Maybe you were fired right after speaking up, requesting leave, coming out, or pushing back against how you were being treated. The timing feels wrong, but you’re not sure whether it was illegal. At Spiegelman Law PC, transgender employment attorney Samson Spiegelman helps California workers look beyond the employer’s explanation and understand whether their termination may have crossed a legal line.
Our Wrongful Termination Services
Wrongful Termination,
Legally Speaking
Most California employment is “at will,” which generally means your employer can fire you at any time, with or without cause, just as you can usually leave your job at any time. But at-will employment isn’t a free pass to fire someone for an unlawful reason. A termination may be wrongful when it violates public policy or another legal protection. For example, you may be fired because of a protected characteristic or for exercising certain workplace rights.
That distinction matters because an employer probably won’t tell you the real reason if it’s unlawful. Maybe you were suddenly fired after reporting harassment, requesting medical leave, asking for an accommodation, or complaining about illegal workplace conduct. Samson can examine the timeline, your employer’s explanation, and what was happening before you were fired to help determine whether your termination may have violated California law.
Samson's Approach to Wrongful Termination
Samson doesn’t take an employer’s stated reason at face value. As a queer and transgender employment attorney, he knows firsthand how discrimination and retaliation can hide behind words like “performance” or “restructuring” — and he builds every case around the timeline that reveals what really happened.
Why hire Samson?
- Looks past the employer’s stated reason to the pattern of conduct behind it
- Brings lived experience with how discrimination and retaliation actually show up at work
- Works on contingency, so you’re not paying out of pocket to find out if you have a case
- Built his practice specifically to represent LGBTQ+ workers — no need to explain the basics first
- Ready to negotiate, mediate, or litigate, depending on what actually serves your goals
Types of Wrongful Termination Cases We Handle
Workplace Retaliation
Speaking up about discrimination, harassment, unsafe or unlawful conduct, or asserting certain rights shouldn’t cost you your job. Retaliation can involve termination, demotion, reduced hours, exclusion, or other negative treatment after protected activity. Samson looks at what you reported, when your employer learned about it, what changed afterward, and whether the timeline may support a retaliation claim.
Severance Agreements
A severance agreement can offer money or benefits after your employment ends, but accepting it may mean giving up important legal rights or potential claims. Samson can review the severance agreement, explain releases and other terms in plain language, assess how the offer relates to what happened at work, and negotiate for better terms or compensation when the circumstances support doing so.
Dispute Resolution
Not every workplace dispute needs to go to trial. Depending on your goals and circumstances, negotiation, mediation, or another resolution process may provide a way to address the dispute. Samson helps you understand your options, develops a strategy based on your goals, negotiates from an informed position, and remains prepared to pursue litigation when resolving the matter outside court isn’t suitable.
Do I Have a Viable Wrongful Termination Case?
Getting fired unfairly and being wrongfully terminated aren’t always the same thing. The key question is often why your employer fired you, and whether that reason violated a legal protection or public policy.
It may be worth talking to Samson Spiegelman if:
- You were fired shortly after reporting discrimination or harassment
- You were terminated after requesting a disability accommodation
- You lost your job after requesting or taking protected medical or family leave
- You were fired because of your race, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or another protected characteristic
- You were terminated after reporting or refusing to participate in suspected unlawful conduct
- You experienced sudden discipline or negative reviews shortly before being fired
- You were given a reason for your termination that doesn’t match your employment history
- You noticed similarly situated coworkers being treated differently
- You were pressured to resign under circumstances that may amount to a constructive discharge
- You were fired after asserting legally protected workplace rights
Hire Samson to Be Your Gay Lawyer!
Getting fired can leave you with a lot of questions, especially when your employer’s explanation doesn’t match what you experienced. Samson is a queer and transgender employment attorney who understands how identity, workplace power, and retaliation can shape a termination. He offers progressive, pro-worker advocacy to employees throughout California and helps you connect the dots between what happened before your firing and why it may matter legally.
Spiegelman Law works on contingency, so we only get paid if you do. That helps workers challenge employers with far deeper pockets without letting money decide who gets to fight back. If the timing of your termination feels suspicious, contact Samson today for a case review and tell us what happened.
Ready to Talk to Samson?
Fill out the form below and Samson’s office will follow up to schedule your free consultation.
