From 1975 through 1980, Mr. Lancaster was a member of a large law firm in Sarasota, Florida, representing major employers and insurance companies in civil litigation, personal injury, wrongful death and workers’ compensation.
As long as I have any choice, I will stay only in a country where political liberty, toleration, and equality of all citizens before the law are the rule.
Wrongful Termination
In cases where your employment was wrongfully terminated, whether for your having complained about harassment or discrimination, having filed for Workers’ Compensation, or any other unlawful reason, we will help you understand the full extent of your rights under the law and pursue them aggressively. With careful, detailed documentation and thorough preparation, our experts in employment law and wrongful termination in Florida will represent you through all phases of the litigation process, ensuring that you are rightfully compensated for wrongful termination. We only represent employees, not employers, and do so on a contingency basis, meaning there is no fee or cost to you up front for our expert legal representation.
Employment Discrimination
If you are currently working in a “hostile environment” (experiencing hostility, harassment or unfavorable treatment due to race, age, sex, religion, national origin, disability, color, sickle cell trait, AIDs/HIV, or some other legally protected status), you may have an employment discrimination case. Finally, if you are disabled, or perceived as disabled, and your employer, or a prospective employer, discriminates against you because of disability, or refuses to make reasonable accommodations for your disability, you may have a cause for action.
Severance Agreement
The expert attorneys at Lancaster & Eure can assess your employment termination case and help you understand and fight successfully for your rights. For example, when an employer terminates your employment, you have the right to receive money you’ve already earned (this can include sick leave or vacation time); to continue your health insurance coverage through COBRA (i.e. continuing coverage with the company’s group health insurance plan for a specific amount of time after the employment relationship ends for the former employee and their spouses or dependent children, with the worker paying the full premium cost for the continued coverage); to receive any severance pay you were promised, either in a written contract, employee handbook/manual, or implied by a history of paying severance to employees in the same position; and to collect unemployment benefits, if you qualify.
Sexual Harassment
If you have been fired or demoted because you were injured on the job, filed for Workers’ Compensation, or complained of sexual harassment (just to name a few unlawful reasons), you may be able to take legal action against your former employer.
Although the state of Florida is a no-fault state, meaning the insurance carriers of all drivers involved in a vehicle collision have to pay a percentage of the medical bills and lost wages that result from an accident no matter who was at fault, there are still many instances when you are entitled to file a personal injury lawsuit or when you can be held liable for someone else’s injuries. Seeking professional legal advice immediately following an injury accident is extremely important.
Medical Malpractice
If you or someone you love has been the victim of medical malpractice, whether due to a surgical or birth injury, negligence, misdiagnosis, medication error, or other serious medical error, your pain and suffering can be overwhelming. Trying to understand the technical, legal issues involved in a medical malpractice case, and seeking just compensation for your injuries and suffering can also seem overwhelming. Getting help from an experienced medical malpractice attorney in Florida as soon as possible is definitely in your best interest.
Auto Accidents
Social Security Disability
If you have been disabled and are unable to work, you may be entitled to Social Security Disability benefits. Although the procedure for obtaining benefits is informal, the process can be very complex and frustrating, often leading people with legitimate claims to either give up or wait too long to take action. The experienced attorneys at Lancaster & Eure will help you navigate the confusing Social Security process and will work for you throughout every step of the process to help you get the maximum amount of benefits allowed under the law.
Dog Bites
At Lancaster & Eure, we have experience in a wide variety of personal injury cases, including dog bites, slip and falls, auto accidents, and much more, and can help you file and prepare a solid personal injury case in Florida. First, we will confirm you should pursue a personal injury case by considering all relevant variables, such as the degree to which the other person(s) is responsible for your mental or physical injury and the amount of time that has passed since the injury occurred. Many injured people do not realize they do not have to be totally blameless for their injuries in order to qualify for personal injury compensation or that, due to the statute of limitations, they need to file their lawsuit within a certain time period following an accident or injury to be eligible for compensation. Next, we will help you understand how compensation for injuries is awarded (through a settlement agreement or through a judgment as a result of a trial; or paid as a lump sum or as a structured settlement in which the payments are made over a period of time), and guide you through the process of filing a personal injury claim. We will utilize medical evaluations, professional investigations and evaluations by defective product analysts, as well as economic loss analysts, to make sure you get the maximum possible recovery.
Jennifer, originally from New Jersey, recently relocated back to Sarasota from the Gainesville area, where she worked in criminal, personal injury and family law for several years. Prior to starting her career in the legal field, she worked in many areas of real estate, from loan processing and underwriting to sales and foreclosure management. She earned her Associates degree in Paralegal Studies from St. Petersburg College and has received certification in legal technology from the National Society for Legal Technology. Jennifer’s number one goal in life is simple – to help people.