Abortion rights, women of color, and LGBTQIA+ people are under attack. Pledge to join us in fighting for gender justice.

By submitting your cell phone number you are agreeing to receive periodic text messages from this organization. Message and data rates may apply. Text HELP for more information. Text STOP to stop receiving messages.

All Topics

Español

Help for Workers Facing Sex Discrimination and Harassment

What We Do


 

We connect people facing sex harassment or sex discrimination to attorneys.

 

The TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund helps to pay for legal fees for select cases of workplace sex harassment and related retaliation.

 

 

The TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund pays for media assistance for select cases of workplace sex harassment and related retaliation.


Need legal help for sex discrimination or sex harassment in the workplace?

Request Legal Help Here

WHAT IS WORKPLACE SEX DISCRIMINATION?

 

Title VII is the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in the workplace. State and local laws may also help protect workers from sex discrimination. 

If you have experienced any of the following, we can connect you with attorneys.

  • Sex Harassment: You experienced sex harassment. This can be sexual “jokes,” photos, comments about your body, touching, requests for sexual favors, and sexual assault. Sex harassment can also be questioning your ability to do a job because of your sex or putting you down because of your sex.  
  • Different Treatment on the Basis of Sex: You were fired, not hired, not promoted, or not given certain assignments because of your sex.  
  • LGBTQ Discrimination: You experienced sex discrimination or harassment based on your sexual orientation or gender identity.  
  • Pregnancy Discrimination: You experienced discrimination because of your pregnancy, or your employer denied you a pregnancy-related reasonable accommodation.  
  • Retaliation: After you reported sex discrimination or harassment at your workplace, you were treated worse or punished.  
  • Defamation lawsuit: You are being sued for or have been threatened by a lawsuit after reporting or speaking publicly about sexual harassment or discrimination in your workplace or career.  
  • Pay Discrimination: You are paid less because of your sex.  
  • Abortion: You experienced discrimination because you have had an abortion or are seeking an abortion.

REQUESTING LEGAL HELP FROM THE LEGAL NETWORK FOR GENDER EQUITY

If you DO NOT fit any of the above categories, here are other resources you may find helpful.

If you DO fit one of the above categories, we can help connect you with attorneys.

Here is how it works:

1. Fill out this form. Here is more information about the form and our process. Please note that we will not see your form unless you answer all required questions and click “submit” on the last page.

2. If your situation involves workplace sex harassment or other forms of workplace sex discrimination we will send you the names of three attorneys in the Legal Network for Gender Equity who work in your state (even if they don’t live in your state).

3. You are responsible for reaching out to the attorneys to set up a call or meeting.

4. Attorneys in our network do a first consultation for free with anyone coming through our network. At that consultation you can talk about what happened to you and discuss your options.

5. After the free first call or meeting, you may want to hire the attorney. Some of the attorneys may offer free or low-cost services. Note that the Legal Network for Gender Equity will have provided you with the names and contact information of attorneys in the Legal Network for informational purposes only. By providing contact information of attorneys, the Legal Network, the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, and NWLC are not endorsing, approving, vouching for, or recommending these attorneys or their firms.

6. You can look here for additional resources.

7. If you need help filling out the form or have questions, please contact us at [email protected] or call us at (202) 319-3053.

FUNDING FOR CASES OF WORKPLACE SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND RELATED RETALIATION

If your case involves sex harassment or related retaliation in the workplace or in your career, the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund may be able to help pay for your legal case and for media and storytelling assistance.

• Your attorney must apply for funding for your legal case.

• Your attorney can apply for case funding here.

To apply for media and storytelling assistance, when you fill out our request for legal help, answer “yes” to the question about PR assistance.

Things to Remember

Deadlines: Some legal claims have specific time limits. You are responsible for meeting any deadlines associated with your legal claims.

Complaint to your employer: You may want to use your employer’s complaint system. Check your employer’s policies to see how that is done.

EEOC Complaint: For most workers, if you want to bring a federal lawsuit, you first must file with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). There are strict deadlines for filing with the EEOC. You do not need an attorney to file with the EEOC, but you may find it helpful to have one.

 

 

Federal Government Employees and Military Personnel: The federal government and the military have their own systems for reporting sex discrimination and harassment. Learn more about those here.

State laws: Some states have their own laws prohibiting workplace sex discrimination. These laws may have different deadlines than the federal law. An attorney can help you determine whether you have legal claims based on state laws and the deadlines.

 

 


 


IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT HOW WE WORK:

The Legal Network for Gender Equity and the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund are housed at and administered by the National Women’s Law Center Fund, LLC.

By providing this information to you, the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) and the National Women’s Law Center Fund (NWLCF) are not becoming your attorneys.  Filling in the form also does not mean that NWLC or NWLCF is becoming your attorney.  Providing information to NWLC or NWLCF will not create an attorney-client relationship unless NWLC/NWLCF expressly agrees to represent you.

The Legal Network for Gender Equity provides the names of attorneys for informational purposes only. By providing contact information of attorneys, the Legal Network for Gender Equity, the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, and NWLC are not endorsing, approving, vouching for, or recommending the attorneys or groups listed.

We cannot guarantee that any of the attorneys will agree to represent you or that if they do, you will have a positive result in your case. And it is important to note that just because an attorney was successful in other cases does not guarantee the same outcome for your case.

We will keep the information you provide in the form confidential to the extent allowed by law.

Please use the form to request assistance.  Please do not come to our office to request assistance; we do not conduct in-person interviews.

If you have questions, please email us at [email protected] or call (202) 319-3053.

  • View