Previously, we talked about wrongful termination in Washington. The rules in Idaho are similar, but not quite the same as in Washington. Here's a summary:

Idaho is an an at-will work state, like Washington (for more details, see our previous blog post about being an at-will employee: employment-law-101-what-is-at-will-employment.html). In general, both the employer and the employee have the right to end the employment relationship in an at will setting for no reason. Certain exceptions apply in Idaho, including, but not limited to: (1) presence of an employment contract; (2) unlawful discrimination; (3) violations of collective bargaining agreements for union employees; or (4) retaliation for asserting your rights as an employee. Since employment contracts are rare in most industries, we'll focus on unlawful discrimination.

Idaho follows federal law with regard to protected classes in employment -- groups of people who cannot be fired from a job simply because of his or her membership in that class with no other legitimate reason for the termination. Those protected classes include: age (over 40), race, color, national original, sex, pregnancy, religion, and disability. Employers with five or more employees must comply with these laws. Idaho employers can always fire an employee in one of these classes for cause, meaning the employee violated a company policy or law.

In Idaho, the Idaho Commission on Human Rights (IHRC) investigates claims of employment discrimination based on Idaho state law. Federal law discrimination violations are handled by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEOC). If an employee in Idaho is alleging discrimination as the basis for his or her wrongful termination (or other negative employment decision, like failure to promote), she may be required to file a complaint with the IHRC, the EEOC, or both. 

There are other instances in Idaho where an employee may have been wrongfully terminated, including filing for workers' compensation benefits, whisteblowing (reporting violations to a governmental agency), military leave, jury duty, and family and medical leave.

Employees: if you believe you have been wrongfully terminated in Idaho, talk to an employment attorney licensed in your state as soon as possible. Certain strict timelines exist for you to take action. The consultation with an employment attorney should be free. Employers: if you have questions about hiring and firing an employee who may be in a protected class, contact an Idaho employment attorney to avoid wrongful termination claims. 

Hiring an attorney is a stressful process. It’s often unclear where to start to choose an attorney or how you’ll pay for an attorney. This is by no means an exhaustive list of how to do so, but a starting point.
 
Free legal services. If you make 200% or less of the federal poverty line, you are generally entitled to receive free civil legal services in areas like family law (divorce, child custody/paternity, parenting plans), landlord-tenant (housing issues), and related areas. You are always entitled to free criminal help if you qualify—that is a Constitutional right, which we won’t cover here.
 
200% or less of the federal poverty line in a family of four making $30,750 - $61,500. The income level varies based on number of household members. To obtain free civil legal aid in Washington, you should contact CLEAR, which can connect you to the appropriate legal service providers in your community for your issue. More information can be found here: https://nwjustice.org/clear-hotline.
 
Reduced cost legal services. If you make 200 – 400% of the federal poverty income level ($61,500 - $123,000 for a family of four), you may be entitled to reduced cost legal services of “low bono” help. One option for this is the Moderate Means Program, which is part of the Washington State Bar Association’s service. Our founding principal helped work on its predecessor program in Spokane called GAAP. In the Moderate Means Program, attorneys agree to lower their hourly rates to assist clients who don’t qualify for free legal aid in areas such as family law, landlord-tenant, and consumer (like debt collection matters). To be referred to a Moderate Means attorney, find more information here: http://wsba.org/Legal-Community/Volunteer-Opportunities/Public-Service-Opportunities/Moderate-Means-Program/Moderate-Means-Legal-Help. Our GIANTlegal attorneys handle Moderate Means clients, but you must be referred by the program.
 
Contingent legal services. In many areas of the law, attorneys will agree to take your case on a contingent basis, meaning that the attorney does not get paid unless you get paid. This primarily occurs in personal injury (car accidents, medical malpractice, slip and falls), employment (wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination in hiring and firing), consumer collection cases (debt collection), consumer construction cases (for licensed contractors only), and workers compensation (on the job injuries). If your legal matter involves one of these areas of the law, contact an attorney for a free consultation to determine if you need to retain a lawyer. The lawyer will take a percentage of any amounts you receive at the end of your matter.
 
Flat rate services. For many areas of the law, like basic wills and estate planning, business formations, employee handbooks and employment agreements, attorneys will charge the client a flat rate. If you are a small business or want to open a small business – or even if you aren’t so small – ask your attorney about flat rate services for things like this. At GIANTlegal, we charge flat rates for business setups, employee handbooks, review and drafting of employment contracts, and debtor-side Ch. 7 bankruptcies. 

As always, ask around and contact us with questions.