Many lawyers work well in excess of 40 hours per week both at the office and traveling for work. Despite these long hours, attorneys are generally not eligible for overtime pay from their employer In general, employees who earn more than $100,000 per year are generally ineligible to sue under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Even lower paid lawyers are usually subject to the FLSA’s “professional exemption” which covers anyone who performs work “requiring advanced knowledge, defined as work which is predominately intellectual in character and which includes work requiring the consistent exercise of judgment or discretion.” The U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet #17D explains the elements of the professional exemption and can be reviewed though the following link:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/fairpay/fs17d_professional.htm
If you have a law degree, but have not passed the bar exam; or if you are currently employed in a non-legal position you might be eligible to recover back pay or unpaid overtime from your employer. If you believe your employer is violating the law, please contact an experienced FLSA attorney immediately because the time to these lawsuits may be short.
If you would like to discuss your case or concerns with one of our experienced attorneys, please call (855) 754-2795 for a Free Consultation or complete the Free Unpaid Overtime Case Review Form on this page. We will discuss your situation and determine if you have a claim. If you are owed unpaid wages, we will represent you under our No Fee Promise, which means there are never any legal fees or costs to you unless we recover.