Is my employer allowed to fire me without cause?

In New Jersey, employers can terminate workers at will, but not for illegal reasons like discrimination or retaliation. If your firing was connected to a protected activity or trait, you may have a valid legal claim.

Can I challenge a non-compete agreement?

Yes, non-compete agreements must be reasonable in scope, duration, and geography to be enforceable. If it unfairly restricts your ability to work, we’ll review it and fight to limit or void it.

What happens if I report harassment and face retaliation?

It’s illegal for an employer to punish you for reporting harassment. If you’ve been demoted, isolated, or fired after speaking up, we’ll act quickly to protect your rights and seek justice.

How long do I have to file an employment claim?

Most employment claims in New Jersey must be filed within two years, but deadlines vary depending on your situation. It’s important to speak with an attorney right away so you don’t miss your chance to take action.

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(201) 525-0025

(201) 525-0025

Employment Lawyer in Paramus, NJ

Take the first step toward reclaiming your rights

Employment Representation Across Paramus and Bergen County

Your job should provide stability, not stress caused by discrimination, retaliation, harassment, or unpaid wages. At Cowen & Jacobs, our employment lawyers in Paramus represent employees across Bergen County, from hourly retail staff to executives. Every case is built as though it will end up in front of a Bergen County judge, because some of them do.

Before you sign a severance agreement or send a reply to HR, talk to someone who knows how New Jersey employment law applies to your situation. Once you sign, most of your leverage is gone.

When Is It Worth Calling an Employment Lawyer?

Most workplace violations do not announce themselves. The ones people call us about usually looked like bad luck at first:

A severance agreement that waives claims you had not identified
A reclassification that quietly removes your overtime
A schedule cut three weeks after you raised a complaint
A payout date that moves just past your last day

One conversation tells you whether New Jersey law was broken and what not to sign in the meantime.

Where you work changes the answer. Paramus employs far more people than it houses, and our clients commute in from Fort Lee and Teaneck to the stores, hospitals, and corporate offices here. Others live in town and work in Manhattan, where a different set of laws can apply to the same dispute.

"I highly recommend this law firm. They are extremely knowledgeable, straight to the point, and truly get the job done." Daniel D. — Hear From Our Clients

Employment Matters We Commonly Handle

Most cases involve more than one of these claims. We look at the whole picture before telling you what is worth pursuing.

Wrongful Termination

If you were fired soon after taking medical leave, reporting misconduct, or filing a complaint, the timing matters as much as the reason you were given. We look at what changed in the weeks before the decision and whether the employer's explanation holds up.

Workplace Discrimination

Unequal treatment in pay, promotions, discipline, or termination based on age, race, gender, disability, religion, or sexual orientation can support a discrimination claim. The NJLAD reaches further than federal law and covers employers federal statutes leave out.

Sexual Harassment & Hostile Work Environment

Conduct severe or pervasive enough to change your working conditions can create a hostile environment. Sexual harassment cases often turn on what you reported, who you reported it to, and what your employer did after.

Retaliation & Whistleblower Claims

New Jersey's Conscientious Employee Protection Act is one of the strongest whistleblower statutes in the country. A demotion, a cut in hours, or a termination after you raise safety, billing, or discrimination concerns can support a whistleblower claim.

Overtime and Compensation Violations

Unpaid overtime, improper deductions, withheld commissions, and misclassification as exempt or as a contractor can entitle you to back wages and statutory damages. Commission disputes come up constantly in Paramus retail and sales roles, usually when someone is let go before a payout date.

Family and Medical Leave Disputes

The New Jersey Family Leave Act and the FMLA protect time away for your own serious condition or a family member's. Discipline, demotion, or a quiet replacement while you are out can support a claim, and these disputes come up constantly in retail and healthcare scheduling.

Severance Agreement Review & Negotiation

Most severance agreements are negotiable, and most people sign them without asking. We review severance and compensation packages, including non-compete and release language, before you trade away claims you may not know you have.

From Your First Call to Resolution

Retail, sales, and hospital cases move differently than the office disputes most firms describe. Here is how yours would actually run.

Free consultation. Bring your commission plan and your schedule history if you can get them. In Paramus cases those two documents decide more outcomes than anything else, because the dispute is usually about hours that were moved or a payout that landed after the termination date.
Deadline check. Seasonal and holiday-cycle terminations cause the most missed windows we see. The clock runs from the adverse action, not from the date a seasonal assignment was scheduled to end, and employers rarely correct that assumption for you.
Claim evaluation. We value the claim against what Bergen County employers actually pay to resolve these matters, including the commissions, shift differentials, and hours that get lost when a six-day retail week is reassigned around you.
Forum and strategy. Your case gets filed in Hackensack regardless of which town you live in, or with the Division on Civil Rights or the EEOC in Newark. Each route has a different timeline and applies a different kind of pressure to a national employer.
Negotiation, mediation, or litigation. The retailers and hospital systems operating here usually defend through out-of-state counsel who want the file closed before discovery opens. That is leverage, and we use it rather than waiting for a trial date.

New Jersey Workplace Protections Explained

New Jersey is an at-will state, so an employer can end your job for no reason. It cannot end it for an illegal one. These are the laws that do the work:

NJLAD: Covers discrimination, harassment, and retaliation at employers of any size. Two years to file in court, 180 days at the Division on Civil Rights.
CEPA: Protects employees who report or refuse to join unlawful conduct. One year to file.
Wage and Hour and Wage Payment Laws: Cover minimum wage, overtime, and earned pay, with up to six years to recover.
Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act: Requires equal pay for substantially similar work, with up to six years of back pay.
NJFLA: Protects leave taken to care for a family member, with a two-year window.

The NJLAD and CEPA also let a prevailing employee recover attorney fees from the employer, which is why we take most of these cases on contingency.

Why Paramus Employees Choose Cowen & Jacobs

In Paramus the employer across the table is usually a national brand rather than a local business. They have handled hundreds of these claims, they have a number in mind before you walk in, and they expect an employee to take it. What decides your case is whether anyone on your side can tell what the claim is actually worth.

We know who you are up against. The employers here are national retail chains and hospital systems with in-house employment counsel, and their first severance offer is a formula rather than a reading of your claim. We have never worked for that side.
Hourly and commissioned claims, not just executive exits. Plenty of firms will not take a case that turns on shift records or a commission withheld after a termination date. Those are the claims we see most often out of Paramus.
An arbitrator’s read on your claim. Sara Jacobs spent fourteen years as an arbitrator at Bergen County Superior Court and co-chaired the county’s ADR Committee. She values a case the way the neutral in your mediation will.
Minutes from where your case is filed. Our Court Plaza South office is near the Bergen County Justice Center in Hackensack, a short drive from Paramus for a conference or a filing.
Direct access, and a record you can check. You work with the attorney handling your case from the first call through resolution, and our 4.8 Google rating reflects more than 50 client reviews.

Questions Paramus Employees Ask Before They Call

Do Paramus Sunday closing rules affect my hours or overtime claim?

They can. A six-day retail week concentrates hours and makes off-the-clock work, shift reassignment, and unpaid breaks more common. Wage law still applies in full to every one of those hours.

I'm over 40 and my employer offered severance. How long do I have to decide?

If the agreement releases age claims, federal law generally gives you at least 21 days to consider it, or 45 days in a group layoff. You then have seven days to revoke after signing. Use that time to have it reviewed.

My employer is headquartered out of state. Does New Jersey law still protect me?

Usually yes. New Jersey protections generally follow where the work is performed, not where corporate sits. National retail and healthcare employers operating in Paramus are subject to the NJLAD and state wage law.

Where would my case actually be heard?

Bergen County employment cases are filed and heard in Hackensack. That holds whether you work in Paramus, Franklin Lakes, or Ho-Ho-Kus, and we appear there regularly.

I still work there. Can I talk to a lawyer without my employer knowing?

Yes. The consultation is confidential and most of our clients come to us while still employed. Use a personal phone and email, not a company device or account.

Contact Our Legal Team Today

Call or Fill Out The Form Below to Schedule Your Consultation

Are you ready to get started on your case with a consultation? With over 35 years of experience, our attorneys are ready to fight for you. Reach out to us today to see what Cowen & Jacobs can do for you.

NOTICE: The use of the Internet or this form for communication with the firm or any individual member of the firm does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Confidential or time-sensitive information should not be sent through this form.

Other Legal Services We Provide

Areas We Serve

The Lawyers Who Will Take On Your Case

Barbara E. Cowen

Barbara E. Cowen has practiced in New Jersey since 1981 and started her career clerking in the Law Division of Bergen County Superior Court, the same courthouse where Paramus employment cases are heard today. She earned her J.D. cum laude from Pace University School of Law after graduating summa cum laude from the University of Cincinnati. Four decades of appearances in this county give the firm a practical read on local procedure, scheduling, and which judges move cases. She serves on a Bergen County Ethics Committee and is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Sara Jacobs

Sara Jacobs leads the firm’s employment practice and has been admitted in New Jersey since 1984. She handles discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and the severance negotiations that end most Paramus cases before a complaint is filed. She spent fourteen years arbitrating at Bergen County Superior Court, co-chaired the county’s ADR Committee, and holds an LL.M. from NYU School of Law.

Your Employer Already Has a Lawyer. You Should Have One Too.

Employers draft these agreements to protect themselves, and the clock starts the day you receive one. A free consultation will show you what your claim may be worth and what signing would give up.

Call Cowen & Jacobs at (201) 525-0025. If you are holding a severance agreement with a signing deadline on it, call before you sign.

We are here for you and ready to help you resolve your legal issue. For a consultation discussing your case, call Cowen & Jacobs today.

Attorney Advertising. The transmission and receipt of information contained on this website, in whole or in part through this website, does not constitute or create a lawyer-client relationship between Cowen & Jacobs and any recipient.

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