Getting fired is stressful. I’ll help you prove you were wrongfully terminated and walk you through what to do next.

I’m Warren Astbury. I’m a Harvard Law graduate (2009) with 15 years of experience and more than 50 trials to verdict. I represent Michigan employees — only Michigan employees, never employers — in wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, and non-compete defense cases. I fight for the people, not the powerful.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation → Or call 814-821-1140

Harvard Law School, 2009 • 50+ Trials to Verdict • 15 Years’ Experience • Millions Recovered for Clients • Michigan Employees Only

Do You Have a Wrongful Termination Case? Start With Three Questions.

Most Michigan employment lawyers take the calls and sort it out later. I do it the other way around: I screen hard at the intake stage so the clients I take on have real, provable cases — and so my time goes to winning those cases instead of managing hundreds of weak ones.

Before we talk, it helps to know what I’m looking for. Three things have to be true:

1. You were terminated. Not still employed. Not quit. Not resigned voluntarily. If you’re still on the job, the legal framework is very different, and I’m not usually the right lawyer for that.

2. Your termination is connected to a protected category or protected activity. Protected categories include race, gender, pregnancy, disability, age, religion, national origin, and sexual orientation. Protected activities include requesting FMLA leave, asking for a reasonable accommodation under the ADA, filing a written complaint about discrimination or harassment, or reporting illegal conduct (whistleblowing). Being fired for a reason that doesn’t involve one of these — even if it was unfair — usually isn’t illegal under Michigan law.

3. You have evidence. Documents, emails, text messages, witnesses, a timeline showing what happened and when. Not a belief or a feeling. A case worth fighting needs something a jury can see and hold.

If all three are true, I want to talk to you. The sweet spot — the fact pattern that wins — is a termination that came within about two months after you complained, filed a report, requested FMLA leave, or asked for an accommodation.

If you’re not sure whether you fit, call anyway. I’ll tell you in the free consultation. I’d rather say “no, here’s why” in 15 minutes than string you along.

Michigan Wrongful Termination: The Cases I Handle

Seven common fact patterns sit under the wrongful termination umbrella. Each has its own law, its own evidence standard, and its own page below with more detail.

FMLA Retaliation You requested or took FMLA leave — for your own serious health condition, a family member’s illness, pregnancy, or a new child — and were terminated shortly after. FMLA retaliation and interference are two of the most winnable case types when the timeline is tight. Learn more →

Pregnancy Discrimination You announced your pregnancy, asked for pregnancy-related accommodations, took maternity leave, or returned from maternity leave — and were fired, demoted, or pushed out. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the FMLA, and the ADA all may apply. Learn more →

ADA Accommodation Denial & Retaliation You have a disability or serious medical condition. You asked for a reasonable accommodation. Your employer refused, dragged its feet on the “interactive process,” or terminated you for asking. This is one of the most common — and most provable — patterns I see. Learn more →

Race Discrimination & Retaliation You experienced race-based discrimination or a hostile work environment, reported it in writing, and were terminated afterward. Title VII and Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act both protect you. Learn more →

Gender Discrimination, Sexual Harassment & Retaliation You were sexually harassed, discriminated against based on sex or gender, or retaliated against for reporting it. This includes sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination under the Supreme Court’s Bostock ruling. Learn more →

Whistleblower Retaliation You reported illegal conduct — fraud, safety violations, regulatory noncompliance — and were terminated. Michigan’s Whistleblowers’ Protection Act, federal laws like Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley, and OSHA Section 11(c) may apply. Learn more →

Age Discrimination You’re over 40, you were replaced by someone younger, or you were pushed out in a reduction in force that disproportionately targeted older workers. The ADEA and Elliott-Larsen both apply. Learn more →

Got a Cease-and-Desist or a Non-Compete Lawsuit? That’s a Different Fight.

I also represent Michigan employees in non-compete, non-solicitation, and non-disclosure disputes. This is a different fact pattern from wrongful termination — usually, a former employer is threatening to sue you (or already has) for allegedly violating an agreement you signed.

Astbury Law is one of the few Michigan firms that works exclusively on the employee side of non-compete disputes. Most other firms represent the companies suing. I’ve won injunction hearings, defeated enforcement attempts, and recovered attorney’s fees for clients as the prevailing party.

Time matters with injunctions. If you’ve received a cease-and-desist letter or been served with a lawsuit, call today.

Non-Compete Defense →

What Sets Astbury Law Apart

Harvard Law, and the training that comes with it. I earned my J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2009. The training showed me how to build a case theory on paper — which is most of what wins at summary judgment and trial. Most MI employment firms don’t lead with academic credentials because they don’t have them. I do, because I do.

50+ trials to verdict. Most employment lawyers settle everything. I’ve tried more than 50 cases to verdict over the course of my career, and that number matters: employers and their insurers know which plaintiffs’ lawyers will actually go to trial, and they price their settlements accordingly.

Michigan employees only. Always. I don’t represent employers, and I don’t split my practice across other types of law. Every minute I spend is on the employee side of employment disputes in Michigan. That focus shows up in the quality of the work.

Intake-screened, so clients get my full attention. I take fewer cases on purpose. When I say yes to a case, you get a lawyer who’s not buried in a hundred other files — you get one who can actually build your case with the depth it needs.

Compassionate, personal representation. Being fired affects more than your paycheck. I understand the physical, emotional, and financial toll that termination takes on people and their families. I treat every client like a member of my own — because the work doesn’t work any other way.

Representative Results

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is different. The following are representative fact patterns from cases I’ve handled over my career.

Race discrimination, harassment, and retaliation — high-six-figure settlement for an employee threatened with a noose (nationally covered case)
Disability discrimination and retaliation — mid-six-figure settlement against a hospital that terminated a cancer patient for missing work during treatment
Sexual harassment and retaliation — mid-six-figure settlement for a female employee forced to resign after reporting a male coworker’s inappropriate conduct
Race discrimination and retaliation — mid-six-figure settlement against one of Michigan’s largest employers for forced resignation after a race complaint
Non-compete defense — complete defense victory for a financial services employee, with attorney’s fees recovered from the former employer
Non-compete defense — complete defense victory for an engineer sued over non-competition and non-disclosure agreements

See more representative case frameworks on the Results page →

What Happens When You Call

Step 1 — Free case evaluation. We talk on the phone or video call. You tell me what happened. I ask the follow-up questions that matter — the timeline, the evidence, the people involved. This is a conversation, not a pitch.

Step 2 — An honest answer. I tell you whether I think you have a case I’d take on. If yes, we talk about strategy and fees. If no, I tell you why — and when possible, I’ll point you toward a lawyer or an agency that might be a better fit.

Step 3 — If we work together. I handle employment cases on a contingency basis where appropriate, meaning you don’t pay attorney’s fees unless we win. Engagement specifics depend on the case.

Ready to Talk?

Fill out the case evaluation form or call 814-821-1140. Initial consultations are free.

Start My Case Evaluation →

Astbury Law, PLLC 607 Shelby Street, 7th Floor, #1115 Detroit, MI 48226 814-821-1140 warren@astburylaw.com

Astbury Law, PLLC represents Michigan employees in wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, and non-compete defense matters. Licensed to practice in Michigan. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. The information on this site is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship.