Most workers know that legal protections exist for those who must take a leave from their job because of major life events such as having a child or needing to care for an extremely ill family member. However, the details of how the law may apply to your particular situation can be difficult to understand. The law that applies in these situations, the Family and Medical Leave Act, (FMLA) is an important law that can help workers in their time of need.
The FMLA grants up to 12 work weeks of unpaid leave to an employee during a 12 month period for reasons that include the following:
- The birth of a child
- The care of a newborn within one year of birth
- Adoption and foster care placement within one year of birth
- Needed care of a spouse, child or parent with a serious health problem
- Leave when an employee is unable to work
- Qualifying exigency of certain covered military members (and up to 26 workweeks of leave in a year for care of certain service members with a serious injury or illness).
Eligibility requirement
To be eligible for coverage under the FMLA, an employee must meet the following requirements:
- The employee must show employment by the same employer for the previous 12 months
- The employee must show employment of at least 1,250 hours in the previous 12 months
- The employee must be employed by a covered employer.
A skilled attorney who handles FMLA cases on a regular basis can help you resolve any issues that arise out of enforcement of your rights.
Neil H. Deutsch has been practicing law for over 35 years and is known as a skilled negotiator in employment and discrimination law. He believes in a bottom-line approach of risk analysis and cost effectiveness for his clients. "Case evaluation is something we take seriously," says Mr. Deutsch who seeks top net dollar for his…
Bruce L. Atkins is the Senior Managing Partner at Deutsch Atkins & Kleinfeldt P.C., a prominent plaintiff employment law firm in the tri-state area. Mr. Atkins believes employees’ rights should be aggressively pursued when they’ve been wrongfully dealt with by their employers. He brings this philosophy to his practice when considering each case and its…
Adam J. Kleinfeldt joined Deutsch Atkins & Kleinfeldt, P.C. in March of 2015. He primarily represents individuals in employment litigation such as discrimination, retaliation and whistle blowing matters. He has extensive experience in all phases of the litigation process. Adam has obtained significant results for his clients, including a $525,000 jury verdict in a sexual…
Debra M. McGarvey joined Deutsch Atkins & Kleinfeldt, P.C. in December 2019. She has extensive experience defending employees and employers in state and federal court in employment litigation matters. She has represented clients on various issues arising out of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA), the…
Carly Skarbnik Meredith, Esq. is a Partner at the firm. Carly has focused her career exclusively in the field of employment law. She has a plethora of experience representing both employees and employers with their employment issues, needs, and concerns. She believes representing both employees and employers has made her an extremely well-rounded client advocate.…
