Practice area
Employment law
I work on disputes that arise from hiring through the end of employment. Texas is an at-will state, so many claims depend on an exception to that rule, and several of them have short administrative filing deadlines that I track from the first meeting.
What I handle in this area
- 01Unpaid wages and final paycheck claims
- 02Overtime claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act
- 03Wrongful termination and retaliation
- 04Discrimination charges with the EEOC and the Texas Workforce Commission
- 05Employment, non-compete and severance agreement review
- 06Employer-side policies, investigations and separations
When does the clock start after a termination?
For discrimination and retaliation, a complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division must be filed within 180 days of the act (Tex. Lab. Code § 21.202), and a federal charge with the EEOC generally within 300 days. A Texas Payday Law wage claim with the TWC must be filed within 180 days after the wages were due (Tex. Lab. Code § 61.051).
Federal overtime claims under the FLSA generally must be brought within two years, or three years for a willful violation (29 U.S.C. § 255). Even when a deadline looks far away, pay records and witnesses get harder to find over time, so gathering documents early makes a stronger file.
What should I check before signing a severance agreement?
A severance agreement usually includes a release of claims. Before signing, I review which claims are released, how the payment is structured, and whether there are confidentiality, non-disparagement or non-compete terms. Employees age 40 and over have specific review and revocation periods for releasing age discrimination claims under federal law.
Once the release is signed and the revocation period ends, the released claims are generally gone. That is why it pays to read each item carefully before signing rather than after.
Related calculators
- Overtime pay calculatorEstimate unpaid overtime from your hourly rate and the hours you worked over 40 a week.
- Deadline calculatorFind the general deadline to answer a lawsuit, file an appeal or bring a wage or job claim.
- Mediation preparation checklistA step-by-step checklist for before, during and after a mediation session.
Related legal guides
Unpaid wages, final paychecks, and overtime in TexasWhen a Texas employer must pay your final paycheck, how federal overtime works, what the TWC wage claim deadline is, and which claims can be filed in court.- Wrongful termination in Texas, deadlines and optionsHow at-will employment works in Texas, which firings may be unlawful, and the EEOC and Texas Workforce Commission charge deadlines you should know about.
How mediation works, step by stepWhat a mediator does, when Texas courts send cases to mediation, what happens in the session, who pays, and how a signed settlement binds you.
Appointments
You can schedule an appointment to talk about your employment law matter. Bringing the documents above to the first meeting makes the review easier.