Wrongful Termination? How To Find A Wrongful Termination Lawyer Without Upfront Costs?

You’ve packed up your cubicle, handed in your key card, and now you’re standing outside the building, still in a daze. You’ve been terminated – and it feels terrible – and you need a wrongful termination lawyer (more on that later).

It’s not just the shock of losing your paycheck or the anxiety about what comes next. It’s the nagging feeling that what just happened wasn’t right. Maybe it was the way your boss blindsided you, or maybe it was the fact that you spoke up about a workplace problem just days beforehand. Deep down, you can’t shake the thought: Was this even legal?

If you think you’ve been wrongfully terminated, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to figure it out on your own either. 

Even if you’ve just lost your income, you can still get legal help. You can find an experienced employment lawyer out there who works on contingency. That way, you don’t have to worry about upfront costs when you’re down on your luck. 

What Is Wrongful Termination?

In Canada, your employer can terminate you — but only if they follow proper legal processes, including respecting your contract and providing required notice or severance. These are some examples of wrongful termination:

1. Termination Without Proper Notice Or Severance:

Unless you are dismissed for just cause, you are usually entitled to advance notice of termination or severance pay. The Canada Labour Code outlines these protections for federally regulated workers (banking, telecommunications, etc.), and each province has its employment standards for other sectors.

2. Retaliation For Exercising Legal Rights: 

Employers cannot legally fire you for standing up for your rights. This includes:

• Reporting unsafe work conditions.
• Filing harassment or discrimination complaints.
• Taking parental leave — a right protected by employment standards laws across Canada.

If you experience reprisals after exercising these rights, you may have a strong wrongful termination case. 

For federally regulated workers, these protections are built into the Canada Labour Code, while provincial laws, like Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, cover provincially regulated workers.

3. Discrimination-Based Termination:

It’s illegal to fire someone based on protected grounds, such as:

• Race, ethnicity, or national origin
• Age
• Gender identity or expression
• Sexual orientation
• Disability
• Religion
• Family status (including pregnancy or caregiving responsibilities)

If any of these factors played a role in your firing, you may also have grounds to file a human rights complaint, in addition to pursuing wrongful dismissal compensation.

4. Constructive Dismissal:

Not all wrongful terminations happen through a formal firing. If your employer makes unilateral changes that fundamentally change your working conditions — cutting your pay drastically, stripping you of key responsibilities, or fostering harassment — you might feel forced to quit. 

In these cases, the law may still treat it as a wrongful dismissal through constructive dismissal rules.

Wrongful Termination’s Long-Term Consequences:

Now, let’s look at the long-term consequences of wrongful termination.

1. Financial Stress — Immediate and Long-Term:

Losing a job suddenly can put anyone in a financial tailspin. According to Ontario’s Labour Market Report for January 2024, the average time unemployed workers spent between jobs was approximately 18 weeks — that’s over four months without a steady paycheque.

During that time, bills pile up, savings dwindle, and the idea of paying thousands of dollars upfront for a lawyer feels impossible for many people. That’s why contingency legal help is so critical for wrongfully dismissed workers.

2. Employment Insurance (EI) Issues:

If your employer claims you were fired for just cause — even if the claim is false — this can directly impact your ability to qualify for Employment Insurance benefits. You may need legal help to dispute the just cause claim with Service Canada and restore your eligibility for benefits.

Please Note: Reputation Damage

If your wrongful termination goes unchallenged, future employers may hear only your former employer’s side of the story — and that story might not reflect the truth. Legal action can help correct the record and protect your future career.

How A Wrongful Termination Lawyer Can Help?

Losing your job is stressful enough. Adding legal fees on top of that can feel overwhelming—or even impossible. After all, when your income suddenly stops, your priority is covering rent or mortgage payments, groceries, and other essentials. For many wrongfully terminated workers, the idea of hiring a lawyer feels completely out of reach.

This is exactly why contingency fee arrangements exist. An experienced wrongful termination lawyer who handles wrongful termination cases may offer their services on contingency, meaning you don’t need to pay anything upfront to get legal help. 

Instead, they only get paid if they successfully negotiate a settlement or win compensation for you in court. If your case doesn’t succeed, you don’t owe any legal fees.

What Is A Contingency Fee?

With contingency arrangements, you don’t pay out of pocket to start your case. Instead, your lawyer’s fee is a percentage of the final settlement or court award. This makes legal representation accessible even if you’re financially stretched.

Why Contingency Lawyers Are Ideal for Wrongful Termination

• No Financial Barrier to Justice: If you have a strong case, you can pursue it even if you have no savings or income.
• Lawyer Motivated to Win: Because their fee depends on the outcome, contingency lawyers are highly motivated to secure maximum compensation.
• Legal Guidance from Day One: They’ll help you document your case, communicate correctly with your employer, and strategize for the best outcome.

Steps to Take After Wrongful Termination:

So, here are the steps you need to take if you feel you have been wrongfully terminated:

1. Document Everything:

Write down key events, save emails and texts, and gather any performance reviews, policies, or contracts that apply. The more evidence that you have, the better. 

Sometimes employers will favor contact methods like phone and video calls to not create a paper trail. If you think your employer is doing this, you should make notes about the date, the time, and what was said on the call. 

This will be your log. Another workaround is to send your employer an email confirming what you spoke about on the call. 

2. Contact A Wrongful Termination Lawyer:

Hire an experienced employment lawyer who will take cases on contingency. A wrongful termination lawyer should have a good track record of negotiating severance and wrongful termination settlements. 

3. Act Quickly:

In some jurisdictions, you only have a few months to file a wrongful dismissal complaint. Fast action helps preserve evidence and increases your options.

Fight Back Without Breaking The Bank

Losing your job is financially devasting enough. You don’t want to drain your savings to pay for a lawyer, too. With a wrongful termination lawyer, you pay nothing upfront. That means they’re motivated to fight for every dollar that you’re worth.

Don’t let an unfair firing derail you. When you take the right steps, you can get the justice and the severance that you deserve.

LEARN MORE:

• Understanding Employee Injury: Rights, Claims, and Legal Help
• Essential Employment Law Advice for Employers And Employees
• Workplace Negligence: Dealing With Your Employer for Safer Workplace