Courtney M. Smith

Ms. Smith’s experience includes the following:

• Representing employers in all aspects of litigation, including lawsuits for harassment and discrimination, wrongful termination, breach of contract, breach of non-compete agreements, misappropriation of trade secrets, unfair competition, retaliation, defamation, and wage disputes

• Representing employers in administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Texas Workforce Commission, and other state and federal agencies

• Representing employers in wage-and-hour class actions ranging from 30 to thousands of employees, with primary responsibility for investigating claims, calculating liability, negotiating settlements, obtaining court approval of class settlements, and overseeing settlement administration.  Issues litigated include employee misclassification, off-the-clock work, unpaid business expenses, unpaid overtime, and missed meal and rest periods

• Advising employers on the full array of employment-related issues, including terminations, hiring, discipline, reasonable accommodations, FMLA compliance, wage-and-hour compliance, proper classification of employees as exempt/non-exempt, internal investigations, the WARN Act, commission disputes, disparate treatment, and other issues arising in the workplace

• Reviewing and creating employee handbooks and policies of all types

• Served “on loan” as in-house litigation counsel to international food company

• Served “on loan” as in-house employment counsel to major studio/entertainment company