"Employment lawyer" covers a wide range of situations — from a business drafting an offer letter to someone facing wrongful termination. What you actually need depends heavily on which side of the employment relationship you're on and what's actually at stake.
For employers: most needs are drafting, not litigation
Offer letters, handbooks, termination documentation, and non-compete or confidentiality agreements are the bulk of what most businesses need — properly drafted documents that reduce risk, not a lawyer defending an active claim. Getting these right upfront is what prevents needing litigation-level help later.
For employees: it depends on what happened
A single confusing clause in an offer letter might just need a plain-language review. A termination that feels retaliatory, discriminatory, or tied to a protected activity is a different situation entirely — one where the deadlines to act (filing a complaint with an agency, for instance) can be short and unforgiving.
Severance agreements deserve review either way
Whether you're offering or being offered a severance agreement, it's a binding contract with real terms — release of claims, non-disparagement, confidentiality — that's worth having reviewed before signing, regardless of which side of the table you're on.
Matching the help to the actual situation
Document drafting and review — offer letters, handbooks, severance review — is straightforward, flat-fee work. Active disputes, agency complaints, or litigation are a different scope entirely. Knowing which one you're facing is the first step to getting the right kind of help.