Our Labor and Employment attorneys routinely represent employers in federal and state court lawsuits, in out-of-court arbitrations, and before administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC"), the Texas Workforce Commission ("TWC"), the Department of Labor ("DOL"), and the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB"). We also counsel employers on personnel policies, investigations, disciplinary actions and terminations, and general compliance with the many interrelated federal and state laws that may affect employment relationships. Our mix of litigation and counseling experience allows us to approach each matter with a comprehensive strategy designed to achieve the best result for the client.

We have successfully defended employers against all types of employee lawsuits before judges and juries in the federal and state courts. A few examples of the types of lawsuits we handle include wrongful discharge, sexual harassment, discrimination claims based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act ("ADEA"), the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") and the counterpart statutes of Texas, workers' compensation retaliation, leave issues covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"), issues arising under the National Labor Relations Act ("Act"), minimum wage and overtime issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA"), and employee benefit claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA"). We have successfully defended numerous individual suits, multi-party suits and class actions.

While we pride ourselves on thorough and aggressive defense of our clients, we also understand that defending labor and employment claims creates a significant toll on a client's finances, time and human resources. We therefore strive to provide clients a cost-effective solution to labor and employment problems. In litigation, for example, we have a good record of persuading the courts to dismiss lawsuits before trial where summary proceedings are appropriate. Our case preparation and knowledge of the law have also allowed many of our clients to manage risk in successful out-of-court mediations. We also advise and counsel employers on taking preventive measures to avoid or limit litigation altogether.

The employers we represent in labor and employment matters are engaged in many and varied businesses such as refining, petrochemicals, paper, health care, manufacturing, construction, staffing, lumber, legal, education, retail, and banking. Our familiarity with these and other businesses, and the labor and employment laws that apply to those businesses, promotes effective and economical delivery of legal services.

Members of the Labor and Employment Group:

Robert J. Hambright
S. Donean Surratt
John Seth Bullard

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