What would a typical lawsuit cost an employee in comparison to what you would gain? Now that you have been wrongfully discharged you have little financial means to hire an attorney. Can you sue on your own?

Rita Risser Replies:

Attorneys routinely take wrongful termination and discrimination cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you don't have to pay your attorney unless you win. If an attorney does not want to take it on contingency but offers to do it on an hourly basis, it means one of two things -- either you don't have a good case and the lawyer just wants your money, or you do have a good case, but it's not worth much money. When I used to represent employees, I had to be convinced that we could win at least $100,000 before I'd do it on contingency, figuring I had to make at least $30,000 on the case to make it worth my while. You can sue on your own (it's call in pro per) but I don't recommend it. It's rare when people who represent themselves win.

Best of luck.