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Find Lawyers in Houston, Texas for Litigation - Labor and Employment
Practice Area Overview
Often, these employment disputes culminate in a lawsuit, which can be costly, time-consuming, and damaging to employee relations. The number of employment-related litigation filings has been steadily increasing over the last decade, ranging from large-scale class actions to individual complaints. Employers are facing greater challenges and financial exposure from both current and former employees than ever before.
Employment litigation covers many types of claims, including discrimination; harassment; wage-hour pay, classification, and overtime violations; wrongful discharge; entitlement to employee benefits; misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information; unfair competition; enforcement or avoidance of restrictive covenants; labor union disputes; workplace safety violations; defamation and other employment-related torts. These claims often involve the many laws governing employee relations, which are often referred to as “employment law alphabet soup.” These include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), whistleblower claims under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) or Dodd-Frank Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
Resolving employment litigation requires knowledge of these laws and regulations, the applicable case law, and a careful case analysis and strategy. More so than in other less personal litigation, a perceptive understanding of the people involved is essential for success. Often, suits will be settled among parties or ended before trial through summary judgment based on the facts of the case. When early resolution is not achieved, however, the case will go to trial in court or before an agency tribunal. Verdicts in employment-related cases can be enormous, especially in wage-hour and other class actions, creating a high-stakes situation for employers.
Fields Alexander has won verdicts for both plaintiffs and defendants in a number of difficult venues. His success with juries has been recognized by his peers, as evidenced by his election into the International Society of Barristers, The American Board of Trial Advocates, and by his repeated recognition as one of the best lawyers in America in several practice areas. He has a national practice, and frequently appears for clients not only across Texas, but throughout the country. He has also ...
With more than three decades of experience and the recipient of numerous honors by prominent publications and ranking agencies, Dennis Duffy concentrates exclusively on representing management in all aspects of labor and employment law matters. Viewing prompt responsiveness and thorough preparation as the hallmarks of his practice, Dennis ensures that he is always available to provide salient approaches to clients’ workplace challenges. Dennis provides strategic advice and advocates for...
Joe Gagnon is a partner in the Houston office. He is an experienced trial attorney who represents employers in litigation and arbitration filed in every region of Texas. Joe's broad experience includes the defense of a wide variety of discrimination and discharge claims brought under Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and whistleblower statutes. He routinely defends state law claims including workers' comp retaliation, breach of contract, fr...
Over the course of his career, Tom Ganucheau has earned the trust and respect of his peers. He has regularly represented lawyers and law firms in sensitive legal malpractice matters, and is often engaged to protect the intellectual property and trade secrets of his clients. In short, Tom has made a career out of preserving his clients’ most valuable assets: their reputations, their ideas, and their brands. Tom has been recognized in Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers Texas magazine and as on...
Mike represents a variety of clients in commercial, insurance coverage, tort, environmental, and Qui Tam/False Claims Act matters at the state and federal levels. He has tried numerous cases to verdict and represented clients in venues across Texas and throughout the United States. Mike’s accomplishments as a trial lawyer have been recognized by his peers, who elected him as a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (“ABOTA”). ABOTA is comprised of trial lawyers repr...
It has been said that helping others is its own reward, and Stewart Hoffer would definitely agree. Over the years, Stewart has found that one of the most rewarding aspects of being an attorney is seeing the positive impact his work has had on the people and companies he represents. Stewart knows that the outcome of a case affects real people. Sure, winning a case feels good, but for Stewart, the greatest satisfaction comes from knowing that his assistance can help his clients to focus on what...
I am a trial lawyer. For over 30 years, I have litigated, tried, arbitrated, and appealed lawsuits involving virtually every substantive category of civil disputes. I have been board certified since 1990 in Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. I always have and still immensely enjoy this work. Representing people and organizations as plaintiffs and defendants in legal disputes is challenging, fascinating, and rewarding work. I believe that ...
Charles “Chuck” Jeremiah represents employers as trial counsel in litigation. With over 30 years of experience and a strong track record handling hundreds of matters, Chuck knows how to formulate early, efficient and effective strategies, and lead a team to achieve the best possible results for clients. His practice includes all aspects of employment law with an emphasis on overtime, discrimination and non-compete/trade secret defense matters. He has successfully handled both sing...
Andrea “AJ” Johnson, a director at the Firm, has been practicing in employment law and employment/commercial litigation for more than 30 years. She represents clients all over the nation, provides day-to-day advice on critical, time-sensitive business and employment matters, has tried numerous cases to successful verdict and/or to dispositive adjudication, and has arbitrated and enforced mandatory arbitration programs in several states. AJ has a straight-forward approach. She seek...
David B. Jordan focuses his practice on employment counseling and litigation, including all aspects of labor relations and employment law. His areas of expertise include: Workplace safety Wage and hour collective actions Wage and hour compliance, including tip credit and tip sharing issues Discrimination Wrongful discharge Retaliation He also handles disputes involving employment contracts, covenants not to compete, trade secrets and confidentiality agreements. In addition to representing emp...
Kenneth M. Krock concentrates his practice in advising and representing clients in business and commercial litigation involving real estate, construction, bankruptcy related disputes, financial institutions, and employment disputes. His experience includes: Advising and representing owners, developers, landlords, property management companies, sellers, buyers, general contractors, subcontractors, construction equipment lenders, real estate professionals, lenders, and others in the real estate...
Pamela B. Linberg is a principal in the Houston, Texas, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Pam represents and counsels employers on all aspects of the employment relationship. She is the business development liaison for the Houston office. Pam is a seasoned litigator. She defends employers in lawsuits, arbitrations, agency proceedings, and appeals in a broad range of claims, including race, gender, age, disability, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and pregnancy discrimination, as well...
Jeffrey C. Londa is a nationally recognized labor and employment lawyer. His practice focuses on all aspects of labor and employment law, including complex employment litigation, class/collective actions, collective bargaining and arbitrations. Mr. Londa has considerable experience representing government entities, including public transit authorities. Mr. Londa is Board Certified as a labor and employment law specialist by the State Bar of Texas.Comments of others, particularly clients, best...
Jeff is a Board Certified labor and employment law specialist who represents management in matters involving all areas affecting the employment relationship. Jeff has successfully handled cases relating to race, sex, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation and disability discrimination, harassment and retaliation in state and federal courts across the country, as well litigation involving employee leave, wage and hour, non-competition and trade secret, and employment-related torts....
Sarah Morton concentrates her legal practice on the representation of employers in issues related to labor and employment law, and is the managing partner of FordHarrison's Houston office. Sarah Morton defends management clients in individual and multi-plaintiff actions alleging violations of federal, state, and local discrimination, harassment, and leave and accommodation laws, and in class and collective actions arising under the FLSA and related state wage and hour laws. Sarah is an accomp...
Kerry E. Notestine represents employers in all aspects of employment matters, including litigation under federal, state, and local anti-discrimination statutes, as well as the common law; administrative proceedings before various federal and state government agencies; and counseling employers regarding employment issues, particularly leaves and reductions-in-force. Kerry’s book, Employment Law Trials: A Practical Guide, published in 2005 by LexisNexis Publishing, is a leading work on th...
Nick Spiliotis is a partner in the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, where he counsels employers regarding a broad range of workplace issues. He is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Nick’s practice crosses multiple industries, representing clients in the oil and gas, restaurant and hospitality, banking, maritime, manufacturing, and construction arenas. He acts as a strategic advocate who seeks to minimize the possib...
Teresa Valderrama is a partner in the firm's Houston office. She has more than 25 years of experience representing employers in all aspects of workplace law, including corporate investigations and compliance, wage & hour collective action defense, and defense of all manner of discrimination, workplace harassment and other work-related claims. This includes advice and counsel regarding trade secrets/business-asset protection, defense of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX) and other whistleb...
Matt Veech joined BoyarMiller's Litigation Group in July 2005. His practice is devoted to representing a vast array of clients, from individuals to large corporations, in a variety of employment and business-related disputes. Matt represents clients in matters relating to enforcement of non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, misappropriation of trade secrets and proprietary information, breach of fiduciary duties and breach of contract, shareholder oppression, and related business t...
Kalandra N. Wheeler is a Senior Trial Attorney with the Houston office of Wiley Wheeler, P.C. In 2018, Ms. Wheeler became Board Certified in the area of labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Less than 10% of the attorneys in Texas hold this certification. Ms. Wheeler has nearly 20 years of experience representing individuals in difficult situations. She has dedicated her career to the pursuit of justice and the protection of individual rights and interests. Ms. ...
Robert Arthur represents clients in a wide variety of business and commercial disputes. Robert is committed to building lasting relationships and providing counsel beyond expectations through his relentless dedication to service. He will always recommend a practical business approach to his cases that will achieve maximum results. Robert has the results to back it up, with multiple successful trials and summary judgment motions in the past few years. Representative Matters: Defended an LTE ce...
Phillip A. Baggett is an associate in the Houston, Texas, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. His practice focuses on representing employers in workplace law matters, including preventive advice and counseling. He represents public and private employers in state and federal courts in a variety of employment law matters, including those involving wage and hour claims, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, and discrimination allegations. In addition to his litigation practice, Phillip has e...
Kasi Chadwick is Senior Counsel for Houston-Based Hicks Thomas LLP. Ms. Chadwick’s practice focuses on commercial and business litigation with an emphasis on resolving disputes concerning employers. Ms. Chadwick routinely represents employers in workplace investigations, proceedings before governmental bodies such as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Texas Workforce Commission, and of course, in litigation in state and federal courts. Ms. Chadwick is known as a re...
Marcus is a trial attorney who specializes in complex commercial, business, and partnership disputes. He practices in a wide variety of industries, and frequently represents both individuals and entities with their most pressing needs. His matters span across the State of Texas, and Marcus appears frequently in both state and federal court. Marcus’ matters entail fiduciary duty disputes; partnership termination and wind up disputes; business fraud and theft; various contract actions and...
Juliana C. Gaige is an associate in the Houston, Texas, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. With a foundation in workers’ compensation gained during her tenure with the Texas Attorney General, Juliana has evolved into a seasoned litigator, consistently delivering practical solutions and steadfast commitment to her clients’ interests. Juliana guides employers through the nuances of discrimination, retaliation, and wage claims litigation. She adeptly handles workplace injury claims against...
Ashton P. Hoffman is an associate in the Houston, Texas, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. His practice primarily focuses on supporting national employers in largescale wage and hour matters and national class and collective actions. Ashton enjoys the complexity and procedural nuances attendant to class and collective matters. In law school, Ashton was a submissions editor on the Houston Business and Tax Law Journal . He had a direct role in the selection and addition of published works in journal...
Aaron is board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and concentrates his practice on defending employers in state and federal courts across the country. As a former felony prosecutor in Houston, Texas, with a decade of courtroom practice, Aaron’s trial experience informs his practical legal advice and solutions on all types of labor and employment litigation issues, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, Age Discri...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
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