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Laura Calhoun

Member
fax +1 469.227.6566

As a Board Certified Labor and Employment attorney, Laura Calhoun has guided employers and employees in Texas for more than 25 years on all aspects of the employer-employee relationship. She works with businesses of all types but has found a niche practice in veterinarian practices. Laura works to keep her clients protected while providing safe work environments for their employees.

Laura covers a wide range of employment law issues, including discrimination, retaliation, overtime, employment contracts, and non-competition agreements. This includes legal compliance when hiring, taking disciplinary action, and termination. Her experience includes drafting employer policy manuals, employment contracts, independent contractor agreements, confidentiality agreements, and restrictive covenants (non-compete/non-solicitation agreements). Laura also conducts staff training on the prevention of discrimination, retaliation, and sexual harassment. When it’s time for an employee to depart, Laura counsels employers on how to lawfully handle the termination, which may also involve drafting severance and release agreements as part of an amicable resolution to any disputes.

If a lawsuit is threatened or pursued, Laura represents employers in all stages of litigation. She supports clients when responding to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor, as well as related state agencies. She represents clients in state and federal court as well as any ADR proceeding like arbitrations. Her representation covers discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and overtime claims. In a myriad of other matters, Laura provides unwavering support to her clients when defending them against discrimination and harassment claims. As with any discrimination matters, these may be based on age, race, national origin, sex, disability, religion, and any other legally protected status. Additionally, Laura’s experience includes litigating claims involving theft of trade secrets and breach of non-compete/non-solicitation agreements and related applications for injunctive relief.

As a commercial lawyer, Laura represents companies, particularly veterinarians, in the sale of their business, providing extensive counsel on asset purchase agreements and employment contracts.

Education

J.D., South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas, 1991
B.S., Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 1987

Recognitions

Named among The Best Lawyers in America® – Litigation-Labor and Employment by Best Lawyers (2022-2025)

Texas Super Lawyers (2012-2019)

Super Lawyers/Top Women of 2019

Memberships

Plano Bar Association: Board Member 2006 to present. Currently CLE-Director

Collin County Bar Association- Corporate Counsel Section: Co-Chair 2019-2020

Employment Law Section of State Bar of Texas

State Bar Licenses

Texas

Court Admissions

U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
U.S. District Ct., N.D. of Texas
U.S. District Ct., E.D. of Texas
U.S. District Ct., W.D. of Texas

Experience

  • Litigation of state and federal employment law claims, including claims for discrimination, retaliation, and sexual harassment under Title VII, the ADEA, ADA, and Chapter 21 of the Texas Labor Code.
  • Representation of employers and employees on overtime claims/collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
  • Counseling employers on compliance with state and federal employment laws, including drafting/reviewing employer policy manuals and conducting management/staff training on sexual harassment and other anti-discrimination/harassment/retaliation policies, and providing guidance on hiring, performance evaluations, disciplinary action, and termination.
  • Representation of employers and employees in unemployment and wage claims before the Texas Workforce Commission.
  • Representation of clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Texas Workforce Commission-Civil Rights Division on charges of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
  • Negotiation and drafting of employment contracts, non-compete agreements, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, independent contractor agreements, and severance agreements.
  • Representation/counseling on covenants not to compete and other issues of business confidentiality, non-solicitation, trade secrets, and tortious interference with contracts and business relations.
  • Business entity formation, including preparation of state filings and compliance with other business/corporate formalities, shareholder agreements, and buy-sell provisions.
  • Negotiation of asset purchase agreements in connection with the sale of a business.
  • Briefed a variety of employment law issues over the years, including a favorable case for my firm’s client involving the Americans With Disabilities Act which was heard by the United States Supreme Court. See Cleveland v. Policy Management Systems, 526 U.S. 795, 143 L. Ed. 2d 966, 119 S. Ct. 1597 (1999).

Presentations

The Clark Hill approach is equally pragmatic and growth-minded, which is why we understand our clients’ toughest business challenges. Our multidisciplinary, global team of advisors focuses on smart legal solutions, delivered simply.

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