Monica Velazquez is a Board-certified labor and employment attorney. For over a decade, Monica has represented private employers, public entities, and non-profits in a variety of labor and employment law matters. Monica defends companies who are faced with discrimination, harassment, retaliation, class actions, and other claims under a variety of federal, state, and local laws, including, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII, ADA, FMLA, USERRA, the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act, and other laws.
Monica counsels her clients on all aspects of employment relationships, from hiring to firing, to drafting employee handbooks, immigration matters, training, and responding to agency investigations. Monica also provides knowledgeable advice on employment agreements and contracts containing non-competition, non-solicitation, and nondisclosure provisions designed to protect business’s trade secrets. Monica also provides advice to clients on severance agreements.
Monica’s clients have also included cities, school districts, housing authorities, special districts, governmental entities, and non-profits faced a variety of employment law matters.
Monica is Board Certified in Labor & Employment Law by the Texas Board for Legal Specialization.
EXPERIENCE
Successfully obtained summary judgment in a case involving Section 1981 race discrimination and breach of contract claims brought by a former employee against national company (Fed. District Court for District of Utah, January 2016).
Successfully obtained summary judgment in breach of written and oral contract case brought by a former employee against oil and gas company (Midland County, November 2011 and December 2013).
Successfully obtained summary judgment in ADEA case with an adverse EEOC cause finding brought by former employee against national trucking company (Western District of Texas, March 2013)
Successfully obtained summary judgment in a TCHRA race discrimination and retaliation case brought by former employee against national company (Collin County, January 2013)
Successfully obtained summary judgment in an ADA failure to accommodate case with an adverse EEOC cause finding (Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division, October 2012).
Successfully obtained summary judgment in a TCHRA sexual harassment and retaliation case against national company (Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, April 2012).
Successfully obtained summary judgment in breach of contract case brought by former employee against national company (Eastern District of Texas, March 2011).
Successfully obtained summary judgment in arbitration on race discrimination and breach of contract case(AAA, November 2010).
Successfully obtained summary judgment of sexual harassment claim in California state court and dismissal of all related claims (Orange County Superior Court of California, August 2010).
Tried a non-compete employment case through arbitration (August 2008).
Successfully defended client in a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective action (Dallas, January 2008).
Successfully obtained summary judgment in wrongful termination case (Arbitration, September 2007).
Temporary injunction obtained in a breach of noncompete, trade secret theft matter (Collin County, July 2007).
Successfully obtained summary judgment in an FML Aretaliation case (Eastern District of Texas, March 2006).
Successfully obtained summary judgment in a race discrimination failure to hire case (Dallas County, February 2006).
Successfully tried to jury verdict sex discrimination and Equal Pay Act case (Northern District of Texas, November 2004).
Successfully obtained dismissal of a discrimination case on a motion to compel the enforcement of an arbitration agreement (Northern District of Texas, May 2004).
Successfully obtained summary judgment for a small family-owned business in a suit involving same-sex sexual harassment (Eastern District of Texas, August 2003).
ORGANIZATIONS
Dallas Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section
Collin County Bar Association, Member
Texas Association of Young Lawyers, Member
Harvard Club of Dallas, Member
City House, Board of Directors (2009-2013)
PRESENTATIONS
Significant Issues in the Workplace, Strasburger’s Business & Law Forum (May 2016)
Top 10 Employment Law Mistakes, Client Presentation (May 2016)
Social Media in the Workplace – NLRB Issues & Beyond,
Strasburger’s School Law 102 (April 2016)
Top 10 Employment Law Pitfalls, Client Presentation (January 2016)
Documenting Teacher Performance, The Educators Law Forum (September 2015)
Ebola, Protecting Yourself, Your Workplace, and Your Employees, Strasburger’s Employment Law Breakfast Series (November 2014)
No Pot, No Tats, No Cigs…No Gig!, Strasburger’s Employment Law Breakfast Series (September 2014)
Employment Law 101: Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid , Strasburger’s Educator’s Law Forum (September 2014)
Confidentiality in the Workplace: Everything from “Shhh-It’s A Secret” to “She Posted What?!”, Texas Housing Authority Conference (August 2014)
Panelist. Employment Law Q&A, Housing Authorities of Texas Symposium (November 2013)
BYOD BEWARE:Likes, Tweets, Tags, and Other Things That Aren ’t Private at Work, Strasburger’s Employment Law Breakfast Series (May 2013)
Credit, Crime, and Social Media Checks by Employers – Oh My!, Strasburger’s Employment Law Breakfast Series (September 2012)
Hiring Foreign Nationals: What Employers Need to Know, HRSouthwest Conference (October 2011)
New Year, New Start: The Top Employer Strategies for 2011, Strasburger’s Employment Law Breakfast Series (February 2011)
Facebook Flops and Twitter Troubles: Social Media in the Workplace, Plano Bar Association (January 2011)
Family Medical Leave Act Presentation, Human Resources Managers (October 2010)
Alcohol and Drug Testing of Employees, Texas Association of Pupil Transportation (June 2010)
FLSA Wage and Hour Issues in the Nursing and Allied Health Professions, DFW Hospital Council (June 2010)
Top Ten Ways to be Sued as an Employer , Strasburger Business & Law Forum (April 2010)
FLSA Wage and Hour Pitfalls: When Pinching Pennies Costs You Dollars, Strasburger Employment Law Breakfast Series (February 2010)
Defending Texas Noncompetes, Strasburger Business & Law Forum (June 2007)
Overview of Labor & Employment Law, Baylor MBA Evening Program (May 2007)
FLSA and Form I-9 Compliance Presentation , Human Resource Managers (July 2006)
PUBLICATIONS
Co-author. Ban the Box? Weighing the Pros, Cons, Texas Lawyer (April 2015)
Co-author. An Educated Response to Cyberbullying, Texas School Business Magazine (March 2015)
For the First Time in Forever – The Supreme Court Sides with a Mom, Strasburger Employment Law Blog (March 2015)
Should Employers Be Compelled to Provide Paid Sick Leave to Employees?, The Business Journals (February 2014)
Ebola in the Workplace, Strasburger Employment Law Blog (October 2014)
Employee Final Pay: Don’t End up like Jamie Lannister, Strasburger Employment Law Blog (June 2014)
$3487 per Word: Loose Lips Sink Ships and Employees, Too, Strasburger Employment Law Blog (March 2014)
Sleeping on the Job: The Legal Dangers of Sleep Pods, Strasburger Employment Law Blog (March 2014)
Must you Pay Employees when Disaster Strikes?, Strasburger Employment Law Blog (May 2013)
With a Little Help From My Friends: The Supreme Court Expands Title VII Protection For
Employees, Strasburger Employment Law Blog (February 2011)
Smelly in the Workplace? Just How Expensive is that Perfume you are Wearing? New Forms of Discrimination Under the Expanded ADA, Strasburger Labor & Employment Newsletter (April 2010)
Mandatory Overtime Prohibited for Nurses in Texas… and Soon Elsewhere?, Strasburger Health Industry Online (December 2009)
MEDIA
Overtime: Effect of Proposed Rule , Community Impact Newspaper (August 2016)
Improving Data Security Can Save Mid-Market Companies Money, Boost Opportunities, Dallas Business Journal (January 2016)