Lately, I have been meeting with many individuals regarding pending discrimination charges with the EEOC and MCHR. I commend these individuals for taking the initiative to do good research about discrimination procedure and take the first important step to having their employment issues heard. Filing a discrimination charge is always stressful and time consuming.
That being said, these pro se filed charges are always too short, lacking in detail, and overall ineffective at mounting a proper case. It is imperative that your discrimination charge tell a detailed story that compels the investigator to delve into the relevant nooks and crannies that house the important facts surrounding the treatment that motivated the unlawful conduct, which led to the filing of charges. You must provide specific facts and allegations that guide the investigator to the proper destination. Irrelevant or superfluous information should never be given.
In fact, I almost never see positive results from discrimination charges that originated pro se. Involving legal counsel from the outset increases your chances of a favorable outcome exponentially. We offer affordable consultations for discrimination cases, so there is very little risk in getting our opinion. If you think you may be the subject of unlawful workplace treatment or harassment, let’s talk about it. Retaining an employment lawyer will likely significantly increase your chance of prevailing.