At Saunders, Walsh & Beard, we offer a comprehensive employment law practice representing both employers and employees in state and federal court

Outside General Counsel for Employment Law Matters
Medium and small size employers are often faced daily with a myriad of complex employment law issues but cannot justify the expense of hiring in-house employment counsel. For an affordable monthly fee, our experienced employment law attorneys will be on call to act as your general counsel to answer any question related to your employment policies including such areas as compensation practices, hiring and termination decisions, severance agreements, equal employment opportunity and discrimination in employment matters, extended employee leave, employment contracts including non-compete, non-solicitation, and confidentiality clauses, trade secret concerns, workplace safety and OSHA compliance, sexual harassment, and employee benefits.

Trade Secrets
You worked hard to develop your ideas and competitive advantages in the marketplace. Contact us to learn how to effectively safeguard your trade secrets. If you find yourself the unfortunate victim of trade secret theft or have been wrongfully accused of trade secret theft, contact our experienced attorneys for the help you need.

Employment Contracts
Both employers and employees need to protect their interests when it comes to contracts in employment. Texas law has specific parameters and requirements that must be followed when it comes to enforcing non-compete, non-solicitation, and other restrictive covenants. Do not wait until a problem arises to find out that your non-compete is overly broad or unenforceable. Avoid unneeded litigation by having a professional review your employment contracts. If you are already involved in a dispute, let us guide you to the best possible outcome.

Workplace Safety
The increasing number of regulations and interpretations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) make it a challenge for employers to avoid hefty fines for even unintentional violations. Our attorneys have represented employers in OSHA proceedings to eliminate or reduce fines and are adept at helping employers with compliance in order to avoid liability.

Wage and Hour
The constantly changing environment of regulation of overtime pay, minimum wage, employee exemptions and related wage and hour issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) have made it extremely difficult for employers to remain compliant. As a result, employers have faced a sharp escalation of wage and hour lawsuits and Department of Labor investigations in recent years. Whether you need a compliance review of your employee compensation practices or if you find yourself the target of a lawsuit or investigation, let our experienced attorneys help you.

Sexual Harassment
With the recent #metoo movement, awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace has drastically increased. Every employer should consider offering anti-harassment training to its workforce to minimize the risk of potential liability.  While we are experienced and ready to come to your defense if you find your business facing claims of sexual harassment, we hope to help you prevent such a situation. Call us today to schedule a training.

Retaliation
Employers often find themselves the subject of an investigation or lawsuit for decisions made that have been perceived as retaliatory toward employees for exercising their rights under state or federal law. Whenever you make any decision that may negatively affect one of your employees, you could be vulnerable to a claim of retaliation. We can counsel you regarding such decisions to minimize your risk of retaliation claims.  If you are already the subject of a retaliation claim, we can help.

Employee Leave and Disability Accommodation
When your employees need to take extended leave for life events such as a short-term disability, medical treatment, pregnancy, or care of a family member, you need to know the parameters of the law. We have the knowledge and experience to advise you regarding the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and other short-term employee leave regulations. We can also counsel you and provide training regarding appropriate accommodations for both employees and your customers under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and defend you in proceedings related to both the ADA and FMLA.

Discrimination in Employment and Wrongful Termination
Our attorneys are knowledgeable regarding both federal and state equal employment opportunity laws and have extensive experience in defending claims of discrimination and assisting clients in investigations by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) or Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) of all types of discrimination including those based on race, national origin, gender, age, religion, and disability. It is important for employers to be proactive and seek advice when it comes to employment decisions in order to avoid unintended liability for discrimination. In addition to defending our clients in discrimination disputes, we also provide anti-discrimination training sessions and review of employment policies to prevent such disputes.

For additional information about our Employment Law Practice or to make arrangements for an initial consultation with a lawyer call our law office directly at (214) 919-3555.