Employment law specialists interpret and apply employment laws, advising companies on hiring processes, employee requirements, and salary scales. They can be lawyers or HR professionals and help companies and employees understand their rights and obligations under applicable law. Employment law attorneys represent employees or companies in employment-related cases, and some jurisdictions require specialist employment law certification.
An employment law specialist applies and interprets employment laws in many different situations. Employment law specialists often advise companies on how to structure their hiring processes, employee requirements and salary scales according to what the law requires. Other experts counsel aggrieved employees or counsel employees about their legal rights. Most employment law specialists are lawyers, but a large number are also human resources (HR).
The main job of an employment law specialist is to understand how employment laws and regulations affect certain sectors of the market. Many countries have labor laws that establish certain workplace safety requirements, for example, and mandate certain minimum wages. There are also generally laws that prohibit certain types of discrimination in hiring or internal promotion. An employment law specialist helps companies and employees understand their rights and obligations under applicable law.
Employment law specialists can have many different jobs. Some of the most common employment law specialists are human resources professionals. Almost every company has at least a small HR department.
The role of HR professionals can vary, but for the most part, these professionals are responsible for helping to create their company’s employee policies. This can include everything from benefit packages to acceptable ranges. Since much of how a company interacts with its employees is governed by law, HR professionals who are experts in local employment laws can be a significant asset.
Outside the corporate walls, an employment law specialist is often a lawyer. Employment law attorneys are attorneys who dedicate their practice to employment-related cases. Employment law attorneys sometimes represent employees who think they were improperly fired. Other times, they represent groups of employees who were paid too little or worked too hard. They may also work to defend companies from these types of lawsuits or work within governments to help draft, amend and enforce existing law.
Most of the time, a lawyer does not need any special training to be an expert in employment law. There are some jurisdictions, however, where lawyers must be specially certified to advertise themselves as specialist in employment law. Certification is controlled at the state or regional level. A jurisdiction that has decided to require specialist employment law certification is typically free to define its requirements in any way it chooses. Most often, certification requires some form of examination, but it can also be primarily educational or service-based.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
