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PUBLIC EMPLOYEES​

 

A substantial benefit to working in the public sector are the additional protections afforded to its employees.  With those additional protections, however, comes the need to hire an attorney who understands them.  The Kirby G. Smith Law Firm has over a decade of experience representing both public sector employees, such as policemen, firemen, and teachers, as well as employees of the federal government.

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Federal Employees

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Federal employees have perhaps the most expansive range of protections of any set of employees in the nation.  Most federal employees are protected from anything less than a "for cause" termination.  Navigating these protections can be difficult.  Different types of claims have different deadlines, most of which are very tight - sometimes as little as 30 days.  Often times there are multiple courts cases can be brought into, with strategy decisions needing to be made before one is chosen over another.  Some claims may only be brought into administrative courts, with their own set of case decisions and statutes that often differ substantially from the laws governing private employees.  For example, homosexual private employees are only protected from discrimination in certain areas of the country, while virtually all federal employees are protected nationwide.  Many federal employees have a Constitutional right to their positions, which provides a range of protections that interact with those already given by statute.  

 

Public Employees

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Similarly, State and county employees have a wide variety of protections depending on the position.  These too come with their own sets of administrative processes and deadlines that must be followed.  If you are an employee of the state of Georgia or North Carolina, or of your local county or city government in one of those states, and you believe you have been subjected to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or a wrongful termination, please contact us today to discuss your options.