EEOC Charges
Are you facing a workplace discrimination or harassment situation and wondering if filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the right move? You don’t have to figure that out on your own. The rules governing EEOC charges and litigation are detailed and unforgiving, but having an attorney in your corner from the start makes a real difference. That’s where Bernabei & Kabat, PLLC, comes in. We bring 75 years of combined experience in employee-side employment law to every case we take on, and we’re committed to giving your situation the personal attention it deserves. Contact our law office today to arrange an initial consultation with an EEOC charge lawyer in D.C.
Our employment lawyers in Washington, D.C. help employees navigate EEOC charges, D.C. agency proceedings, discrimination claims, harassment claims, retaliation, mediation, and litigation deadlines.
This discussion does not cover federal government employees, who have a very different process for addressing workplace discrimination or harassment claims.
Timing is everything in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission cases. Many employees don’t contact an EEOC lawyer in Washington, D.C., until something has already gone wrong, but there’s a better way to approach these matters. At Bernabei & Kabat, PLLC, we work with employees at every stage of the process, and the sooner you get our attorneys involved, the better positioned you’ll be. If any of the following situations apply to you, it’ll be worth your time to have a conversation with us before you take your next steps:
If your employer punished you after you complained or filed a charge, a workplace retaliation lawyer in Washington, D.C. can help protect your claim and document the retaliation.
The period before you file a charge is one of the most consequential parts of the entire claims process. First, you’ll want to confirm that the EEOC (or other state or local agency) has jurisdiction over your employer and your type of claim. Federal law covers employers with 15 or more employees for most discrimination claims, though D.C., Maryland, and Virginia laws often provide broader protections. You’ll also need to identify the correct filing deadline for your jurisdiction, since missing it could bar your claim entirely.
This is also the time to gather and preserve evidence, such as performance reviews, emails, text messages, witness names, and detailed written accounts of what happened. An EEOC lawyer in Washington, D.C., can help you organize that information and spot claims you might not have considered, so your charge is positioned for the strongest possible start.
A properly prepared EEOC charge can preserve your claims, identify the correct legal issues, and reduce the risk that your employer uses procedural mistakes against you later. At Bernabei & Kabat, PLLC, we work with employees at this pre-filing stage regularly, and we’ve seen firsthand the difference that good preparation can make.
The process of filing a claim with the EEOC or the D.C. Office of Human Rights can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re up against an employer with legal representation. Our EEOC lawyers know how these proceedings work from start to finish, and we’re here to level the playing field on your behalf at every step. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
Your charge is the foundation of your entire claim. Everything you include and the way you describe it will determine the legal theories available to you later, including in any future lawsuit. At Bernabei & Kabat, PLLC, our discrimination and retaliation attorneys will work closely with you to identify every relevant incident and confirm the correct legal bases for your claim. That way, we can draft a charge that accurately and thoroughly captures what you experienced. A well-drafted charge protects your options. A vague or incomplete one can close doors before you’ve even had a chance to open them.
After you file, your employer will likely submit a position statement to the agency. This statement will outline their version of events, and it will likely be written by lawyers and designed to minimize or discredit your claims. You have the right to respond to this kind of statement, and that rebuttal can be one of your most valuable opportunities to correct the record. Our lawyers can review employer position statements carefully, identify factual and legal weaknesses in their arguments, and craft rebuttals that strengthen your claim and give investigators a clear account of what actually happened.
Mediation can be a genuinely useful tool, but only if you go in prepared and with a clear sense of what your claim is worth. Employers often use the mediation process to resolve charges quickly and cheaply, and their goals don’t usually align with employees’ best interests. At Bernabei & Kabat, PLLC, our race discrimination lawyers in Washington, D.C., can assess whether mediation is the right path for your case and help you ensure that any agreement you consider accounts for the full extent of your losses.
The EEOC process gives you a meaningful opportunity to put your claims on record, but it can also expose you to real risk if you don’t handle it carefully. Procedural errors, incomplete information, and missed deadlines can all undermine a strong case before it ever gets off the ground. As a law firm with decades of experience handling D.C. EEOC representation, we’ve seen the same mistakes come up again and again in these cases. Here’s what to watch out for:
The EEOC filing deadline guidance explains why employees must act quickly after discrimination, harassment, or retaliation occurs.
Once the EEOC or other agency closes your case, you’ll typically receive a right-to-sue notice, which gives you the green light to file a lawsuit in federal or D.C. court. For EEOC charges, you generally have 90 days from receipt of that notice to file suit. Miss that window, and you generally lose the right to pursue your claims in court. If you haven’t already connected with an EEOC attorney in D.C. at this stage, you should do so as soon as you receive your notice.
It’s worth understanding that a right-to-sue notice isn’t a finding in your favor. It simply means you’ve exhausted the administrative process and can now pursue your claims in court. What happens next depends heavily on the record that was built during the agency process. At Bernabei & Kabat, PLLC, our age discrimination lawyers handle both the administrative and litigation phases of these matters, and we can make sure you don’t lose momentum or continuity if your case moves to court.
If you’re considering an EEOC charge or need help at any point in the agency process, Bernabei & Kabat, PLLC, is here to help. We’ve spent over 30 years helping employees stand up to their employers, and we’re ready to do the same for you. Contact us today to get started with your initial consultation.
One of the most important steps you can take as a victim is to reach out for help as soon as possible. We will take immediate action on your behalf, seeking to halt any further mistreatment and begin building a strong case on your behalf.
You can learn about the legal options available to you after experiencing age discrimination by calling our conveniently located Washington, D.C., office today at 202.745.1942 or by email. We also serve clients in Virginia, Maryland and across the country.
