which the firm will represent you if we’re offering representation

For some people, this opinion will answer all their questions, and they won’t pursue legal action. Others may take our written evaluation and seek out a different lawyer: That’s fine by us.

The most common outcome, however, is representation — Step 4, below. That’s when we join forces fully with you.

Step 4: Representation

If Winfrey Employment & Civil Rights agrees to represent you, you gain a legal champion and strong advocate. Our lawyers have experience in every relevant forum, from administrative hearings to arbitrations to high-level federal courts — and we’ve won important victories in many of them.

As a Winfrey Firm client, you’ll work with dedicated lawyers and litigation staff. When you have questions, you’ll know exactly whom to call (or text, or e-mail): You’ll have all our contact information, and you’ll find that we work long hours.

As your case progresses, we’ll keep you informed with regular check-ins. If you must appear in a courtroom or other formal setting, we’ll prepare you carefully. And while we’ll offer you lots of advice, we’ll always give you options and defer to your judgment. You’re in charge.

Of course, we can’t guarantee — or even predict — a particular outcome for your case. Despite our best efforts, some of our clients won’t prevail; this is the nature of legal disputes.

Still, we can promise you a unique combination of:

• Advocates who believe sincerely in the justice of your cause
• Wisdom gained over decades of helping clients with claims like yours
• Cutting-edge knowledge of employment law
• Respect within our profession, which helps us to deal with judges and opposing counsel
• The negotiating strength that comes from having a team of top-rated trial lawyers

Because we’re selective in whom we represent, we believe in every single client. We’ve chosen to work for you, after all.

What’s more, each positive outcome makes the workplace a bit better for all employees — and that’s our goal. Representing employees is all we do.