Atlanta Employment Lawyer

Plan on 180 days from the discriminatory act. Georgia has no state agency that handles discrimination charges against private employers, which has traditionally meant a 180-day window to file with the EEOC instead of the 300 days available in most states. The EEOC’s Atlanta office currently lists 300 days, but waiting gains you nothing and could cost you the claim if the shorter deadline applies. The clock generally starts when the decision is communicated to you, not on your last day on payroll.

Yes. Atlanta’s fair private employment ordinance applies to private employers with ten or more employees, so it reaches some businesses too small for Title VII. It covers sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and criminal history along with the familiar protected categories. Claims can go through the Atlanta Human Rights Commission or to court. Georgia has no general anti-discrimination law for private employers, so the city ordinance can make a real difference for people who work in Atlanta.

Take it seriously, and don’t assume the outcome is already decided. A performance improvement plan can be a real chance to improve. It can also be a way to build a paper trail before a termination, especially when it follows a complaint, a medical leave, a pregnancy announcement, or a request for an accommodation. Respond in writing to anything you disagree with, keep copies of the plan and your results, and check whether the goals are measurable. Talking to an employment lawyer before the plan ends, rather than after, keeps more options open.

Not for leave the FMLA protects. If your employer has 50 or more employees within 75 miles, and you’ve worked there at least 12 months and 1,250 hours, you can take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for your own serious health condition or a family member’s. Firing, demoting, or disciplining you for requesting or using that leave is retaliation. Georgia doesn’t add a broader leave law, but its Family Care Act lets employees at larger employers use up to five days of existing sick leave to care for a family member.

Sometimes, but you have fewer options. Title VII and the ADA apply only to employers with 15 or more employees, and the federal age discrimination law starts at 20. Georgia doesn’t fill that gap with a general state law. Inside Atlanta, the city ordinance covers employers with ten or more employees. Wage claims and retaliation for certain protected activity don’t depend on employer size the same way, so working for a small business doesn’t mean you have no protection.

No. Georgia law doesn’t require severance, so when an employer offers it, it’s usually in exchange for a release of claims. If you’re 40 or older, federal law gives you at least 21 days to consider the agreement (45 in a group layoff) and seven days to revoke it after you sign. Those windows exist because the release often covers claims you may not know you have. Reviewing it before you sign is how you find out what you’d be giving up.