Peter A. Contreras, Esq.

Managing Owner

1550 Old Henderson Road
Suite 126
Columbus, Ohio 43220

Tel:  614-787-4878

Fax:  614-957-7515

Email:  peter@contrerasfirm.com

Peter A. Contreras, Esq. is the owner and founder of Contreras Law. Attorney Contreras initially practiced in Florida for a firm that primarily defended large businesses and insurance companies and his practice was focused on litigating on behalf of these business clients. After relocating to Ohio in 2011, Attorney Contreras began working for a Downtown Columbus firm that focuses its practice on complex business litigation and commercial law matters. After spending years representing large businesses and insurance companies, Attorney Contreras now dedicates his practice to providing the same high quality legal representation to employees throughout the State of Ohio whose rights have been violated by their employers. With the experience and knowledge obtained from representing large employers and insurance companies over the years, Attorney Contreras now fights them on behalf of employees with claims against their employers for unpaid wages, unpaid overtime, discrimination, retaliation, or any other violations of federal or state law.

Call our Columbus Employment Lawyer today at 614-787-4878 to discuss your case and legal representation needs during your FREE and confidential consultation. Although based in Columbus, Ohio, Contreras Law represents clients throughout the State of Ohio in both state and federal courts.

Areas of Practice

  • Unpaid Overtime Wages (FLSA)– When employees work more than 40 hours in a single week, they are usually entitled to overtime pay equal to a minimum of 1.5 times their normal hourly wage for every extra hour worked.
  • Unpaid Wages (FLSA) – Employers must pay hourly employees for every hour they work and often violate the law when they fail or refuse to pay overtime wages, wages for “off-the-clock” work such as work from home (i.e. emails, phone calls, texts), wages for weekend work, or fail to pay for time spent by the employee traveling for the employer
  • Wage and Hour Issues (FLSA) – Employers also violate wage and hour laws by misclassifying employees as “exempt” from overtime pay, making improper deductions from pay, failing to pay tipped employees properly, failing to pay overtime wages and instead using “comp time” policies for overtime hours worked, and failing to pay out vacation or earned PTO hours upon an employee’s termination or resignation.
  • Disability Discrimination / ADA Discrimination – The American’s with Disabilities Act, or ADA,  protects employees from discrimination by their employer due to disability when the employee can perform the essential functions of their job with or without a reasonable accommodation. Employers cannot discriminate against employees due to a disability.
  • Family Medical Leave Act / FMLA Discrimination – Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, employers must allow employees to take unpaid leave without loss of their jobs under certain circumstances. For example, employees can take FMLA leave for a serious health condition, after the birth of a child, or to care for a sick spouse or child.
  • Pregnancy Discrimination – Employers are prohibited by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (“PDA”), an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, from discriminating against employees due to pregnancy, childbirth, or medical conditions related to being pregnant.
  • Medical leave – When an employee needs a medical leave of absence from work, multiple statutes are potentially implicated and likely protect the employee from being terminated while on leave. Medical leaves of absence frequently implicate rights under the ADA and/or FMLA.
  • Wrongful Termination – Employers cannot terminate an employee for a variety of reasons such as age, sex, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or because they have opposed an unlawful pay practice such as failure to pay overtime wages.
  • Discrimination – The law protects employees and potential employees from discrimination due to their age, sex, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability.
  • Severance Agreements – Employers often offer severance agreements to employees which include releases of very important rights of the employee to bring any claims against the employer.
  • Harassment – Employees are protected from harassment, which may include threatening or upsetting behavior on the part of the employer.
  • Sexual Harassment – Employees are also protected from inappropriate sexual conduct or language in the workplace, such as lewd remarks or advances.

Bar Admissions

  • Ohio
  • Florida
  • U.S. District Court for Southern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court for Northern District of Ohio

Education

Florida Coastal School of Law – Jacksonville, Florida
Juris Doctor Degree, May 2008
Magna Cum Laude

  • Top 1% of Graduating Class
  • Dean’s List – 5 times
  • Staff Editor of the Florida Coastal Law Review
  • Florida Coastal Merit Scholar
  • Best Written Advocate and Best Oral Argument

Florida State University – Tallahassee, Florida​
Dual Major Bachelor Degrees, May 2005
Magna Cum Laude

  • Bachelor of Science in Finance
  • Bachelor of Science in Real Estate
  • National Hispanic Scholar