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Practice Areas: Insurance Defense, Civil Litigation

Additional Information:

Russell D. Cawyer is a partner in the firm’s Labor and Employment practice group. He received his juris doctor, cum laude, from Texas Tech University School of Law, where he also served as a Note Editor on its law review. Mr. Cawyer received his Bachelor of Science, cum laude, from the University of North Texas.

Mr. Cawyer’s practice focuses exclusively on labor and employment-related legal matters, including litigation in federal and state courts; administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, United States Department of Labor, the Texas Workforce Commission - Civil Rights Division, the National Labor Relations Board (including defending both charges of unfair labor practices and representation election proceedings); and proceedings before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other state fair employment practices agencies.

Additionally, Mr. Cawyer has defended employers in multiple complex wage, hour and benefit class actions having nearly 20,000 total putative class members. He also has litigated both federal and state court cases involving numerous workplace claims, including, among others, alleged discrimination, harassment and retaliation; workers’ compensation retaliation; breach of contract; and the enforceability of numerous covenants-not-to-compete. Mr. Cawyer’s defense of employers has included both successful jury and bench trials.

Mr. Cawyer regularly advises employers on employment issues involving federal and state court cases alleging discrimination and sexual harassment. He has litigated employment cases and arbitrated matters arising under collective bargaining agreements. Mr. Cawyer is a frequent author and speaker on human resource, employee relations and labor and employment law developments. He has been board certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2000.

In 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, Texas Monthly recognized Mr. Cawyer as a "Rising Star" in Labor and Employment Law, an honor bestowed annually to only 2.5% of all Texas attorneys. Similarly, he was named one of Fort Worth’s Top Labor and Employment Lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas magazine from 2004 through 2011. He also has been recognized as a "Forty Under Forty" honoree by the Fort Worth Business Press. He has been named a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly magazine from 2009 through 2011. He is also the publisher of the Texas Employment Law Update.

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Firm Members: Donald Hermann