How do I choose an employment lawyer in California?

Verify the attorney's license and discipline history in the State Bar of California's public records, confirm the lawyer represents employees rather than employers, and ask how much of the practice is employment law, who will handle the file, and how fees work — in a written agreement under Business and Professions Code section 6147.

Start with the license: every attorney authorized to practice in California appears in the State Bar's public records, showing status and any discipline — checking takes a minute. The employment bar is divided: most lawyers represent either employees or employers, so confirm which side the attorney takes. Useful questions for a consultation: how much of the practice is employment law; whether the attorney has handled your claim type — termination, harassment, wage and hour — in the likely forum, whether superior court, arbitration, or the Labor Commissioner; who will actually work the file; and how fees run, including the contingency percentage, how costs are treated if the case is lost, and the written agreement Business and Professions Code sections 6147 and 6148 require. Bring your documents and any deadline you know of. What you disclose while consulting about representation is confidential under rule 1.18 of the Rules of Professional Conduct even if the lawyer never takes the case.

Authority: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 6147