Employment Law

Advocacy for Your Career, Your Reputation, and Your Future.

Mehaffey & Watson accepts a limited number of employment cases. An employment dispute involves your livelihood, your reputation, and your ability to continue your life on its current trajectory. The power imbalance between employer and employee is significant. Laws favorable to employers, “gotcha” administrative requirements for filing a claim, and courtroom rules of evidence make it difficult to pursue a claim on your own.

Texas has been a strict “at-will” state since the 1800s. Since 1888, Texas employers have been able to terminate employees for "good cause, bad cause, or no cause at all." East Line & R.R.R. Co. v. Scott, 72 Tex. 70 (1888). Even if you win, collecting back pay and ensuring employers honor agreements is difficult. To provide the best possible service, Mehaffey & Watson only accepts cases that fall into one of the categories listed below and involve provable financial loss.

We focus on cases with a quantifiable financial loss of over $10,000. This level of loss is common if you have been in your position for several months or years. If your case fits into one of the categories below and resulted in $10,000 or more in provable financial loss, give us a call. Initial consultations are free.

PRACTICE AREAS

Discrimination (Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act / Texas Labor Code Chapter 21)

  • Race, Sex, and National Origin

  • Pregnancy, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity

  • Religious Beliefs or Age (40 and older)

  • Disability (ADA) and failure to provide reasonable accommodations

Wage & Leave (FLSA, FMLA, and Texas Payday Law)

  • Unpaid overtime and minimum wage violations

  • Misclassification of independent contractors

  • Interference with family or medical leave

  • Commission disputes and "off-the-clock" work

Retaliation & Whistleblower Claims

  • Reporting fraud, safety violations, or unlawful conduct

  • Filing a Workers’ Compensation claim (Labor Code § 451)

  • Refusing to perform an illegal act (Sabine Pilot Doctrine)

  • Public employees reporting violations of law

Contractual Disputes

  • Breach of Employment Contracts

  • Non-compete Agreements

  • Independent Contractor Disputes