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Discrimination lawyers

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Lily Jones
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If you think you've been treated unfairly in the workplace or in your everyday life, you may need legal advice and support. A discrimination lawyer has the expertise to help you in this situation.

In this guide, we take a closer look at what a discrimination lawyer can offer, and the type of support that they provide.

What does a discrimination lawyer do?

The job of a discrimination lawyer is to help people who may have been treated unfairly due to to their age, race, religion, gender, disability or background. Discrimination can occur in everyday life or in the workplace. It can include instances when someone is dismissed, demoted, disadvantaged or bullied due to their cultural or personal differences.

Updated regularly
Name Product Free consultation Starting price Fixed fees Areas of practice
Sprintlaw
Sprintlaw
Yes
$49 / year
Yes
Business, consumer law, E-commerce, data and privacy, finance, consumer law
Sprintlaw offers affordable online legal services tailored for SMEs and startups.
Get quote
More Info
Lawpath
Lawpath
NA
$79 per month (basic membership billed monthly)

$69 per month (legal advice plan billed annually at $828)
Yes
Legal documents, company registration, business, employment
Lawpath is a legal services platform that provides solutions for a wide array of legal needs.
Get quote
More Info
LegalVision
LegalVision
No
$49 + GST per week
Yes
Business, employment, IT, franchising, data and privacy, banking and finance, E-commerce
LegalVision employs technology to help connect startups, SMEs, and corporations to lawyers.
More Info
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What exactly is discrimination?

Discrimination lawyer

Discrimination can be defined as treating an individual unfairly because of a certain characteristic that they hold. This can be due to their:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Sexual orientation
  • Race
  • Religion
  • Socio-economic background
  • Disability
  • Family status
  • Political belief
  • Marital status.

A few examples of discrimination in the workplace may include:

  • Denial of training opportunities due to your parental status.
  • Isolation by co-workers due to your social-economic status.
  • Being paid less than someone doing the same job with the same experience and qualifications due to your age.

Examples of discrimination outside of the workplace include:

  • Being bullied at school due to your race or religion.
  • Harassment from neighbours due to your disabilities.
  • Denial of entry from a cafe or restaurant due to your sexual orientation.

When might I need to use a discrimination lawyer?

There are two main reasons why you may want to onboard the help of a discrimination lawyer:

  • If you think that you're being discriminated against in the workplace or in your everyday life
  • If you, as an employer, want to make sure you have an equal opportunity workplace where discrimination does not take place

In the first instance, a discrimination lawyer will help you to gather evidence and build a case against the person who has carried out the discriminatory offence.

In the case of an employer, a discrimination lawyer can help you to put together a discrimination policy. This will help to ensure your business complies with human rights legislation and protects both your employees and customers from discriminative acts.

How do workplace discrimination laws differ from state to state?

Australia has federal, state and territory laws in place to protect people from experiencing discrimination. While federal laws affect everybody, local discrimination laws can differ from state to state. For more information, you may find the links below useful:

What does a discrimination lawyer do?

A discrimination lawyer can help you to claim compensation related to any income you may have lost or any emotional or physical distress caused by this discrimination. To do this, they will investigate your case and collect evidence to take your case forward.

Throughout the proceedings, they will represent you in discussions with your employer and stand up in court when necessary. By receiving a free quote from a discrimination lawyer, you can find out exactly how a lawyer can help your specific case.

Discrimination lawyers vs employment lawyers

Both a discrimination laywer and employment lawyer deal with legal advice within the workplace. However, discrimination lawyers duties aren't exclusive to the workplace. A discrimination lawyer will provide advice and support in any case of discrimination or harassment.

An employment lawyer's duties generally take place within the workplace. They can help employers draft and review important legal documents, which include employee agreements and termination letters. They also ensure that employers are compliant with all workplace laws.

What options do I have if I think I'm being discriminated against at work?

If you have grounds to believe that you're being discriminated against at work, you may well want to speak to a lawyer. A specialist lawyer will explain your rights, assess your personal situation and advise how to process in the given situation.

If your company has an in-house complaints procedure, a discrimination lawyer can help talk you through the process. If this is not successful, your lawyer can help you to take further action in the right way.

Is a discrimination lawyer effective?

Fighting a discrimination case can be difficult, especially if you've been impacted by the behaviour directly. Knowing what to do isn't always clear or easy. An experienced discrimination lawyer can walk you through the steps you need to take, providing expert advice along the way. Pursuing the help of a discrimination lawyer is one of the easiest ways to take action against the offender.

How can a discrimination lawyer help businesses?

Hiring the help of a discrimination lawyer for your business can be a helpful way to make sure that you're operating in compliance with the local and federal laws regarding discrimination. Furthermore, a discrimination laywer can help you to put together a discrimination policy as well as implement procedures to actively discourage bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

More on where to find discrimination lawyers

Before you hire a discrimination lawyer, it can be helpful to collect and compare quotes from several different companies. This will give you a good idea of how much the service will cost and how they can help your case specifically.

Here are a few places where you can find free fixed-price quotes for discrimination lawyers in Australia:

  • Lawpath. You can get free Discrimination lawyer quotes from Australia's largest lawyer marketplace by signing up on the Lawpath website.
  • LegalVision. Submit a Discrimination inquiry on the LegalVision website to get free fixed-fee quotes for a lawyer.
  • SprintLaw. Get in touch with the team at SprintLaw to receive a customised quote for your Discrimination needs.

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