If you own a business and/or supervise employees, it is an inescapable reality that state and federal employment laws affect you. Knowing and understanding them is important. Compliance is critical. It is all too common for a business owner’s first brush with employment laws to occur after the company has unintentionally failed to comply with them and faces significant legal problems as a result. In addition to helping employers understand their obligations, our firm also routinely represents employees taking legal action against their current or former employers for violating the law.
Representing Employers
Minces Rankin Employment Lawyers can help employers avoid employment litigation by:
- Writing and revising your employee handbook and company policies to make sure they comply with current state and federal law
- Preparing important agreements such as non-compete agreements, non-solicitation agreements and other employment agreements
- Creating hiring, firing and disciplinary forms and templates
- Helping your business make sound, lawful business decisions and avoid lawsuits and government investigations
- Providing your management team with timely legal advice before manageable workplace problems become unmanageable
“I could not have been happier with the level of service they provided, from their understanding to their honesty and passion for helping others.” -Lisa Rascoe
Representing Employees
If you are an individual, knowing what is and is not lawful can help you protect your rights and make sound decisions when difficulties arise. When you need advice and representation, we can help. While there are a variety of actions an employee can take against an employer, some of the most common employment litigation matters we handle include:
- Discrimination: If you were treated differently than other employees because of biases and/or prejudices, you may be able to file a lawsuit against your employer or former employer. Employers may not discriminate based on race, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, and other protected statuses.
- Employment Disputes Over Contracts: If you signed a non-compete or non-solicitation agreement as part of your employment contract with your employer, you may not know if it is still valid and exactly how it will work in practice. We can work with you to avoid or fight any temporary restraining orders and/or to revise the terms of an existing agreement to avoid litigation.
- Wrongful Termination: If you were fired without warning and/or without a valid reason, you may have a cause of action for wrongful termination. Because Texas is an at-will employment state, a worker can be fired for any reason; however, the law does protect workers in specific scenarios. We can hear you out and let you know more about your claim.
- Workplace Harassment: A hostile work environment occurs when workplace harassment become so severe or so pervasive that it affects your employment. For a hostile work environment to be illegal, the cause of the hostility must usually revolve around a personal characteristic such as race, sex, national origin, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, military service, pregnancy, retaliation, and more. Sexual harassment is a particularly egregious form of workplace harassment involving actions such as unwelcome touching, catcalls, excessive jokes, or leering, among other conduct.
The attorneys at Minces Rankin have successfully represented and advised businesses, governmental entities, and individuals working in the following industries:
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Grocery
- Retail
- Trucking
- Call centers
- Department stores
- Financial services/insurance
- Health care
- Hotels/hospitality
- Restaurants
Houston Employment Lawyers
At Minces Rankin, our lawyers have over 35 years of combined experience helping business owners and employees resolve employment disputes. Employment law is one of our primary areas of focus, and we understand the discretion and sensitivity needed to successfully resolve disputes for our clients. If you are facing employment litigation of any type, do not wait to speak to an attorney. Our attorneys will analyze your situation and explain your legal options, so contact us today to learn more about how we can help.