Biography
Gary Ingram is a board certified attorney with more than 45 years of experience in successfully handling labor and employment law issues, civil rights litigation, personal injury litigation, and Texas non-subscriber litigation. Gary has repeatedly received peer recognition as being among the “best,” “top,” and “super” attorneys in the state in his areas of practice and has received personal accolades from trial judges before whom he has appeared. For more than twenty years, Gary served as the statewide leader of his law firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, which has grown to include L&E lawyers in six offices. In addition to being recognized for his legal skills and qualifications, Gary has been honored for maintaining high levels of ethical standards, professionalism and legal scholarship.
Gary has extensive experience in traditional labor relations issues arising under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and has handled numerous workplace accident and safety-related citation contests under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act (OSHA). He regularly assists employers responding to EEOC investigations and related litigation involving discrimination and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and other workplace protection statutes and regulations. Successfully defending large wage and hour collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Equal Pay Act are among his many accomplishments. Gary’s experience extends into the public sector, having defended civil rights and whistleblower suits, negotiating labor agreements with police associations, and successfully resolving department-wide wage and benefits claims with law enforcement and firefighting associations. Gary’s advocacy skills in the courtroom have benefited his clients in non-subscriber injury claim arbitrations, in obtaining or resisting enforcement of non-compete agreements, and in presenting briefs and oral arguments to appellate tribunals.
Education
B.A., Hendrix College
J.D., SMU Dedman School of Law
- Post-graduate courses, Labor & Employment Law
Bar Admissions
Texas, 1975
Court Admissions
United States Supreme Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits
United States District Court for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas
Board Certifications
Labor and Employment Law
Labor Relations
- Negotiation of collective bargaining agreements in the private sector and “meet and confer” agreements in the public sector
- Advising clients in connection with union organizing campaigns and labor strikes
- Counselling clients regarding union grievances and related arbitration proceedings
- Representing clients involved in unfair labor practice proceedings and related NLRB investigations
- Mediating unresolved labor relations issues at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Safety and Health Law Compliance
- Representing clients in connection with OSHA investigations and related citations
- Negotiating favorable OSHA citations and monetary penalties with OSHA Area Directors and attorneys in the Office of the Solicitor of Labor
- Representing and advising clients seeking to appeal OSHA citations and penalties at the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
- Advising clients responding to retaliation and whistleblower complaints
Employee Compensation
- Advising and representing private sector and public entities in connection with large collective actions involving claims for unpaid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act and claims of gender-based pay discrimination under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
- Advising and representing federal contractors facing “glass ceiling” and pay discrimination investigations conducted by the OFCCP
- Advising restaurant and hospitality industry clients regarding tip pooling/sharing arrangements and child labor issues
- Advising clients responding to Department of Labor wage-hour investigations and field audits and assisting in the negotiation of favorable settlements and claim dismissals
Other
- Assists clients in the retail, hospitality, and restaurant industries with litigation and arbitration of non-subscriber on-the-job injury claims
- Assists clients with enforcing and resisting non-compete agreements, trade secret agreements, non-solicitation agreements, and confidentiality (non-disclosure) restrictions
- Proactively advises clients on the ever-evolving legal issues regarding employee social media policies, e-mail policies, drug and alcohol policies, and the Texas “open carry” and “concealed carry” gun control laws
- Represents clients in connection with claims of workplace discrimination and retaliation and related investigations conducted by federal, state, and local agencies
- Represents governmental employers in connection with claims of excessive force, retaliation, whistle-blowing, and other alleged civil rights violations
- Retail (nationwide retail store chains)
- Hospitality (restaurants and hotels)
- Trucking (nationwide/local delivery services)
- Baking (nationwide bakery/supplier)
- Aerospace (large defense contractor and military aircraft maintenance)
- Temporary Labor Service (local/nationwide staffing providers)
- Engineering (large accrediting service and professional civil engineering firm)
- Banking (regional banks)
- Manufacturing (defense, auto, diesel engines, coffee, cabinets, etc.)
- Healthcare (hospital and physician networks)
- Security (airports, private facilities, armored vehicles)
- Oil and Gas (well service companies)
- Publishing (major yearbook publisher)
- Public Utility (electric and water co-operatives)
- Entertainment (motion picture production companies)
- Telecommunications (technology and telephone service providers)
- Food Processing (meat processing and restaurant suppliers)
- Insurance (casualty, EPLI, health/life insurers)
- Governmental (municipalities, county government agencies, correctional facilities)
- Prevailed in labor arbitration proceeding brought by union seeking reinstatement and back pay for employee discharged for suspected forgery of union membership cards
- Obtained defense verdict for a major defense contractor in a nation-wide class action discrimination case brought by the EEOC
- Defeated class certification for a major telecommunications company in an Equal Pay Act case brought on behalf of 1,000+ female technicians claiming gender-based pay discrimination
- In a widely-reported case, obtained summary judgment dismissal of reverse discrimination claims filed against a large municipality by a group of firefighters who allegedly were denied promotions to higher-ranking positions
- Successfully defended large defense contractor, including appeal to the NLRB in Washington D.C., in an unfair labor practice complaint seeking a recovery of back pay and benefits for large groups of employees
- Negotiated complete dismissals of OSHA citations and monetary penalties levied against oil and gas well service providers
- Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers, 2020
- “Top Attorneys” List, 360 West, 2018
- Labor and Employment
- The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.), 2006-2022
- Lawyer of the Year, Labor & Employment Litigation, 2015, 2019
- Employment Law – Management, 2011-2022
- Labor Law – Management, 2011-2022
- Litigation – Labor & Employment Law, 2011-2022
- Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2003-2020
- “Top Attorneys” List, Fort Worth, Texas Magazine, 2005-2016
- Labor & Employment Law
- Power Attorney, Fort Worth Business Press, 2015
- AV Preeminent, Martindale-Hubbell
- America’s Most Honored Professionals, Top 1 Percent, The American Registry
- Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
- Life Fellow, Tarrant County Bar Foundation
- Member, Texas Bar College
- Attended American Arbitration Association’s Educational Services Program Re: “The Nuts and Bolts of an Arbitration Hearing: Procedure, Evidence and Practicalities” and “Drafting Arbitration Clauses: The Basics and Beyond” (2016)
- Attended American Arbitration Association’s Educational Services Program Re: “Mediation Advocacy” (2016)
- Completed Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service’s Skills Development Training Re: Interest-Based Problem Solving
- Texas Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Association
- Tarrant County Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- Fifth Circuit Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Society of Human Resource Management
- Texas Bar Foundation
- Tarrant County Bar Foundation
- Texas Bar College