Wrongful Termination

Illinois is an “at-will” employment state. This means that your employer can fire you for any reason or for no reason at all. However, an employer can never fire you for an illegal reason. If you suspect that you were fired or passed over for a promotion due to your membership in one of the protected categories identified on our Discrimination page or as a form of Retaliation, you may be a victim of wrongful termination.

How RAK Law Can Help

If you believe you are a victim of wrongful termination, here is how an attorney can help:

Help you understand your rights. If you have just been terminated, you deserve to fully understand what your legal rights are and are not. It is often difficult to immediately determine whether your termination was wrongful because employers rarely volunteer that information at the time of termination and because the emotion of the moment makes it difficult to fully process the events leading up to the termination, especially if it was unexpected. A good attorney can analyze the events and circumstances surrounding your employment to help determine whether your termination was likely wrongful and actionable.

Negotiate a severance. Often after a wrongful termination, it may be in your best interest to quickly resolve the dispute with your employer in a way that protects your interests, preserves your reputation, ensures your access to unemployment benefits, and safeguards your efforts at getting a new job. An attorney can help you negotiate a severance agreement that does all of these things.

You can sue. If your employer is not willing to negotiate an out-of-court resolution, you may have no choice but to bring a lawsuit. A good attorney will walk you through the process and make sure you understand the risks and potential benefits and, if you decide to sue, will fiercely advocate for your rights and always keep your best interests in mind.