Limited Site Map
Main Articles, with detailed descriptions

These Articles will introduce you to many of your Missouri Employee Rights.

Introductory Topics – Guides
How to use TimsLaw.com, FAQ, Steps to Consider when Fired, Service Letter, “At-Will” Employment, Deficiencies in the Employment Laws, Job Seeker Tips, and Tips for Human Resources and management

Wrongful-Unfair Treatment
Wrongful Termination, Retaliation, Discrimination, Hostile Environment, Harassment, Workers comp trouble, Safety-OSHA complaints

Avoiding BIG Traps
Being forced to quit (Constructive Discharge), Making Complaints about Unfair Treatment, Government Employees and short deadlines

Contracts – Non-Competes – Severance – Waiver
Employment Agreements Generally (Oral and Written), Physician Contracts, Specialty Contracts, Non-Competes, Severance-Waiver-Separation Agreements

Pay and Benefits issues
Wage problems, Unpaid Final Wage Penalty, FMLA (Family Medical Leave), Commission problems, Vacation and Sick Pay problems, ERISA-COBRA-HIPAA and Continuation of coverage

Background Info-Tips
What an employment lawyer is and how to find one, Things I like to see in cases, Deficiencies in our employment laws, Pros and Cons of litigation, Timeline of lawsuits

Other Employment Law Topics
Defamation, Whistleblower, Drug Testing, Handbooks, Honesty Issues, Unemployment Appeals, Resume Problems, etc…

About Tim, Directions, Inquires, Services
Who is Tim? How I handle inquiries, Procedure for consulting, Fees and Services, Directions to my office

Website Design-Related
How I learned to build websites, Problems with older version web browsers, Accessibility notes

Miscellaneous
Uncategorized and Non-legal stuff

Introductory Topics – Guides

• How to use TimsLaw.com – Points you to the resources available on this site and gives tips on how to use the info you obtain.
• Been fired? Steps to consider – If you’ve lost your lob, there are certain things you could consider doing, and certain rights you could consider exercising, and certain Articles on this site that could be of interest to you.
• Job Problem FAQ – Answers some questions about employment law and points you at specific Articles on this website that explore related employment law topics in more detail.
• How to get a Service Letter – The “Missouri Service Letter” is one of the few good tools available to Missouri employees. Find out what it is, why it’s a good tool, and how to properly request one.
• “At Will” employment – “At Will” employees have lots of legal rights. This Article describes what the common term “At-Will Employment” or “Employment At-Will” really means.
• The Sorry State of our Employment Protections – Lists many of the ways in which the employment-related laws are deficient for residents of Missouri. This article will destroy some common misconceptions about the degree to which the employment laws protect us.
• Should I sue? – Introduction to the main considerations, with a roadmap to other resources on this website that might help you understand the complexity and difficulty of the decision.
• Tips for job seekers – I have collected a list of high quality employment information websites, and provided some quick tips for job seekers that I hope will help some people get back on their feet or just avoid digging themselves a deeper hole.
• The Top Ten articles viewed by visitors – Some people may find it helpful to see what other people have been interested in viewing, in helping them decide what they might want to review.
• Tips for Missouri Human Resources and small business – Tips and links regarding Missouri human resources practices and policies, settlement, mediation, arbitration, non-competes, etc., and approaches to resolving employment law disputes, that might help prevent trouble or save some money if trouble occurs.

Wrongful-Unfair Treatment

• Wrongful Termination – Discussion of what makes a termination legally “wrongful”, rather than merely unfair.
• Retaliation – Your rights may be strong if you engage in “protected activity” and get retaliated against.
• Discrimination – EEOC, MCHR, filing charges, Right to Sue, Title VII, Section 1981, Equal Pay Act, Missouri Human Rights Act.
• Hostile Work Environment – Tips and traps in dealing with abusive and unfair work environments. Lawyers look at the law of retaliation, discrimination, contracts and constructive discharge to try to help you.
• Sexual Harassment – Types of sexual harassment; rights and procedures.
• Harassment generally – Lots of people feel “harassed.” Here’s some info to help determine if the law might be able to do anything for you.
• Safety, OSHA complaints and Retaliation – If a safety problem occurs at work, and you complain about it to the employer or to OSHA, watch for retaliation.
• Workers Comp Retaliation – These are really tough cases – the problem of the “exclusive cause” requirement; reforms needed.
• Adverse Employment Action – Rights are strongest if the mistreatment rises to the level of “Adverse Employment Actions”

Avoiding BIG Traps

• Making proper and effective Complaints about job problems – It’s a Catch-22 so be careful – What you say and don’t say could hurt your potential case.
• Quitting? The law of “Constructive Discharge” could hurt your case – Considering Quitting your job? Get legal advice first.
• Traps for Government Employees – Your rights and procedures are confusing, and your deadlines are too short.

Contracts-Non-Competes-Severance

• Contracts Generally – General info about oral and written agreements in the employment relationship in Missouri. Everyone has at least an “oral agreement” with their employers.
• Contracts for “Gurus” – Protect yourself if you have special expertise or experience.
• Contracts for Physicians – Negotiation Tips, Safe Harbor info, Non-Compete info, checklist of desirable contract features.
• Non-Compete Agreements – Contracts for non-solicitation, confidentiality, non-competition, trade secrets.
• Severance, Separation and Waiver Agreements – Tips and traps when offered severance pay in exchange for waiving or releasing all your legal rights.
• Bargaining power – It’s the key to the best deals.

Pay and Benefits

• FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) – Medical leave disputes, denial of leave, tips and traps for protecting your rights if you need FMLA leave.
• Overtime – Comp Time – Are you really “exempt”? “Comp time” is illegal for “non-exempt” workers. Salaried workers can get overtime, but there are some problems.
• More Overtime – Tim rants about some proposed changes to overtime laws.
• Unpaid Final Wages – All wages are due upon being fired – trigger a penalty if they didn’t pay.
• Wage Disputes – Not being paid right, offsetting, Minimum Wage info, lack of a Wage Payment and Collection Act.
• Commission Disputes – The Merchandising Practices Act gives some help to commissioned salespersons.
• Vacation and Sick Pay – The employer refused to pay your accrued vacation or sick time when you left.
• Summary of COBRA, ERISA, HIPAA and Continuation rights – HIPAA Portability and Health information privacy, Continuation of coverage rights under COBRA and Missouri law, ERISA info and links.

Background Info – Tips

• What makes for a “worthwhile” employment case?
• What a Plaintiff’s Employment Lawyer is, and how to find one.
• Types of employment cases I especially like to see.
• Pros and Cons of litigation
• Time Lines in Discrimination lawsuits
• Expenses in Employment Litigation

Other Employment Law Topics

• Defamation and Slander – What “Defamation” and “Slander” really are in Missouri, plus Missouri Reference Letter law.
• Drug Testing – What lawyers look for when you say you’re the victim of a false positive drug test.
• Employee Rights – This is a listing of many of our Employee Rights, with links to Articles on my own site that talk about the same rights, or links to government websites with more info about the rights.
• Handbooks – Employment manuals and personnel policies – are the promises enforceable?
• Honesty Issues – Things to look for when falsely accused of dishonesty, or your honesty is questioned.
• Labor Law – Difference between labor law and employment law, grievances, Breach of Duty of Fair Representation, NLRB info.
• Mediation at EEOC or Court – Introduction to the mediation process, where most employment cases settle.
• Mental Health – Stress and Depression and Job Problems
• Missed Deadlines – Tips and info if you fear you missed a deadline. All is not necessarily lost.
• Personnel Files – About seeing your personnel or employment file in Missouri.
• “Pro Se” filings – Filing a lawsuit without having a lawyer.
• Quitting your job – Get legal advice first. Things to think about and links to other sources of info to consider before you quit.
• Resume Problems – Fired for resume fraud, After Acquired Evidence of Misconduct Doctrine, various types of resume or job application problems.
• Service Letter – It’s a good tool. What it is and how to get one.
• Small Claims Court – Info about Missouri Small Claims Court.
• Unemployment Appeals – How the process works, with tips and cautions.
• Weak whistleblower protections for state employees in RSMo 105.055 – Deconstructing and criticizing a statute, to illustrate how a protective law can be drafted so weakly that the law fails to provide meaningful protections.
• Whistleblower protections generally – What “whistleblowing” is, with some specific info to complement the general info in the Retaliation and Wrongful Termination articles.

About Tim, Directions, Inquiries, Services

• About Attorney Tim Willoughby
• The philosophy behind TimsLaw.com
• Directions and map to my office (Kirkwood area).
• CONSULTS: Here’s how I handle requests for consultations.
• E-MAIL: Here’s how I deal with email inquiries.
• FEES-EXPENSES: Info about legal fees and expenses
• APPOINTMENTS: hours, weekends, telephone
• TELEPHONE CONSULTS: Procedure explained
• St. Charles County employment law inquires
• Kansas City Missouri employment law inquiries

Website Design-Related

• Accessibility info for visually impaired visitors
• Using an old web browser? You’re not seeing this site right – info and pics
• Notes on redesign of my Front Page
• How I (a novice) learned HTML coding and website building

Miscellaneous

• Post-strike analysis and predictions for 2007, regarding the St. Louis Grocery strike and lockout of 2003
• Politics and employment law in Missouri – Tim’s take on why the employment laws are so backward and deficient in Missouri, and suggestions for how to reverse the trend. If you’d like to get some idea of just how deficient the laws are, read The sorry state of our employment protections.
• Employment lawyer Lisa Van Amburg becomes a Judge – When the appointment of Lisa Van Amburg was first announced, I wrote an article putting the news in context for the lay public. I think the article helps people understand how the process of judicial selection works, and what judges actually do, and do not do.
• For Law Students who like to write – Law students commonly visit me as they attempt to learn more about areas of law I talk about on this website. I welcome law students and invite them to consider writing some stuff for the site.
• For Employment Law Students in particular – Tips on how to become an employment lawyer, and a little bit about what to expect in practice.
• If you like TimsLaw.com, help others find it
• Some other non-legal miscellaneous stuff – PC sellers in St. Louis, etc …