Former Employer Owes Me $6k – Need Legal Advice

I’m dealing with a frustrating situation with my former employer and need some advice. Since early 2023, they’ve owed me just over $6,000. This is money I paid out of pocket for two invoices with their promise to reimburse me. One was to pay a contractor so we could receive a large payment from another company, and the other was to cover a contractor who finished a job for us.

Once the payment came through, they prioritized paying themselves, family members, and other expenses—leaving me and other employees unpaid. After confronting them in person, they eventually sold a company item and gave me $1,900, which mostly covered unpaid wages, but the $6,000 is still outstanding.

I’ve kept detailed records, including:

• All receipts (paid via Zelle and cashier’s check) • Invoices • Text conversations with the owner (they’ve now stopped responding and left me on read) 

At this point, I’d prefer to avoid small claims court and pursue a more comprehensive legal route to resolve this, but I’m not sure what my best options are. I don’t have much money to hire a lawyer upfront, but I’ve heard about contingency agreements where legal fees are covered as part of the recovery.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? What steps would you recommend to move forward and get this resolved?

Thanks in advance for any advice!