Reported harassment at work? You have rights and a deadline.
Sexual harassment at work in Florida is illegal under federal Title VII and the Florida Civil Rights Act. Two forms are recognized: quid pro quo (a supervisor conditioning a job benefit on sexual conduct) and hostile work environment (severe or pervasive conduct that alters working conditions). The EEOC deadline is 300 days from the incident; the Florida Commission on Human Relations deadline is 365 days. The 10 Orlando firms below represent employees, not employers.
How we picked these 10: We cross-referenced Avvo, Super Lawyers, Justia, Best Lawyers, and Florida Bar / Missouri Bar listings. Firms that appeared consistently across at least two independent sources, with verifiable peer rankings or board certifications, made the list. We do not accept payment for placement, and we do not write sponsored reviews. More on our methodology →
Practice focus: Sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation
Board-certified labor and employment attorney (fewer than 200 in Florida hold the certification). Former EEOC trial attorney.
Practice focus: Sexual harassment, employment discrimination
Kelly Chanfrau — Best Lawyers in America 'Lawyer of the Year' for Orlando employment law (2021). AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Practice focus: Sexual harassment, hostile environment, retaliation
Orlando litigation firm with a dedicated sexual-harassment practice and employment-law bench.
Practice focus: Sexual harassment, discrimination
Winter Park firm with employee and employer experience — useful in cases that turn on how internal HR investigations were handled.
Practice focus: Sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation
Employee-side firm whose stated mission is helping workers mistreated at work; Title VII and FCRA bench.
Practice focus: Sexual harassment, retaliation, wage theft
Florida plaintiff-side employment firm with Tampa and Orlando offices. Handles harassment, retaliation, and FLSA claims.
Practice focus: Sexual harassment, hostile environment
Orlando full-service firm with employment-law department available 24/7 for harassment intake.
Practice focus: Sexual harassment, retaliation
Plaintiff-side employment firm with multiple state offices; reported $120M+ recovered across markets.
Practice focus: Sexual harassment, whistleblower, severance
Patricia R. Sigman — 30+ years of employee-side practice across harassment, whistleblower, and termination.
Practice focus: Workplace harassment affecting women
Winter Park practice focused on women's workplace legal needs, including harassment, retaliation, and severance.
Most Orlando sexual harassment cases are won or lost by judgment calls that don’t show up in marketing copy: which firm has the best relationship with the relevant judge or agency, who carries the most active caseload at the right level, and who returns your calls. The 10 firms above clear the basic bar. The differences between them are real but narrow. Use the consultation to test three things.
Direct experience with your specific issue. Ask each firm how many cases like yours they’ve resolved in the past three years — not careers, three years. The right answer is a number, not a brochure line.
Who actually does the work. Larger Orlando firms sometimes book partners at intake and pass the case to associates or paralegals. Ask, in writing, who your day-to-day attorney will be and whether you can email them directly.
Communication style. Sexual Harassment cases drag for months. A lawyer who replies in 24 hours during sales is rarely the lawyer you get after retaining. Ask each firm what their normal response-time commitment is, and what happens when it slips.
EEOC charge first. Investigation: 6-12 months. Right-to-sue letter, then 90 days to file in federal court. State-court claims under FCRA follow a parallel track. Mediation often happens during EEOC investigation. Cases that don't settle take 18-30 months.
Most Orlando plaintiff-side employment lawyers work on contingency: 33-40% of recovery, no fee if you lose. Some accept hourly retainers for severance or pre-charge work. Title VII and FCRA fee-shifting let prevailing plaintiffs recover attorneys' fees from the employer separately.
The legal directory you find on Google has hundreds of Orlando firms that claim sexual harassment experience. Most are competent. A few are problematic. The patterns to avoid:
Guaranteed outcomes. No ethical attorney can guarantee a result. If a firm promises a specific recovery, dismissal, or approval, walk away.
The disappearing partner. You meet a senior partner at intake, then never speak to them again. The case is handled by an unsupervised junior or a paralegal. Ask in writing who will be your day-to-day attorney.
Pressure to sign immediately. Reputable firms give you the retainer in writing, time to read it, and the option to take it home. High-pressure intake is almost always a sign of a volume mill, not a careful practice.
No verifiable track record. The firm should be able to point to verdicts, settlements, peer rankings, or bar association recognition. “We’ve helped thousands of clients” is marketing copy. Specific numbers, named cases, and third-party rankings are evidence.
Vague fee terms. “Don’t worry about cost” is a red flag. Every legitimate Orlando lawyer gives you a written engagement letter with the fee structure, what’s covered, what triggers extra charges, and what happens if you change firms.
Most Orlando firms on this list offer a free initial consultation. Use it. Bring a list of questions and write down the answers. Compare across at least two firms before you sign.
Orlando is its own market. The procedure, the courts, and the strategy are city- and state-specific in ways that matter to your outcome.
Local courthouses matter. The agencies, judges, and calendars that hear Orlando sexual harassment cases have their own patterns. A firm that practices in those exact venues every week has an advantage over a firm that flies in.
Filing deadlines are strict. Florida has specific statute-of-limitations and pre-suit notice rules that vary by case type and are unforgiving. A missed deadline often means a lost case — full stop.
Local procedure rules matter. Each court has its own forms, motion practice, and judge preferences. The right Orlando firm will know not just the law, but the unwritten rules of the courthouse you’ll be in.
Local outcomes vary. Settlement values and verdict patterns differ between Orlando and other markets in Florida. A trial-capable Orlando firm uses venue strategically.
Quid pro quo (a job benefit conditioned on sexual conduct) or a hostile work environment — severe or pervasive conduct that a reasonable person would find abusive. Isolated, mild incidents usually do not meet the standard.
300 days with the EEOC. 365 days with the Florida Commission on Human Relations. The clock starts at the most recent incident in a hostile-environment pattern.
For Title VII and most FCRA claims you must file with the EEOC or FCHR first and get a right-to-sue letter. You then have 90 days (federal) to sue.
Under Title VII, no — only the employer is. Under some FCRA theories and tort theories (battery, IIED), individuals can be named.
Back-pay, front-pay, compensatory damages (emotional distress), punitive damages where the employer acted with malice or reckless indifference, and attorneys' fees.
Federal-court lawsuits are typically filed in your real name. Some plaintiffs request to proceed under a pseudonym; courts grant it sometimes but not always.
Retaliation for protected complaints is illegal. If it happens, it becomes a second — often stronger — claim.
Contemporaneous notes, texts, emails, witness names, and a documented internal complaint to HR. Reporting in writing is one of the most powerful things you can do early.
Tell us about your situation and we’ll match you with vetted sexual harassment attorneys in Orlando. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Request Free Consultation →One last thing. Choosing a lawyer is personal. Read the reviews. Call two or three firms before you sign. Ask each one: How many cases like mine have you resolved in the last three years? The answer tells you a lot. — The LawFirmSquare team
LawFirmSquare.com is a directory. We do not represent clients or refer cases for a fee.