Austin Employment Lawyer

When employers engage in workplace discrimination, harassment, wage theft, or wrongful termination, you need powerful legal representation to hold them accountable and recover the compensation you deserve. Call Holt Major Lackey, PLLC, at (512) 881-1529 to schedule a confidential consultation with an award-winning Austin employment lawyer who stands ready to protect your rights.

Why Trust Holt Major Lackey, PLLC?

Holt Major Lackey, PLLC, has nearly two decades of experience, establishing a legacy of upholding equal justice under law for workers facing powerful corporate interests. Our team recognizes that wealth often distorts the legal system, creating advantages for employers who can afford expensive defense firms while leaving individual workers vulnerable to legal intimidation.

We founded Holt Major Lackey, PLLC, specifically to combat this imbalance and provide workers with the aggressive representation they need to stand up against corporate legal bullying. Our commitment to fighting the powerful means we level the playing field by bringing sophisticated legal strategies, thorough case preparation, and unwavering advocacy to every employment dispute we handle.

How Our Austin Employment Lawyer Team Will Fight for You

Texas employment law covers a wide range of statutes, regulations, and common law principles that govern the employer-employee relationship. We manage all types of workplace legal matters. Our approach combines detailed investigation of your situation, strategic legal analysis of applicable laws, and aggressive advocacy designed to achieve maximum compensation and accountability for employer misconduct.

Fight Workplace Harassment and Discrimination

Texas and federal laws prohibit employers from treating workers differently based on protected characteristics or tolerating hostile work environments. We represent employees who face illegal treatment, including:

• Race discrimination
• Sex and gender discrimination
• Age discrimination
• Disability discrimination
• Religious discrimination

Under Texas Labor Code § 21.051, employers with 15 or more employees cannot discriminate based on protected characteristics in any aspect of employment. We build comprehensive cases that demonstrate discriminatory patterns, gather witness testimony, document disparate treatment, and consult with experts who can establish the discriminatory impact of employer policies.

Many discrimination cases involve subtle bias rather than explicit statements, requiring careful analysis of employment records, comparative evidence showing how similarly situated employees received different treatment, and expert testimony about discriminatory practices.

Review Employment Contracts

Employment agreements often contain provisions that restrict your future opportunities, limit your compensation, or waive critical legal rights. We review proposed contracts before you sign them, identifying:

• Problematic clauses, such as overly broad non-compete agreements.
• Mandatory arbitration provisions that prevent you from accessing courts.
• Confidentiality terms that might prevent you from reporting illegal conduct.

Our analysis helps you understand what rights you’re surrendering so we can negotiate better terms that protect your interests while allowing you to accept the position.

Negotiate Severance Agreements

We evaluate whether proposed severance packages adequately compensate you for the claims you’re releasing, negotiate improved financial terms and benefits continuation, and ensure you understand exactly what rights you’re giving up. Many workers sign inadequate severance agreements without realizing they have valid discrimination, harassment, or wrongful termination claims worth significantly more than the offered severance payment.

Challenge Unpaid Wage and Overtime Issues

Texas law requires employers to pay workers for all hours worked and provide proper overtime compensation for non-exempt employees. We represent workers facing wage violations, including unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work requirements, and illegal deductions from paychecks.

Under Texas Labor Code § 61.013, employers are required to pay wages according to agreed-upon terms. They may not withhold or divert any portion of an employee’s wages except in limited circumstances. Wage theft cases may entitle you to recover:

• Unpaid regular wages and overtime compensation
• Liquidated damages equal to the unpaid wages
• Attorney’s fees and court costs
• Interest on unpaid amounts

Employers frequently misclassify workers as exempt from overtime requirements, fail to include certain compensation when calculating overtime rates, or require employees to work through breaks without pay. Our Austin employment attorneys analyze your job duties, review pay records, calculate the full extent of unpaid wages, and pursue maximum recovery through negotiation or litigation.

Address Wrongful Termination

Wrongful termination cases require proving that the employer’s stated reason for termination was pretextual and that illegal motivation actually drove the firing decision. We gather evidence showing a clear timeline between protected activity and termination, demonstrate inconsistencies in the employer’s explanations, and present comparative evidence of how other employees were treated.

Navigate Retaliation and Whistleblower Claims

Texas and federal law prohibit employers from punishing workers who report illegal conduct, participate in investigations, or exercise their legal rights. We represent employees facing retaliation for:

• Reporting workplace safety violations: The Occupational Safety and Health Act protects workers who report unsafe conditions to OSHA or refuse to perform work that poses imminent danger. Employers cannot demote, terminate, or otherwise retaliate against employees for raising legitimate safety concerns or participating in OSHA inspections.
• Complaining about discrimination or harassment: Title VII and other civil rights laws prohibit retaliation against employees who oppose discriminatory practices or participate in discrimination investigations. Our team pursues claims when employers punish workers for filing EEOC charges, testifying in discrimination proceedings, or internally complaining about harassment.
• Disclosing illegal activities: Various whistleblower statutes protect employees who report fraud, environmental violations, financial misconduct, or other illegal activities to appropriate authorities. We represent whistleblowers facing career destruction because they exposed wrongdoing that threatened public interests.
• Taking protected leave: The Family and Medical Leave Act prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who take FMLA leave for serious health conditions or family care needs. Our Austin employment attorneys challenge employers who terminate, demote, or deny benefits to employees because they exercised their right to protected medical leave.

Retaliation claims require proving that you engaged in protected activity, suffered an adverse employment action, and a causal connection existed between your protected conduct and the employer’s negative action. We establish causation through timing evidence, shifting explanations from the employer, comparative treatment of other employees, and direct or circumstantial proof that your protected activity motivated the retaliation.

Strong retaliation cases often involve a short time gap between protected activity and adverse action, employer statements suggesting retaliatory motive, and departures from normal company procedures when disciplining or terminating the complaining employee.

Contact an Austin Employment Lawyer for Immediate Assistance

Employer violations of your workplace rights demand immediate action to preserve evidence, meet filing deadlines, and begin building your case. Contact Holt Major Lackey, PLLC, at (512) 881-1529 or reach out online to schedule a confidential consultation. During this meeting, we will assess your situation, outline your legal options, and devise a strategy to hold your employer accountable.