Under the employment-at-will doctrine recognized by Tennessee courts, employers may terminate workers for good cause, bad cause, or no cause at all, provided the reason is not unlawful. That broad latitude, codified through decades of state court precedent, makes the exceptions to at-will employment critically important for workers who believe they were fired, demoted, or disciplined in violation of federal or Tennessee law. A labor relations attorney helps employees and employers navigate those exceptions, which include protections under the Tennessee Human Rights Act, the Tennessee Public Protection Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Tennessee ranked second nationally in EEOC charges of discrimination filed per capita in 2022, with workers submitting 6,311 charges, roughly 89.5 per 100,000 residents (EEOC, 2022). Retaliation was the most commonly asserted basis. That volume reflects both the scale of employment disputes in the state and the procedural complexity employees face when pursuing claims. Federal discrimination claims generally require filing with the EEOC within 180 days of the adverse action in Tennessee, while the Tennessee Human Rights Act imposes its own 180-day window for state-level complaints and allows private lawsuits within one year after the discriminatory practice ceases.
A significant structural change took effect on July 1, 2025, when the Tennessee General Assembly dissolved the Tennessee Human Rights Commission and transferred state-level civil rights enforcement duties to a newly created Civil Rights Enforcement Division (CRED) within the Attorney General’s Office. CRED now accepts employment discrimination complaints under both the Tennessee Human Rights Act and the Tennessee Disability Act. Whether CRED will enter a worksharing agreement with the EEOC to serve as a Fair Employment Practices Agency, which would extend the federal filing deadline from 180 to 300 days, remains an open question as the new division establishes its procedures.
The Tennessee Public Protection Act (TPPA) adds another layer of protection by prohibiting employers of any size from terminating employees who refuse to participate in or remain silent about illegal activities. Unlike the Human Rights Act, the TPPA contains no minimum employee threshold, meaning workers at the smallest businesses retain whistleblower protections. Tennessee law also requires employers to pay departing employees their final wages no later than the next regular pay day or 21 days after employment ends, whichever comes later.
Labor relations attorneys in Tennessee handle a range of matters beyond discrimination and wrongful termination. Wage and hour disputes under the FLSA, severance agreement reviews, non-compete agreement negotiations, EEOC charge preparation and response, and representation before the National Labor Relations Board all fall within the practice area. For employees, roughly 20% of employment law claims settle without formal legal action (Rickard Masker, PLC), though cases that proceed to litigation typically take about one year to resolve. Attorneys who represent employees often work on contingency fee arrangements, collecting fees only if the case produces a recovery.
Selecting a labor relations attorney in Tennessee starts with confirming active membership in the Tennessee Bar Association through the Board of Professional Responsibility’s attorney search at tbpr.org. Workers should ask whether the attorney represents employees, employers, or both, because the strategies and interests differ substantially. Verifying experience with the specific type of claim, whether discrimination, retaliation, wage theft, or whistleblower protection, helps match the attorney’s expertise to the legal issue at hand.
Top Labor Relations Attorney Providers in Tennessee
1. Rickard Masker, PLC
- Address: 810 Dominican Drive, Suite 314, Nashville, TN 37228
- Phone: (615) 200-0241
- Website: https://maskerfirm.com
- Rating: 4.9/5 (49 reviews)
- Services: wrongful termination litigation, employment discrimination claims, EEOC complaint filing, severance agreement review, workplace harassment representation, wage and hour disputes, whistleblower and qui tam actions
- Description: Rickard Masker is a Nashville employment law firm that exclusively represents employees in workplace disputes. Founded by attorneys Curt Masker and Caraline Rickard, both Vanderbilt Law School graduates, the firm handles cases in state and federal courts across Tennessee and before the EEOC.
2. HMC Civil Rights
- Address: 7000 Executive Center Drive, Suite 320, Brentwood, TN 37027
- Phone: (615) 724-1996
- Website: https://hmccivilrights.com
- Rating: 4.7/5 (83 reviews)
- Services: employment discrimination litigation, sexual harassment claims, wrongful termination, disability discrimination, retaliation claims, EEOC representation, NLRB representation, civil rights litigation
- Description: HMC Civil Rights is an employment and civil rights litigation firm in Brentwood, just outside Nashville, founded by Heather Moore Collins in 2009. The firm focuses exclusively on representing employees in discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination cases and maintains trial experience in both state and federal courts.
3. The Burkhalter Law Firm, P.C.
- Address: 111 South Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
- Phone: (865) 524-4974
- Website: https://burkhalterlaw.com
- Rating: 4.7/5 (97 reviews)
- Services: employment discrimination defense, wrongful discharge litigation, sexual harassment claims, whistleblower protection, wage and hour disputes, severance negotiations, personal injury
- Description: The Burkhalter Law Firm is a Knoxville practice established in 1985 that represents employees in labor and employment disputes alongside a personal injury practice. The firm’s attorneys are admitted to practice in Tennessee state courts and in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Tennessee.
Frequently Asked Questions About Labor Relations Attorneys in Tennessee
Q: What qualifies as wrongful termination in Tennessee?
Wrongful termination occurs when an employer fires a worker for a reason that violates federal or state law. Common grounds include discrimination based on race, sex, age, disability, or religion under Title VII or the Tennessee Human Rights Act, retaliation for reporting illegal activity under the TPPA, and violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act. The at-will doctrine does not protect employers whose termination decisions fall into one of these prohibited categories.
Q: How long do I have to file a discrimination complaint in Tennessee?
Federal discrimination charges filed with the EEOC must generally be submitted within 180 days of the adverse employment action in Tennessee. State-level complaints filed with the Civil Rights Enforcement Division (CRED) carry a similar 180-day deadline. Under the Tennessee Human Rights Act, employees may also file a private lawsuit in state court within one year after the discriminatory practice ceases, without first filing an administrative charge.
Q: What is the Civil Rights Enforcement Division (CRED)?
CRED is a unit within the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office that replaced the Tennessee Human Rights Commission on July 1, 2025. It investigates and enforces the Tennessee Human Rights Act and the Tennessee Disability Act for employment, housing, public accommodation, and education discrimination complaints. Tennesseans can file complaints through CRED’s online portal at tn.gov/attorneygeneral/cred.
Q: How much does a labor relations attorney cost in Tennessee?
Many Tennessee employment attorneys who represent employees work on a contingency fee basis, meaning the attorney collects a percentage of any settlement or judgment rather than charging hourly fees upfront. Employees typically owe no legal fees if the case does not produce a recovery. Some attorneys charge flat fees for discrete tasks such as severance agreement reviews. Initial consultations are frequently offered at no cost.
Q: Can my employer retaliate against me for filing a discrimination charge?
Federal and Tennessee law prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who file discrimination charges, participate in investigations, or oppose unlawful practices. Retaliation was the most commonly cited basis in EEOC charges filed by Tennessee workers in 2022. Protected activities include filing an EEOC complaint, cooperating with an employer’s internal investigation, and reporting discrimination to a supervisor.
Q: Does the Tennessee Public Protection Act apply to small businesses?
The TPPA applies to employers of all sizes in Tennessee. Unlike the Tennessee Human Rights Act, which covers employers with eight or more employees, and Title VII, which applies to employers with 15 or more, the TPPA contains no minimum employee count. It protects workers who are terminated solely for refusing to participate in or remain silent about activities they reasonably believe are illegal.