Marilyn M. Brown
Practice Areas
Experience
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Background Checks
- Business Litigation
- Class Action
- Discrimination & Harassment Claims
- Employee Whistleblower & Retaliation Claims
- Employment Policies, Procedures, & Handbooks
- Employment Practice Audits
- Hiring, Performance Management, & Termination
- Insurance
- Insurance Administrative, Investigative, and Regulatory Matters
- Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith Litigation
- Labor & Employment Appellate
- Labor & Employment Litigation
- Non-Compete Issues
- Public-Private Partnerships
- Staffing, Independent Contractors, & Contingent Workers
- Trade Secrets
- Unfair Competition & Trade Secrets
- Wage & Hour
- Workplace Training
Biography
Marilyn M. Brown has experience in a wide variety of commercial litigation, with particular emphasis on insurance and employment matters.
Marilyn’s litigation experience gives her unique knowledge to assist her clients in non-litigation capacities as well.
Before joining Jackson Walker, she served as a Briefing Attorney on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals where she worked in the chambers of Justice Wanda McKee Fowler.
Education
B.A., University of Texas at Austin
J.D., magna cum laude, Baylor Law School
- Executive Editor, Baylor Law Review
- Order of Barristers
- Mock Trial and Moot Court Competitions
Bar Admissions
Texas
Court Admissions
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western District of Texas
United States District Court for the District of Colorado
Representative Insurance Litigation Matters
- Represented property insurance companies in a nationwide class action filed in Arkansas state court.
- Represented property insurance companies in single-state class action cases filed in Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ohio, and Texas.
- Represented auto insurance companies in single-state class action cases filed in New Mexico and Arkansas.
- Obtained dismissal under the Class Action Fairness Act of a putative class action in Texas federal court in which the plaintiffs alleged that insurers unfairly discriminated in their collection of policy fees for automobile insurance policies. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that dismissal on appeal.
- Represented life insurance company in cases filed in state and federal courts across Texas.
- Obtained injunctive relief for insurance companies seeking to prevent independent contractors who possessed proprietary and trade secret customer information from using said information in competition with insurers.
Representative Employment Litigation Matters
- Obtained summary judgment in employer’s favor in federal lawsuit involving employee’s claims for age discrimination (disparate treatment, disparate impact and hostile work environment), retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
- Secured dismissal with prejudice of lawsuit in which individual alleged that his former supervisor and former employer defamed him.
Representative Non-Litigation Matters
- Representing parties whose information is sought by way of open records requests directed to state or federal agencies such as the Texas Department of Insurance, the Texas Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration, including appeal of decisions to district court when warranted.
- Advising executives and employers regarding noncompetition and nonsolicitation clauses.
- Advising executives and employers regarding severance and separation agreements.
- Representing employers in connection with administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), and the City of Austin Equal Employment and Fair Housing Office.
- Legal 500 Elite: Disputes, 2025 (Inaugural Edition)
- The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.), 2023-2026
- Commercial Litigation, 2024-2026
- Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, 2023-2026
- Litigation – Labor and Employment, 2023-2026
- Texas Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2023-2025
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, 2023-2026
- “Austin’s Top Attorneys” List, Austin Monthly, 2025
- Texas Rising Star, Super Lawyers – Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters, 2010, 2013-2019
- Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, Board Member and President-Elect;
- Past Treasurer, Past Secretary
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Austin Young Lawyers Association, Sustaining Member
- Travis County Women Lawyers Foundation, Fellow
- Travis County Women Lawyers Association, Member
- American Bar Association, Member
- Austin Bar Association, Member
Jackson Walker Congratulates 2025 Texas Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Jackson Walker is pleased to announce the recognition of 75 attorneys by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers in the 2025 “Texas Super Lawyers” list, as well as 66 attorneys as “Texas Rising Stars” for 2025. Each year, less than 5% of attorneys are selected to Super Lawyers and 2.5% to Rising Stars. Selection is based off of peer nominations that are then reviewed by a research team. Each nominee is evaluated on his or her professional accomplishments, peer recognition, and community involvement.
Attorney News • September 18, 2025
Jackson Walker Congratulates 36 Attorneys Named Among the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America for 2026
Jackson Walker is pleased to announce the selection of 36 attorneys to Lawdragon’s 2026 list of the 500 leading litigators in America. This is Lawdragon’s fourth edition of its leading litigators list, recognizing some of America’s top litigation talent.
Attorney News • September 5, 2025
‘The Best Lawyers in America’ Features 350 Jackson Walker Attorneys in 2026 Edition, Including 10 “Lawyers of the Year” and 106 “Ones to Watch”
The Best Lawyers in America, a widely regarded guide to legal excellence, has recognized 350 Jackson Walker attorneys across 87 specialty practice areas in its 2026 edition, including 10 Lawyers of the Year and 106 Ones to Watch.
Attorney News • August 21, 2025
‘Austin Monthly’ Lists 44 Jackson Walker Attorneys Among “Austin’s Top Attorneys” of 2025
Jackson Walker congratulates the 44 attorneys recognized among Austin Monthly’s list of “Austin’s Top Attorneys” for 2025. For recognition in the list, Austin attorneys must be nominated by their peers on the basis that they offer experienced counsel in one of 40 categories.
Attorney News • July 15, 2025
Jackson Walker Congratulates Its “Texas Super Lawyers” of 2024
Jackson Walker proudly announces the selection of 71 attorneys to Thomson Reuters’ 2024 “Texas Super Lawyers” list.
Each year, less than 5% of attorneys in Texas are named to the list. Selection is based off of peer nominations that are then reviewed by a research team. Each nominee is evaluated on his or her professional accomplishments, peer recognition, and community involvement.
Attorney News • September 17, 2024
Jackson Walker Congratulates 36 Attorneys Named Among the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
Jackson Walker is pleased to announce the selection of 36 attorneys to Lawdragon’s 2025 list of the 500 leading litigators in America. The third edition of this list recognizes America’s top talent in antitrust, financial and securities litigation, intellectual property, commercial litigation, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, cybersecurity, and white collar and investigations.
Attorney News • September 9, 2024
‘The Best Lawyers in America’ Features 306 Jackson Walker Attorneys in 2025 Edition, Including 9 “Lawyers of the Year” and 75 “Ones to Watch”
The Best Lawyers in America has recognized 306 Jackson Walker attorneys across 81 specialty practice areas in its 2025 edition, including 9 Lawyers of the Year and 75 Ones to Watch. In this year’s guide, Jackson Walker saw the largest number of attorneys in the areas of Commercial Litigation (75 attorneys) and Real Estate Law (55 attorneys) and the addition of 27 attorneys as Best Lawyers.
Attorney News • August 15, 2024
‘Austin Monthly’ Lists 21 Jackson Walker Attorneys Among “Austin’s Top Attorneys” of 2024
Jackson Walker congratulates the 21 attorneys recognized among Austin Monthly’s list of “Austin’s Top Attorneys” for 2024. For recognition in the list, Austin attorneys must be nominated by their peers on the basis that they offer experienced counsel in one of 39 categories.
Attorney News • July 11, 2024
Super Lawyers Names 31 Jackson Walker Attorneys in Texas Top Women 2024 Magazine
Jackson Walker congratulates the 31 attorneys who were included in the Texas Top Women 2024 Magazine published by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers. The annual Texas Top Texas Women edition includes the highest-rated women attorneys across the “Texas Rising Stars” and “Texas Super Lawyers” lists in a given practice area.
Attorney News • January 11, 2024
Jackson Walker Congratulates Its “Texas Super Lawyers” of 2023
Each year, less than 5% of attorneys in Texas are named to the list. Selection is based off of peer nominations that are then reviewed by a research team. Each nominee is evaluated on his or her professional accomplishments, peer recognition, and community involvement.
Attorney News • September 19, 2023
‘The Best Lawyers in America’ Honors 287 Jackson Walker Attorneys in 2024 Edition, Including 12 “Lawyers of the Year” and 80 “Ones to Watch”
The Best Lawyers in America has recognized 287 Jackson Walker attorneys across 5 offices and 82 specialty practice areas in its 2024 edition, including 12 Lawyers of the Year and 80 Ones to Watch. In this year’s guide, Jackson Walker saw the largest number of attorneys in the areas of Commercial Litigation (66 attorneys) and Real Estate Law (60 attorneys) and the addition of 35 attorneys as Best Lawyers.
Attorney News • August 17, 2023
‘The Best Lawyers in America’ Honors 214 Jackson Walker Attorneys in 2023 Edition, Including 11 “Lawyers of the Year” and 41 “Ones to Watch”
The Best Lawyers in America has recognized 214 Jackson Walker attorneys across 6 offices and 79 specialty practice areas in its 2023 edition, including 11 Lawyers of the Year and 41 Ones to Watch. Best Lawyers listings are based on an exhaustive peer review survey of thousands of attorneys who vote on the legal abilities of others in their practice areas.
Attorney News • August 18, 2022
Expect Variety Across the State as Courts Reopen: A Q&A with Jackson Walker’s Marilyn M. Brown | Texas Lawyer
Marilyn M. Brown, an Austin-based civil trial lawyer with Jackson Walker who has tried cases at various stages of litigation in state and federal courthouses both inside and outside of Texas throughout the pandemic, spoke recently with Texas Lawyer about her own practice and why some elements of remote courthouse work are here to stay.
Mentions • June 17, 2021
Supreme Court Holds That American Pipe Tolling Does Not Apply to Successive Class Actions
Justice Ginsburg delivered the opinion of the Court in China Agritech, Inc. v. Resh, No. 17-342, in which Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Kennedy, Thomas, Breyer, Alito, Kagan, and Gorsuch joined. Justice Sotomayor filed an opinion concurring in the judgment.
Insights • June 13, 2018
Practice Experience
Representative Insurance Litigation Matters
- Represented property insurance companies in a nationwide class action filed in Arkansas state court.
- Represented property insurance companies in single-state class action cases filed in Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ohio, and Texas.
- Represented auto insurance companies in single-state class action cases filed in New Mexico and Arkansas.
- Obtained dismissal under the Class Action Fairness Act of a putative class action in Texas federal court in which the plaintiffs alleged that insurers unfairly discriminated in their collection of policy fees for automobile insurance policies. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that dismissal on appeal.
- Represented life insurance company in cases filed in state and federal courts across Texas.
- Obtained injunctive relief for insurance companies seeking to prevent independent contractors who possessed proprietary and trade secret customer information from using said information in competition with insurers.
Representative Employment Litigation Matters
- Obtained summary judgment in employer’s favor in federal lawsuit involving employee’s claims for age discrimination (disparate treatment, disparate impact and hostile work environment), retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
- Secured dismissal with prejudice of lawsuit in which individual alleged that his former supervisor and former employer defamed him.
Representative Non-Litigation Matters
- Representing parties whose information is sought by way of open records requests directed to state or federal agencies such as the Texas Department of Insurance, the Texas Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration, including appeal of decisions to district court when warranted.
- Advising executives and employers regarding noncompetition and nonsolicitation clauses.
- Advising executives and employers regarding severance and separation agreements.
- Representing employers in connection with administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), and the City of Austin Equal Employment and Fair Housing Office.
Recognition & Accolades
- Legal 500 Elite: Disputes, 2025 (Inaugural Edition)
- The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.), 2023-2026
- Commercial Litigation, 2024-2026
- Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, 2023-2026
- Litigation – Labor and Employment, 2023-2026
- Texas Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2023-2025
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, 2023-2026
- “Austin’s Top Attorneys” List, Austin Monthly, 2025
- Texas Rising Star, Super Lawyers – Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters, 2010, 2013-2019
Community Involvement
- Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, Board Member and President-Elect;
- Past Treasurer, Past Secretary
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Austin Young Lawyers Association, Sustaining Member
- Travis County Women Lawyers Foundation, Fellow
- Travis County Women Lawyers Association, Member
- American Bar Association, Member
- Austin Bar Association, Member
Practice Areas
Experience
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Background Checks
- Business Litigation
- Class Action
- Discrimination & Harassment Claims
- Employee Whistleblower & Retaliation Claims
- Employment Policies, Procedures, & Handbooks
- Employment Practice Audits
- Hiring, Performance Management, & Termination
- Insurance
- Insurance Administrative, Investigative, and Regulatory Matters
- Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith Litigation
- Labor & Employment Appellate
- Labor & Employment Litigation
- Non-Compete Issues
- Public-Private Partnerships
- Staffing, Independent Contractors, & Contingent Workers
- Trade Secrets
- Unfair Competition & Trade Secrets
- Wage & Hour
- Workplace Training