Kansas employment attorneys representing Kansas employees in wage and hour disputes, back pay, minimum wage, overtime and other salary disputes. Working with clients throughout Kansas, including Wichita, Topeka, Kansas City, Kansas, Salina, Hutchinson, Manhattan, Lawrence, Johnson County, Sedgwick County, Shawnee County and Douglas County.
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Kansas Wage and Overtime Attorneys
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Kaup & Shultz, LC
Overtime Law Call: 866-385-9955 (toll free)
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Kaup & Shultz,
Attorneys at
Law, LC,
represents
Kansas
employees in
wage and hour
disputes,
including
minimum wage
and overtime.
Kansas
employees who
think they have
been denied
overtime should
contact Kansas
lawyers who
know the Fair
Labor
Standards Act
and Kansas law
concerning
overtime pay.
HOW TO CHOOSE A COMPETENT EMPLOYMENT ATTORNEY FOR OVERTIME CLAIMS
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Kansas employees face the problem that many employees
across the nation face: How to choose a competent employment
attorney, especially one who knows overtime law and can help
employees get back pay when their employers fail to pay the
overtime that the law requires.
Except in smaller towns where lawyers often are general
practitioners who handle many different types of legal issues,
most lawyers in bigger cities tend to focus their practices on just
a few areas of law.
Whether you live in a small town in Kansas or one of the bigger
cities such as Topeka, Wichita, Overland Park or another, you can
follow some simple guidelines for choosing a Kansas
employment attorney for your overtime case who can help you
recover back pay.
These are some suggested pointers for Kansas employees to
select a Kansas employment attorney who can help them obtain
back pay for unpaid overtime wages:
1. Does the attorney primarily represent Kansas employers or
employees? My personal preference is that if I am an employee, I
want a Kansas employment attorney who spends most of his or
her time representing employees and not employers. In other
words, is the attorney really committed to employee rights.
2. How much of the attorney’s work is devoted to Kansas
employment law issues and especially overtime cases?
Obviously, it is better for the client if the employment attorney
spends most of his time on Kansas employment law matters
because he will know the law better than if he only dabbles in
Kansas employment law.
3. Has the Kansas employment attorney handled matters in front
of the Kansas Department of Labor or the Federal Department of
Labor? These agencies are the main ones for enforcing state
and federal wage laws. An attorney must be familiar with these
agencies to be a competent Kansas employment attorney.
4. Does the attorney litigate cases in state and federal courts? If
cases cannot be settled at the administrative stage, then it will
probably be necessary to file a lawsuit to obtain the overtime pay
you are owed. If the case involves federal law, and most do, then
the attorney must be experienced with the federal court system.
5. How many Kansas employees has the attorney represented in
the past few years, and how many cases involved overtime
claims? Again, it should be clear that an attorney who handles
more cases for Kansas employees will have developed more
experience and knowledge about Kansas and federal
employment laws.
6. Does the attorney take the time to let you speak and to explain
your case? Too often, attorneys prefer to speak rather than
listen. Does the attorney take the time to let you speak, and does
he seem sincerely interested in the case? Does the attorney
seem to have a good handle on Kansas wage law and federal
overtime law.
7. Does the attorney take cases on a contingent fee basis?
Many Kansas employees cannot afford to pay for an attorney at
their normal hourly rates, some of which exceed $200 an hour. Is
the attorney willing to accept your case on a contingent basis,
and to advance the fees and costs of the case.
8. Does the attorney pressure you to sign papers in his office?
If an attorney believes that the Kansas employee has a good
case, he might try to get the client to sign up immediately. You
should always remember that the choice of an attorney is an
important matter. You should make sure you are really
comfortable with the lawyer. There will be times when the two of
you will spend a lot of time together.
9. Check with the Kansas Disciplinary Office for attorneys to
make sure that the attorney you are considering is not under
restrictions due to misconduct.
Take a checklist of questions you want to task at the interview.
Also, be sure to take all of the papers you think might be relevant
to your case. Finally, take notes of your discussion with the
attorney. You should make sure that the attorney provides you
with a written engagement agreement that clearly spells out your
costs and the attorneys' fees. Most FLSA attorneys take overtime
cases as so-called collective actions. Make sure you know what
this part of overtime law means.
The choice is yours when choosing a Kansas attorney to help
you obtain overtime pay!! When it comes to choosing a Kansas
employment attorney for your overtime case, you have the right
to walk out of the attorney’s office at any time if you are not
comfortable. Although the process can be time-consuming, there
is nothing wrong with speaking to 2 or 3 attorneys before making
a choice on which one you want to hire. Your amount of back
pay can be substantial if the attorney truly understands overtime
law, and Kansas employees deserve the pay that the law requires
them to be paid.