Working Now and Then does not give legal advice or recommend lawyers. These organizations can help with a problem at work.
Free legal help
Most have income limits.
- The Legal Aid Society, Employment Law Unit: 888-663-6880
- Legal Services NYC: 917-661-4500
- Make the Road New York: offices in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island and Westchester
- A Better Balance (pregnancy, caregiving, leave): 1-833-633-3222
- New York State Office for New Americans (immigrant workers, many languages): 1-800-566-7636
- LawHelpNY: directory of free legal services in New York State
Lawyer referral services
- New York City Bar Legal Referral Service: 212-626-7373
- NELA/NY Referral Service (lawyers who represent workers): 917-746-8574
- New York State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (outside New York City): 1-800-342-3661
- National Employment Lawyers Association directory
Government agencies
You can file a complaint without a lawyer. Deadlines vary and some are short, and filing with one agency can limit where else you can bring the same claim.
Discrimination and harassment
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): 1-800-669-4000
- New York State Division of Human Rights: 844-697-3471
- NYC Commission on Human Rights: 212-416-0197
Wages and overtime
- New York State Department of Labor: 888-525-2267
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: 1-866-487-9243
- New York State Attorney General, Labor Bureau: 212-416-8700
Other
- NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (sick leave, freelancers, Fair Workweek): 311
- New York Paid Family Leave: 844-337-6303
- OSHA whistleblower complaints: 1-800-321-6742
- U.S. Department of Labor, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (service members’ job rights): 1-866-237-0275
How employment lawyers are paid
Many offer a free or low-cost first consultation and work on contingency: they are paid a share of any money recovered, and nothing if there is none. Ask for the fee agreement in writing.
New Jersey
- New Jersey Division on Civil Rights: 1-833-653-2748
- New Jersey Department of Labor, Wage and Hour: 609-292-2305
- Legal Services of New Jersey hotline: 1-888-576-5529