PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Admitted: Texas, 1987; U.S. District Courts for the Western, Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.S., 1983); Baylor Law School (J.D., 1987)

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

• Advises business clients on day-to-day personnel issues such as discipline, discharge, employee lay-offs, disability and reasonable accommodation, family and medical leave, on-the-job injury, hiring, employment contracts and policies, employee handbooks, wages and overtime, and non-competition and confidential information issues.
• Works with business clients on risk prevention strategies such as review and revisions of employee handbooks, employment agreements, confidentiality, non-compete, and non-disclosure agreements, supervisor and employee training (including sexual harassment and discrimination training).
• First Chair trial experience representing business clients in state and federal court in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, ADA, Fair Labor Standards Act, covenants not to compete and confidentiality/trade secret cases.
• Sued for and obtained a temporary restraining order and agreed temporary injunction for advertising company against former sales/marketing employee who resigned to work for a competitor. Temporary injunction prohibited former employee from contacting company's customers to solicit their business.
• Advised and counseled central Texas employer with over 700 employees on how to deal with threats of workplace violence. Worked with management and law enforcement on implementing proper procedures to protect employees.
• In 2010, obtained summary judgment for business client (affirmed by Fifth Circuit in 2011), in FMLA retaliation and ADA case.
• Advise and counsel business clients on wage and hour and overtime issues and how to respond to and manage Department of Labor audits and Texas Workforce Commission.
• Represent and advise business clients on defense of EEOC and TCHR discrimination complaints, including age, sex, race, religion, national origin and harassment claims.

Representative Client Industries include:

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• State Bar of Texas
  • Member, Labor and Employment and Litigation Sections
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
• Austin Bar Association
  • Director, 1999-2001
  • Executive Council, Litigation Section, 1999-2003
  • Member, Labor and Employment Section
  • Member, Litigation Section
• Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas
  • Board President, 1997-1998 and 2002-2003
  • Board Member, 1990-2010
  • Officer Emeritus, 2006-2010
• Travis County Women Lawyers Foundation
  • Chair, 2010-2011
  • TCWLA Foundation, Board Member, 2006-present
• Texas Board of Legal Specialization
  • Chairperson, Labor and Employment Law Advisory Commission, 2005-2006
• Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court, Master, 2004-present

AWARDS AND HONORS

• Certified Specialist-Labor and Employment Law-Texas Board of Legal Specialization, December 2000
• Employment Law Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association since 2003
• Named one of the "Top 50 Central & West Texas Region Super Lawyers" and one of the "Top 50 Women Super Lawyers," Texas Super Lawyers and TEXAS MONTHLY, 2006
• Texas Super Lawyer in Employment Litigation, Texas Super Lawyers and TEXAS MONTHLY, 2004 - 2010
• Named Outstanding Young Lawyer by the Austin Young Lawyer's Association in 1996
• Named J. Chrys Dougherty Award Winner by Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas for Outstanding Pro Bono Services in 2000
• Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
• Travis County Women Lawyers Association Pathfinder Award, 2001

COMMUNITY

• Austin Public Library Friends Foundation, Board Member, 2008-present; Secretary, 2010-present 
• Extend-a-Care for Kids, Board President, 2004-2005
• Leadership Austin Graduate, 2003