What should I bring to an employment-law consultation?

Write a simple timeline

List your employer, job title, start date, and whether you are still employed. Then put the main events in order: a complaint, accommodation or leave request, change in duties, performance review, pay change, or termination. Include dates where you know them and mark estimates as estimates.

Identify who was involved, who received a report or request, and any witnesses. Separate what you personally observed from what someone else told you. A clear outline is more useful than trying to write a legal argument.

Gather the records that fit your concern

Depending on the issue, useful records may include:

• Your offer letter, employment agreement, arbitration agreement, and any proposed severance agreement.
• Pay statements, your own time records, commission or bonus terms, and relevant equity compensation documents.
• Performance reviews, disciplinary notices, changes in duties, and termination paperwork.
• Relevant messages, complaints, and responses, including accommodation or leave requests.
• Copies of any agency complaint, agency correspondence, or right-to-sue notice you have received.
• A list of witnesses and what each may know.

Keep the material intact and handle it carefully

Keep originals unchanged and organize working copies by date or topic. Preserve enough of a message exchange to show its context. If a document is missing, note what it is and where it may be held.

Do not access systems without permission or take, copy or forward records you are not authorized to possess or share. If you are unsure whether you may keep or share something, describe it to the lawyer before taking action. Ask how to provide medical or other sensitive records; a first inquiry does not require sending an entire medical file.

Flag urgent dates and your priorities

Mention any deadline you have been given, especially on a severance offer or agency notice. Do not wait to finish organizing your records before raising it. Bring your questions and explain what matters to you: keeping your job, understanding an agreement, recovering unpaid compensation, or assessing a possible claim. The consultation can help identify what information is needed next.