AttorneysEd Center

Douglas Bracken is a board-certified employment law attorney who handles all aspects of employment law, from drafting agreements and employment policies, to litigating all types of employment, labor and business disputes in state and federal court, as well as before governmental agencies such as the EEOC, DOL, OSHA and TWC. He regularly defends companies and management against claims of discrimination, harassment and retaliation, wage and hour claims, as well as prosecutes cases involving non-competes and non-solicitation agreements. Douglas brings over 25 years of experience and an in-depth knowledge of employment regulations such as Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, NLRA and all other applicable state and federal laws.

Douglas also serves as an employment law adviser to companies, helping them develop sound policies and procedures to ensure compliant operations within the company and avoid or mitigate the impact of employee claims. He also advises companies and their executives on employment agreements, including covenants not-to-compete and non-solicitation agreements. Douglas’ proactive approach to employment law has helped many clients avoid litigation and minimize its impact on the business.

In addition, Douglas advises and defends “nonsubscriber” employers who have opted out of the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act on both negligence and ERISA issues. Texas nonsubscriber defense is a specialized, but growing area as more and more companies opt out of the state’s workers’ comp plan and elect to manage those claims independently, and Douglas provides experienced representation and defense to these employers.

Darren Harrington has earned a reputation as one of the top employment law attorneys in the U.S. He has substantial experience in enforcing employment contracts to protect an employer’s trade secrets, and defending against Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citations, claims under the various anti-discrimination statutes, the minimum wage and overtime requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), as well as a broad range of other matters involving employment and traditional labor law.

In regard to OSHA investigations and citations, Darren has represented employers across the country in OSHA inspections, investigations and in defending citations alleging violations of OSHA’s various safety and health standards. Darren’s clients include national and international companies in multiple industries including construction, food processing, oil and gas, and manufacturing. Clients consult with Darren to assist them in providing a safe and OSHA-compliant work environment for their employees. When it comes to defending against OSHA citations, clients appreciate his fight-to-win approach when because he understands that a clean safety record is of paramount importance to the success of many businesses. He knows the OSHA regulations in detail and works with clients to devise the most strategic approach to OSHA compliance and defense.

In addition to representing clients in OSHA cases, Darren is often called upon by employers to protect their trade secrets through the enforcement of restrictive covenants such as non-compete and non-disclosure agreements.

A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, Darren received his undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University where he lettered four years in football. As an undergraduate, Darren double-majored in Political Science and General Business, graduating with both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Business Administration. Darren also served four years in the United States Marine Corps Reserves.

Richard Hathaway, a Director of the Firm, is a trial lawyer who practices in the Commercial Litigation Section. He has significant experience in federal and state courts as well as in arbitration. Richard represents a wide range of clients from individuals and small proprietors to large corporate entities and Fortune 500 companies.

Scope of Practice:
Non-compete enforcement and defense, Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act, construction litigation, real estate litigation (brokerage and landlord/tenant), energy industry litigation, health law litigation, emergency relief, restraining orders and injunctive relief; partnership disputes, Texas Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, and general complex commercial litigation.

Andrea “AJ” Johnson, a director at the Firm, has been practicing in employment law and employment/commercial litigation for more than 30 years. She represents clients all over the nation, provides day-to-day advice on critical, time-sensitive business and employment matters, has tried numerous cases to successful verdict and/or to dispositive adjudication, and has arbitrated and enforced mandatory arbitration programs in several states.

AJ has a straight-forward approach. She seeks the most expedient and effective way to resolve matters and to find the best path forward for clients through prevention and training protocols, to avoid litigation entirely. She developed her approach from years of experience handling a variety of dockets in the areas of employment, general commercial, and national product liability law. In recent years, her practice has included learning about and providing advice to numerous oil and gas and energy services companies, among many other clients, on all issues touching employers and employees, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (overtime and class action litigation), noncompetes and nonsolicitation agreements, RIFs, WARN Act issues, 409A compliance, drug screening, general employee discipline and counseling issues, policies, leave rights and responsibilities, Texas state employment concerns, and all manner of compliance under Title VII, the ADEA, the FMLA, & ADA – among many other statutes.

Due to AJ’s determined and successful approach, she has had considerable favorable results in court over the years, including successfully defending and guiding companies through numerous overtime class actions and DOL audits, winning discrimination actions of first impression, obtaining one of the largest commercial verdicts in 2013 in Texas, obtaining a summary judgement invalidating a patent, and obtaining a complete defense verdict in a $54 million alleged slander suit in Galveston County (cited in the “Biggest Suits” section of Texas Lawyer).