We represent employees in disputes against their current or former employers for most claims of wrongful conduct that occur in the workplace. Most of our practice is devoted to pursuing claims of discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, and wage & hour violations on behalf of employees against their current or former employers. We are also experienced in handling a wide variety of civil disputes as well as white collar criminal defense and tax controversies. Finally, we provide advice and training to small employers, but do not defend employers in employment litigation matters.

We do not handle worker's compensation cases, legal malpractice or personal injury cases, traffic or parking matters or fines, and landlord-tenant disputes. If you have questions whether we can handle your case or dispute, please contact us.

Please call the firm and identify yourself as a potential client. A member of our staff will speak to you and obtain information regarding your employment with your current or former employer or your civil litigation, white collar criminal defense or tax needs. We will try to determine why you believe you have been wronged by an employer or determine what your civil litigation, criminal defense and/or tax needs are. This information will be provided to the attorneys at our firm who will decide whether our firm will represent you. We will meet with you in person as part of the process where we determine whether we will represent you. We ordinarily do not charge an initial consultation fee. We make every effort to inform you whether we will take your case in a week.

We expect you to be honest, responsive, and diligent throughout the litigation process. We want you to ask us any questions and inform us of any concerns you have. You will ordinarily be deposed at some point in the litigation and we expect you to prepare for that deposition diligently by meeting with us and reviewing key facts in the case.

Although most cases settle, the settlement amount varies based on a number of factors. The overwhelming majority of our plaintiff clients are satisfied with the settlement amount we have obtained on their behalf. Some of the factors include the strength of the evidence in your case, your performance at your deposition, the financial resource of your employer, whether or not your employer has insurance that covers the litigation, your willingness to take the case to trial, and the number and quality of witnesses that will support the allegations you make against your former employer. A partial list of settlements in the cases we have handled is provided on our firm profile. In addition to any monetary compensation you may receive, you may also benefit from feeling that justice was done, changes will be made at your current or former employer, and you can now move on with your life.

When we represent defendants, we try to achieve the most cost-effective solution, taking into consideration your tolerance for risk and need for closure. We have been very effective in representing defendants as well as plaintiffs.

Carol L. Gillam is the President of the firm. She has become a prominent member of the legal community since beginning her practice in 1978. She founded The Gillam Law Firm in 1994. Ms. Gillam has tried numerous cases to verdict and award, including cases that received national and even worldwide publicity. She was recognized as a Southern California 2010 Super Lawyer and was recently inducted as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.

We understand that your case is very important to you and the decision of whom you will hire as your attorney is a difficult one. There are several reasons why we believe you can trust our firm with your case. More than 90% of our practice is employment cases. We have been in business continuously since 1994. We have secured many favorable results for many of our clients. We are a small firm with the time and ability to dedicate appropriate resource’s and time to your case.

The Gillam Law Firm was founded in 1994 and has been operating continuously since that time. Carol Gillam has been in practice since 1978.

We work on contingency, hourly and flat fee bases, depending on the type of case.

Discrimination in the workplace occurs anytime your employer treats you differently than the other employees because of some "protected characteristic." These characteristics include your race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, care-giving status, marital status, gender, age, and/or disability or perceived disability. If you are fired, disciplined, or otherwise treated differently by your employer because of these characteristics, you may have a discrimination claim.

Harassment in the workplace occurs when your employer severely mistreats or wrongs you while you are doing your job. The types of conduct recognized as harassment under the law are fairly broad and can include the following: yelling, screaming, using profanity, using racial epithets or slurs, staring, leering, sexual gestures, sexual innuendos, exceedingly difficult work assignments, unwanted touching, threats, offensive drawing or cartoons, and offensive jokes or comments. Conduct that occurs repeatedly and actions taken by a supervisor are more likely to be considered harassment under the law.

You are legally protected when you complain to your employer that you believe you have been the victim of discrimination or harassment. You are also legally protected when you give testimony or otherwise another employee when he or she has made a compliant of discrimination or harassment. Your employer may not legally fire you nor take adverse actions against you because you have made a complaint or harassment or discrimination or aided someone who has made these complaints. If your employer does fire or take action against you for these reasons, you may have a retaliation claim against your employer.