Hiring an Employment Lawyer in Connecticut
Where to file a discrimination complaint in Connecticut, exceptions to at-will employment, final pay rules, how to check a lawyer's license, and free help. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Connecticut: fee rules
| Rules on contingency fees | Connecticut law caps contingency fees in claims for personal injury, wrongful death or property damage at 33 1/3% of the first $300,000, 25% of the next $300,000, 20% of the next $300,000, 15% of the next $300,000, and 10% of any amount over $1,200,000. A client may waive these limits only in a case that is substantially complex, unique or different, after the lawyer explains the limits and the right to seek another lawyer, and only through a written, signed and notarized agreement with a bold-type acknowledgment; even then the total fee cannot exceed 33 1/3% of the amount awarded or received. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 52-251c |
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| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The Connecticut Bar Association offers low-cost fee mediation or arbitration, but only if both the client and the lawyer agree to use it. The Statewide Grievance Committee can also order a lawyer to take part in fee arbitration. |
| If a lawyer takes your money | Connecticut's Client Security Fund may reimburse losses from an attorney's theft, embezzlement or wrongful taking of money or property in the course of an attorney-client relationship or related fiduciary role; in limited circumstances it may cover an attorney's refusal to refund unearned fees paid in advance. Negligence, malpractice and investment losses are not covered. Apply on form JD-GC-15, signed under oath before a notary, with copies of proof of the loss, mailed to the Client Security Fund Committee, 999 Asylum Avenue, Fifth Floor, Hartford, CT 06105. Pamphlet referenced on the form: http://www.jud.ct.gov/Publications/GC016.pdf |
Connecticut rules to know first
| Where to file a discrimination complaint | Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO). State law covers employers with one or more employees. A complaint about discrimination that happened on or after October 1, 2021 must be filed within 300 days. CHRO complaint information: https://portal.ct.gov/chro |
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| Whistleblower protection | Employers may not discharge, discipline or penalize an employee for reporting a suspected violation of state, federal or local law to a public body, for taking part in a public body's investigation or a court action, or for reporting suspected child abuse. After using available administrative remedies, the employee may sue within 90 days. Connecticut law also protects employees' free-speech rights and their right to refuse employer meetings on political or religious matters. |
| Final paycheck if you are fired | By the next business day after the discharge. If the employee is laid off, by the next regular payday. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-71c(b)–(c) |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Connecticut Bar Association offers Find a Lawyer CT, an online search of lawyers by location and area of practice; the CBA's public page lists no consultation fee or referral phone line. CBA Member Service Center: (860) 223-4400. |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Connecticut Judicial Branch's Attorney/Firm Look-up, compiled from records of the Superior Court clerk for the Hartford Judicial District and the Statewide Grievance Committee, lets you search by juris number, attorney last name or firm name, and town. Results show whether the license is active, whether it was ever inactive and why, and whether the attorney has been disciplined. The Judicial Branch does not guarantee it is a complete history; for an official licensing and disciplinary history, contact the Statewide Grievance Committee at (860) 296-3848. |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Grievance complaints against Connecticut lawyers are reviewed, investigated and decided through the Statewide Grievance Committee (21 members, including 7 non-lawyers) with Statewide Bar Counsel. Use form JD-GC-6, filling out a separate form for each complainant and each attorney (do not name a law firm), and mail the original plus 6 identical copies, with copies of supporting documents, to Statewide Bar Counsel, Statewide Grievance Committee, 999 Asylum Avenue, Fifth Floor, Hartford, CT 06105. It is free to file. Filing does not itself get you reimbursed, though the committee can order restitution in some cases. A lawyer's disciplinary record appears in the Judicial Branch attorney look-up. Complaint form and instructions: https://www.jud.ct.gov/webforms/forms/gc006.pdf |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut is the LSC-funded legal aid organization for the state and provides free civil legal help to eligible low-income people. CT Free Legal Answers, run by the Connecticut Bar Association and the ABA, lets low-income residents submit a civil legal question online and get brief advice from a volunteer lawyer. CBA public page: https://www.ctbar.org/public |
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Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.