Discrimination Lawyer


by Clint Jhonson - Date: 2008-11-12 - Word Count: 1056 Share This!

Discrimination is something that although we didn't hear much about years ago is very prevalent today, resulting in many cases of discrimination. This is in thanks to the many discrimination laws in Australia, United States and many other countries. Although there are many different types of discrimination, there are also many laws designed to protect people that have been discriminated against for one reason or another. Discrimination lawyers have the goal to help enforce the many discrimination laws and protect the individuals that have been victims of discrimination.

Although there are many different discrimination laws enacted to protect the public and individuals in general against discrimination, there are an equal number of people being discriminated against, resulting in the need of a good discrimination lawyer. Discrimination can seriously affect an individual and have an impact on their ability to gain employment, get a home, own a business, receive certain medical services, government services, voting rights and even a good education. Today anything that is considered as an intentional unfair or unlawful treatment against an individual because of their sex, age, handicap or disability, national origin or ethnicity or any other attributes is deemed to be discrimination.

If you suspect you have been a victim of any kind of discrimination, you are in need of a qualified discrimination lawyer. A discrimination lawyer can not only prove that there has been a clear-cut case of discrimination against you but can also have it determined in court, resulting in some sort of restitution. Discrimination lawyers will help to keep the discrimination laws enforced as well as protect the individuals that have been wronged by discrimination.

Many times, discrimination appears to be evident to the individual and all those involved with the individual, but may be very hard to prove. However, a good discrimination lawyer will be able to help you prove and win your case. Today there are many new cases of discrimination involving pregnancy discrimination, gender discrimination, religious discrimination, age discrimination, racial discrimination and even reverse discrimination.

If you feel you've been a victim of discrimination, you'll need to find a good discrimination lawyer to help you with your case. Because discrimination is often easy to recognize but difficult to prove, look carefully before deciding on a discrimination lawyer. Make a list of different questions you'll want to ask a discrimination lawyer before hiring him or her. As in any case, you need to feel comfortable with and confident in your discrimination lawyer. Some of the questions you may want to ask include:

1.    How much experience do they have in dealing with this court system? Believe it or not, every court system has certain ways of doing things and often handle cases a certain way. Being familiar with the legal and court system in a certain jurisdiction can be very helpful to your case.
2.    How experienced is this lawyer in cases of discrimination? This lawyer may be a great spokesperson and advocate against discrimination but that's a long way from having defended and won discrimination cases. Make sure discrimination is their specialty.
3.    Have they ever handled your specific type of discrimination? A case of discrimination involving race is quite common today but doesn't necessarily qualify the discrimination lawyer in a case of pregnancy discrimination. Find out if they've ever been involved in a discrimination case similar to yours.
4.    How well known are they in the area? If you're resident, you may be familiar with this discrimination lawyer but if you're not a local, learn all you can about this lawyer and his or her qualifications.
5.    What about cost? Find out exactly how much this case is going to cost you, including all fees. Make sure your discrimination lawyer is not afraid to explain every detail to you.
6.    Is the discrimination lawyer familiar with all discrimination laws that may apply to you? There are many types of discrimination and, with the laws always changing, it's important that your discrimination lawyer be up to date on all the laws that may pertain to you and your case.
7.    What expectations does your discrimination lawyer have for this case? Make sure the lawyer can tell you exactly what he is hoping to get for you and what your chances of being successful are.

The Australian discrimination law has been influenced greatly by the discrimination laws in the United States as well as legislation regarding discrimination in other countries in the world. Australia defines discrimination in their International Labor Organization Agreement in 1973, as "any exclusion, distinction or preference made because of race, color, sex, political preference, social origin or national extraction which results in the act of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or treatment in occupations or employment. Discrimination lawyers are not just used for individuals but have also represented many businesses and organizations where cases of discrimination were apparent or implied.

Australia's first anti-discrimination law was the Prohibition of Discrimination Act of 1966 in South Australia, a legislation that was repealed and then replaced. The first legislation discrimination law in the federal government that met with success was the Racial Discrimination Act in 1975. In 1977, the Anti-Discrimination Act was started as a way to prohibit and prevent discrimination in employment on the grounds of race, sex or marital status. This law also involved the provisions of services, goods and accommodation based on the same grounds of sex, race or marital status and on race when dealing with education.

Since the early 1970s, there has been much legal activity in Australia both statewide and federally regarding discrimination and many different types. The Commonwealth as well as the territories and states in Australia have either introduced or tried to introduce some new form of discrimination legislature. They also review regularly the current aspects of discrimination to determine if there are any ways to improve on the discrimination laws of Australia. Australia currently has the following discrimination laws in force:

-    Federal Racial Discrimination Act of 1975
-    Federal Sex Discrimination Act of 1984
-    Federal Affirmative Action Act of 1986 (Equal Opportunity for Women)
-    Federal Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act of 1986
-    Federal Disability Discrimination Act of 1992
-    Anti-Discrimination Act of 1977 (New South Wales)
-    Equal Opportunity Act of 1984 (Victoria)
-    Anti-Discrimination Act of 1991 (Queensland)
-    Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (South & Western Australia)
-    Discrimination Act of 1991 (Australian  Capital Territory)


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