Nevada is an at-will state — but there are several exceptions that turn an at-will firing into a wrongful termination claim.
Nevada is an at-will employment state, which means most workers can be fired for any reason or no reason at all. That sounds like the door is closed. It is not. Several big exceptions — public-policy violations, retaliation for protected conduct, discrimination based on a protected class, breach of an implied contract or employee handbook — turn an at-will firing into a wrongful termination claim. The Las Vegas firms below know how to spot which exception applies to your case, file with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission (NERC) or the EEOC, and litigate when the agency closes its file.
These ten Las Vegas wrongful termination firms were selected based on Nevada State Bar Labor & Employment Section membership, Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers recognition, published case results, AVVO and Justia client ratings, and consistent surfacing on Nevada legal directories. We do not accept payment for placement.
How we picked these 10: We do not accept payment for placement, and we do not write sponsored reviews. More on our methodology → | How to compare firms →
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination
National employee-side employment firm with a Las Vegas office. HKM Employment Attorneys handles wrongful termination, harassment, and workplace discrimination against employers of all sizes.
Strong fit when the employer is multi-state — the firm can litigate where the conduct occurred and coordinate with sister offices.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, employment trial, executive disputes
Trial-focused firm with a Las Vegas office serving as Nevada employment counsel. Practice covers wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, wage disputes, and executive separation matters.
Strong fit when the case is likely to need a jury trial. The firm is built around courtroom work rather than settlement-first volume practice.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, discrimination, overtime, whistleblower
Las Vegas employment-law boutique. Practice spans wrongful termination, discrimination, overtime and minimum-wage claims, employee contract disputes, sexual harassment, non-compete enforcement, and whistleblower lawsuits.
Strong fit for the middle-tier wage earner who needs experienced employment counsel but does not have an executive-level severance dispute.
Practice focus: Unpaid wages, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination
Las Vegas employment-law firm reporting over $750 million in recoveries across its practice. Focus on unpaid wages, discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination.
Strong fit when wage-and-hour claims overlap with the termination — the firm regularly handles cases where the firing followed an internal wage complaint.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, workplace harassment, discrimination
Las Vegas employment and personal injury firm. The wrongful termination team takes cases involving retaliation, discrimination, and breach of public policy.
Strong fit when the termination is bundled with other employment-related injury — e.g., harassment that escalated to retaliatory firing.
Practice focus: Plaintiff-side trial work, including high-stakes employment
Major plaintiff-side trial firm with Las Vegas presence. Best known for personal injury but takes high-value employment cases — in 2017 the firm secured the largest single-plaintiff verdict in Nevada history.
Strong fit only for high-value executive termination, whistleblower, or class cases. Not the right fit for a typical individual termination matter.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination
Las Vegas firm led by founding attorney Patrick W. Kang. Practice spans wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other employment matters.
Strong fit when you want a contingency arrangement and bilingual attorney communication — the firm advertises Korean and English service.
Practice focus: Trial-focused plaintiff work, employment, consumer
Trial firm with a Las Vegas office reporting over $2 billion in recoveries across all practice areas. Wrongful termination is one practice line alongside complex consumer and trial work.
Strong fit when the termination case is substantial enough to warrant a national-trial-firm-quality team. Less suited to low-dollar individual matters.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, hostile work environment, retaliation
Las Vegas employment-law boutique. Lead attorney has more than 20 years of experience in employment cases including wrongful termination, retaliation, and harassment.
Strong fit when you want a direct-access boutique where the lead attorney handles your file from intake through resolution.
Practice focus: Sexual harassment, wrongful termination, discrimination
Las Vegas employment firm led by Louis Palazzo. Practice covers sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and workplace discrimination across Clark County.
Strong fit when harassment or retaliation is the predicate for the firing — the firm regularly handles linked harassment/termination matters.
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Fit your situation, not just the practice area. A wrongful termination firm that does mostly high-dollar cases is a different fit from one that does mostly working-family matters. Call the firm and ask: "What does a typical client look like for you? What does a typical case look like?" If the answer is your situation, you are in the right place.
Ask who actually handles the case. Many firms market on the senior partner and route the day-to-day work to a junior associate. That is not automatically bad — junior associates can be excellent — but you should know who you are working with. Ask: "Who will I be talking to day-to-day? How often does the senior partner sit in?"
Compare quotes side by side. Most Las Vegas firms on this list offer a free or low-cost initial consultation. Use two of them. Compare fee structure, retainer, and the answers to the same set of questions across firms.
Most Las Vegas wrongful termination firms work on contingency — typically 33–40% of any recovery, with the firm advancing case costs. Hourly billing, when used, ranges $300–$525 for senior partners. Initial consultations are typically free at plaintiff-side firms. Federal Title VII and the Nevada Fair Employment Practices Act both allow prevailing plaintiffs to recover attorneys' fees from the employer, which often shifts the fee burden after a successful verdict.
A Las Vegas wrongful termination matter that settles pre-litigation can resolve in 3–7 months. A NERC or EEOC investigation typically runs 10–18 months. A federal lawsuit averages 14–24 months from filing to trial. State court matters in Clark County are usually faster — 12–18 months — but settle frequently in mediation 6–9 months in.
NERC investigates discrimination charges from its Las Vegas office. EEOC charges are processed through the Las Vegas Local Office. Federal lawsuits are filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. State court wrongful termination matters are heard in the Eighth Judicial District Court (Clark County). Workers' compensation retaliation appeals run through the Nevada Department of Administration.
Nevada wrongful termination has distinct features that differ from neighboring states.
Nevada is an at-will state with exceptions. NRS 613.330 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age (40+), disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and national origin. Other exceptions: retaliation for workers' comp claims (NRS 616C.450), whistleblowing (NRS 281.611–.671 public, common-law private), and breach of implied contract.
NERC is the state agency. The Nevada Equal Rights Commission (NERC) handles discrimination charges. NERC has a work-sharing agreement with the EEOC — a charge with one is generally a charge with both. Filing deadlines: 180 days with NERC for state claims, 300 days with EEOC for federal.
Workers' comp retaliation has its own remedy. Under NRS 616C.450, an employer who fires an employee for filing a workers' compensation claim can be sued separately from any general wrongful-termination claim. Damages can include lost wages, emotional distress, and attorneys' fees.
Damages can include punitive. Successful Nevada wrongful termination plaintiffs can recover back pay, front pay, emotional distress damages, and — for intentional or reckless conduct — punitive damages. Federal Title VII has compensatory and punitive caps based on employer size (up to $300,000 combined for the largest); Nevada state-law claims do not.
The first hundred Google results for "wrongful termination lawyer Las Vegas" include thousands of firms. Most are competent. A handful are problems. The patterns to walk away from:
Guaranteed outcomes. No ethical attorney can guarantee a result. If a firm promises a specific recovery or dismissal, leave.
The vanishing partner. You meet a senior name at intake, then never speak to them again. Ask in writing who handles your case from day to day.
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 volume mill.
No verifiable track record. The firm should be able to point to published verdicts, settlements, peer rankings, or bar association recognition. "We have helped thousands of clients" is marketing. Specific cases, numbers, and third-party rankings are evidence.
Vague fee terms. Every legitimate Las Vegas lawyer will give you a written engagement letter with the fee structure, what is covered, what triggers extra charges, and what happens if you fire them. If the firm cannot put that in writing, walk away.
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The free consultation is short — usually 30 to 45 minutes. The lawyer cannot give you a serious case assessment without the documents. Bring the file. Most consultations turn into useful guidance only after the attorney has seen the paper trail.
The paper trail. Every email, text, and letter that touches the matter. Print or PDF the threads in chronological order. If you have a contract or written agreement, bring the signed version and any drafts that show what was negotiated. For court matters, bring every filed document and any orders that have issued.
A written timeline. One page. Bullet points. Date on the left, what happened on the right. Lawyers think in chronology — a timeline is the single most useful artifact you can prepare.
Names and contact information. Everyone involved on the other side, anyone who witnessed the events, your prior attorneys (if any), the relevant insurance carriers or institutions. A lawyer needs to run a conflict check before taking the case; a short list saves time.
Your goals, in writing. What does a good outcome look like? What does an acceptable outcome look like? What is non-negotiable? A lawyer who knows your goals can tell you whether the case is worth the cost.
Most Las Vegas wrongful termination firms on this list offer a free or low-cost initial consultation. Use it. Bring a list of questions, write down the answers, and compare across two firms before you sign.
Maybe. Nevada is at-will, so most firings are not actionable. But if the firing was for discrimination, retaliation for protected conduct, breach of an implied contract or handbook, or in violation of public policy, you can sue. A Las Vegas employment lawyer can identify which exception, if any, applies to your case.
180 days to file with NERC for state-law discrimination claims, 300 days with EEOC for federal claims. Common-law tort claims (e.g., breach of public policy) generally have a 2-year statute of limitations. Contract-based claims can be 4–6 years depending on type.
Depends on lost wages, emotional distress, and whether punitive damages are recoverable. Single-plaintiff Nevada wrongful termination settlements typically range $25,000–$500,000. Larger awards happen when the firing was clearly discriminatory or retaliatory and the employee's earnings loss is substantial.
For discrimination claims under Title VII or NRS 613, yes. You must file a charge and receive a right-to-sue notice before going to court. For common-law claims (breach of public policy, retaliation under specific statutes), no — you can sue directly.
Severance agreements typically include a release of claims. Whether the release is enforceable depends on consideration, language, and whether you had time and counsel before signing. Nevada law lets you challenge a release if it was signed under duress, fraud, or without adequate consideration. A Las Vegas employment lawyer can review it before you cash the check.
No. Under NRS 616C.450, retaliation for filing a workers' compensation claim is illegal. You can sue for lost wages, emotional distress, and attorneys' fees. This claim is independent of any other wrongful termination theory.
At-will means either employer or employee can end the employment relationship at any time, for any reason that is not illegal. The "not illegal" part is the entire wrongful termination doctrine — illegal reasons include discrimination, retaliation for protected conduct, and breach of contract.
In Nevada, individual managers can sometimes be personally liable for harassment under NRS 613.330. Federal Title VII generally does not allow individual liability. Most lawsuits name both the company and the individual supervisor.
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 taken to verdict in the last three years? The answer tells you what you need to know. — The LawFirmSquare team