Civil Rights Attorneys

Answer 1

Civil rights attorneys practice civil rights law, a broad scope of practice that pertains generally to violation of any of the rights guaranteed by federal or state laws, but in 21st century America has specific reference to employment discrimination, gender discrimination, racial profiling, and misconduct by any officer of the law.

Employment Discrimination

If you are fired from your job because you refused to take part in a criminal act or because of whistleblower-related activities – reporting company fraud or other criminal activities to the proper authorities, say, or alerting the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) of safety violations – you may have grounds to bring a civil rights lawsuit for wrongful termination. Similarly, you may have grounds for a civil rights lawsuit if your employer discriminates against you on the basis of your race or your gender – and this includes pregnancy discrimination, gender-based wage disparities, and all forms of sexual harassment.

Gender Discrimination

Gender discrimination can occur in a variety of contexts outside of employment venues. Gender discrimination can also apply to housing discrimination and to differential educational opportunities. Some states have laws specifically outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation; these infractions are generally classified as a form of gender discrimination.

Racial Profiling

“Racial profiling” is the name given to a type of police procedure in which an individual’s race is used as one of the determining factors in deciding whether or not an individual may have been involved in criminal activity. Since race is used explicitly as grounds for suspicion, by definition this is a civil rights violation.

Police Misconduct

In the course of apprehending and subduing a suspect, police may be required to use reasonable physical force. But police brutality is never justified, even in those cases where the police officer herself may be threatened with the use of violence. As such, police brutality is always a violation of an individual’s civil rights. Unjustified search and seizure incidents, illegal detentions and false arrests may also be civil rights violations.

The first step in many allegations of civil rights violations involves filing a complaint with a state or federal agency that has specific oversight. Typically these agencies impose strict time limits on the subsequent filing of courtroom lawsuits. Experienced civil rights attorneys will be able to tell you whether filing an agency claim is necessary in your situation; additionally, experienced civil rights attorneys will be able to discuss all other aspects of your case, and the options available to you.