Glen Burnie, MD Employment Law Attorneys

Knowledgeable Employment Lawyers Representing Clients in Glen Burnie

In Glen Burnie, the rights of employees are protected by state and federal laws. Understanding these laws is critical for advocating for yourself if you have been mistreated by your employer. With counsel and representation from a Glen Burnie, Maryland employment lawyer, you can take legal action for acts of discrimination or unfair treatment suffered at your workplace.

If you need legal guidance for an employment issue, turn to Freedman Law, LLC. Attorney Lindsay Freedman has years of legal experience, and in the past, he has fought and won for clients in state and federal court. In addition to protecting employees' rights, we also represent employers who have been accused of wrongdoing.

Navigating Severance Agreements in Glen Burnie

A severance agreement is a contract between an employer and an employee that outlines the terms of separation, including any compensation, benefits continuation, or restrictive covenants. In Glen Burnie, employers often offer severance packages to reduce legal exposure and preserve goodwill, but the terms can include non-compete clauses, nondisclosure agreements, waiver of claims, and other provisions you may not fully understand. Before signing, you should review whether the compensation adequately reflects your length of service, position, and potential lost earnings from restrictive clauses.

Maryland law requires that employees receive a reasonable period to consider a severance agreement—usually at least 21 days—and an additional seven days to revoke acceptance if the agreement includes age-based waivers under the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act. During the review period, you can negotiate for higher pay, continued health coverage, or removal of overly broad restrictions on future employment. An experienced employment attorney in Glen Burnie can identify unlawful provisions, such as overly expansive non-compete clauses that conflict with state public policy, and help you negotiate fairer terms or determine whether to decline the offer entirely.

Retaliation and Wrongful Termination Claims

Maryland is an at-will employment state, meaning either party may generally end the relationship at any time, for any lawful reason. However, wrongful termination occurs when an employer fires or penalizes an employee in violation of public policy, statutory protections, or contractual promises. Retaliation claims arise when an employer takes adverse action—such as demotion, pay cut, or discharge—against you for engaging in protected activity, like reporting safety violations, filing a wage claim, or participating in an investigation.

Under the Maryland Fair Employment Practices Act and federal statutes such as Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, retaliation against employees who assert their rights is unlawful. To pursue a retaliation or wrongful termination claim, you must generally file a charge with the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission within 300 days of the retaliatory act. An attorney will help you preserve evidence, draft your administrative charge, and represent you in mediation or litigation, aiming to recover lost wages, emotional distress damages, and attorney's fees.

Workplace Sexual Harassment Claims in Glen Burnie, MD

Sexual harassment in the workplace can include a wide variety of inappropriate acts, including requests for sexual favors and unwelcome advances. Maryland law prohibits both quid pro quo harassment, where job benefits are conditioned on sexual conduct, and hostile environment harassment, which occurs when offensive behavior is severe or pervasive enough to interfere with an employee's work performance. Fighting back against harassment is frequently difficult, as managers or supervisors may deny that the problem exists or insist that it is a part of the workplace culture.

Proving a hostile work environment claim requires demonstrating that the conduct was unwelcome, based on gender or sex, and sufficiently severe or frequent to alter employment conditions. Employers are vicariously liable for harassment by supervisors unless they can prove they took prompt and effective remedial action. In Glen Burnie, victims should report harassment through internal channels as soon as possible, document each incident in writing, and preserve any emails or messages. An employment attorney can guide you through internal complaints, file charges with state or federal agencies, and pursue civil litigation to obtain monetary damages and injunctive relief.