Labor & Employment
We are labor and employment lawyers who counsel employers on complex workplace laws and regulations, and represent them before federal, state, and local labor and employment agencies, such as the NLRB, the EEOC, and OSHA.
Our litigation practice includes complex executive compensation matters, class/collective actions, trade secret/unfair competition cases, breach of fiduciary duty and executive malfeasance cases. Our vast labor and employment litigation experience is the platform from which we provide advice and counsel to help our clients solve workplace challenges covering the entire range of employment issues. We focus both on traditional labor issues–including elections, contract negotiations, arbitration, strikes and lockouts–to employment law areas, such as discrimination, disability, Family and Medical Leave Act, workplace safety, and wage and hour issues.
We practice employment law backed by the resources of a full-service firm in corporate, tax, bankruptcy, intellectual property, securities, employee benefits, oil and gas, media, complex litigation, cybersecurity, and all the areas offered by Jackson Walker attorneys. By blending our labor/employment subject matter experience with practitioners from these areas, we offer a unique blend of labor/employment subject matter know-how to handle complex litigation cases that cross disciplines, counsel clients on high level executive compensation matters, and offer practical solutions for business issues from a multi-disciplinary perspective. We empower our clients with this multi-disciplinary knowledge and experience, in the courtroom and the boardroom.
Our clients include international Fortune 100 companies, privately held companies of all shapes and sizes in media, retail, oil and gas, alternative energy, technology, entertainment and hospitality, trucking and delivery, financial and insurance, and manufacturers. Our cases range the full spectrum from “bet the company” cases to single plaintiff labor/employment lawsuits.
With a deep bench of experienced lawyers, Jackson Walker’s employment practice has unparalleled knowledge of the Texas and national labor and employment landscape.
Within only the last two years, we have enjoyed the following successes for our clients:
- We tried a complex executive fraud/breach of fiduciary duty case, with significant counter claims against our client, to a jury for nearly four weeks. After we tried the rest of the case to the court, we ultimately prevailed with a $1.7 M judgment against the former executive, settling the case after that on extremely favorable terms.
- We decertified a 100-plus plaintiff collective action FLSA overtime case, and then tried the first group of those plaintiffs to a jury, resulting in a settlement during jury deliberations with which our client was very pleased.
- We tried a case against a labor union that was seeking millions of dollars in allegedly unpaid benefits and won so emphatically that the union did not appeal.
- We filed a computer fraud and abuse act against a former executive of a large, publicly traded company, and brought such force to bear in the case, using a team led by our labor/employment lawyers but including bankruptcy and e-discovery lawyers, that it settled very favorably 6 weeks after we filed it, with the executive losing millions of dollars in benefits as a result of a “cause” termination.
- We decertified an FLSA collective action that would have had nearly 100 plaintiffs, leaving it with only 7 named plaintiffs, against whom we ultimately won summary judgment.
December 18, 2025
Insights
The Spizzirri Dilemma: Supreme Court Review of The Tangled Web of Federal Court Jurisdiction to Review Arbitration Awards | Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
In this article featured in Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Lionel M. Schooler examines the Supreme Court’s grant of certiorari in Adrian Jules v. Andre Balazs Properties, which directly presents whether a federal court that properly exercised jurisdiction and stayed a case pending arbitration retains authority to hear post-award applications to confirm or vacate under FAA §§ 9 or 10.
December 2, 2025
Attorney News
David Schlottman to Speak at TexasBarCLE’s Employment Law Courses
Jackson Walker partner David Schlottman will be a speaker at the Employment Law 101 and Advanced Employment Law Courses, hosted by the TexasBarCLE. The event will take place at the Hilton Plano/Dallas Granite Park in Plano on January 7-9, 2026. The Advanced Employment Law course is cosponsored by the Labor and Employment Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.
November 21, 2025
Attorney News
Jackson Walker Partner Diana PĂ©rez Gomez to Speak at HBA Professionalism Committee Fall Ethics Program
Jackson Walker partner Diana Pérez Gomez will join a panel of fellow attorneys at the Houston Bar Association (HBA) Professionalism Committee’s Fall Ethics Program, on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Houston, Texas.
November 6, 2025
Spotlight
Jackson Walker Earns 27 National and 142 Metropolitan Rankings in 2026 Edition of “Best Law Firms”
Jackson Walker proudly announces its inclusion in the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms® by Best Lawyers. This year, Jackson Walker observed notable improvements in the rankings, including the addition of Construction Law as National Tier 3 and the advancement and additions of 14 practice areas in the metropolitan rankings.
October 20, 2025
Insights
Second Circuit Clarifies When DEI/Implicit Bias Training Can Create a Hostile Work Environment—And What Texas Employers Should Do
By Jamila M. Brinson, Dawn S. Holiday, and Ariel Perez
On September 25, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a significant decision in Chislett v. New York City Department of Education et al, partially reversing summary judgment and allowing a hostile work environment claim to proceed to trial.
October 16, 2025
Spotlight
Jackson Walker Again Named Among Top Firms for Employment Litigation in BTI’s 2026 Rankings
Jackson Walker announces its continued recognition by BTI Consulting Group as one of the nation’s top law firms for employment litigation. In the newly released BTI Litigation Outlook 2026, the firm is recognized as one of “The BTI Employment Litigation Leaders,” marking a second consecutive year of distinction.
October 6, 2025
Insights
The Non-Compete Conundrum: The Ban, The Backlash, And What’s Next
By G. Scott Fiddler and Michael A. Drab
In April of last year, the FTC voted to implement its final rule prohibiting non-compete agreements in the workplace. The rule, as a practical matter, eliminated the patchwork of non-compete statutes and common law adopted on a state-by-state basis. It also was designed to greatly reduce the use and enforceability of non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, except in the narrowest of circumstances.
October 3, 2025
Insights
Day 3 of Government Shutdown: What Employers Should Know
By Kelly D. Cobb
The current U.S. immigration shutdown has created significant uncertainty for employers, HR teams, and legal departments. With key government functions suspended or delayed, companies face disruptions in hiring, onboarding, and compliance processes—especially those relying on foreign talent. This environment demands vigilance and proactive planning. If your business is affected or you’re unsure how to proceed, it’s essential to consult a qualified business immigration attorney to navigate the risks and protect your workforce strategy.
September 23, 2025
Insights
Major Changes to H-1B Visa Program – $100,000 Fee for New Petitions & Employment Considerations
By Sang M. Shin, Kelly D. Cobb, Jackie C. Staple, and Ariel Perez
On September 19, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a Proclamation restricting the entry of certain nonimmigrant workers, introducing a new $100,000 payment requirement for employers filing new H‑1B petitions.
