Consulting with a lawyer privately certainly will not have any adverse effect. Getting a lawyer directly involved with your current employer could certainly strain or sour the relationship between the employee and the current employer. Again, consulting with a lawyer should be done carefully and only if there doesn’t seem to be other options.
If you file a lawsuit against an employer, it becomes public record, meaning other employers could find out about it. It’s a judgment call and concerns many people. Future employers may be reluctant to hire an employee who has taken legal action against his or her former employer.
In most cases, when an employee decides to go forward with a lawsuit, it’s because they feel strongly enough about it that something must be done, and they believe they can explain to any future employer the basis of their lawsuit and why they felt compelled to sue.
There are not many employees who actually experience difficulty obtaining new employment because of a lawsuit they filed; however, employers won’t normally admit they’re not hiring you because you sued somebody. This is a concern you should think about and plan for before you file a lawsuit.