Tampa Employment Law

Talk to a Florida Lawyer about your rights

Westchase Law, P.A. upholds the legal rights of employers and employees.

Employment agreements

We negotiate and draft Employment and Non-Compete Agreements.

Wrongful Termination

Florida employment is considered to be at will, meaning that employers can often terminate their workers without cause or notice. When there is no employment contract, it can be difficult to establish a claim of wrongful termination. However, employers are prohibited from firing employees—

• For refusing to break a law
• In retaliation for filing a discrimination or safety claim
• For taking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act
• Without following its own stated procedure or policy
• For reasons not contained in the employment contract, if one exists

Our Tampa law firm also defends employers against lawsuits pertaining to breach of contract and wrongful termination.

Unpaid wage claims and FLSA

The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes the rights to payment for most workers, both hourly and salaried. Together with Florida's wage-hour laws, the work week is defined as 40 working hours. Employees must be paid—

• Ordinary wages for hours worked up to 40
• Overtime at time-and-a-half for hours worked beyond 40

FLSA exemptions

Employers often violate FLSA when they fail to pay overtime to salaried employees by misclassifying them as exempt. But salaried employees are not necessarily exempt from overtime payment. The most common FLSA exemptions are for—

• Professionals
• Doctors
• High-level employees with discretion in conducting their affairs

If your employer has misclassified you as an FLSA-exempt employee, our Tampa employment attorney helps correct the mistake.

FLSA violations

Some employers engage in willful violations of the FLSA by—

• Asking employees to work off the clock
• Denying overtime pay when the overtime is not approved by management
• Paying employees their regular rate for overtime work
• Requiring employees to work through lunch
• Requiring employees to arrive early to make necessary preparations for work
• Altering employees' time sheets
• Asking employees to "volunteer" without pay

Westchase Law Group handles FSLA wage claims for—

Individuals

Small groups

Class actions

If you suspect that your employer violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act or a similar state law provision, our Tampa attorneys can help.

WE STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU CONSULT AN ATTORNEY BEFORE SIGNING ANY AGREEMENTS THAT MAY IMPACT YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE FLSA. 

Please visit our Tampa Lawsuit page to learn more about some other types of issues that result in employment lawsuits in Florida.

Get help with your employment dispute from experienced Lawyers in Tampa

For an FLSA attorney who litigates unpaid wage claims in Florida, please contact Todd Marks
at  Westchase Law P.A., a private law firm.