A transformational model of legal-claiming

We propose a model of legal-claiming based on the " transformational" approach to disputes detailed by Felstiner et al. (1980-1981). Our model suggests disputes evolve, with a number of areas of organizational behavior providing explanations for individual disputant actions at specific points in time, including self-categorization theory, attribution theory, social accounts, organizational justice, conflict escalation, and social information processing. We also develop multiple propositions relating to legal-claiming that were inductively derived from in-depth interviews with 38 employees who filed employment-discrimination claims with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Propositions focus on various stages of the dispute, including "naming," "blaming," "claiming, " and "disputing." Important theoretical and practical implications and limitations of the transformational model proposed are discussed.