Aaron’s practice focuses on the efficient and cost-effective prevention and resolution of employment and business disputes. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies, foreign corporations, large and small businesses, 501(c)(3) non-profits, start-ups, and individual executives and employees.  

Aaron is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer in Employment Law every year since 2020 and served as the 2020–2021 Chair of the Austin Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section. Aaron has been elected as a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation based upon his professional achievements and demonstrated commitment to the improvement of the justice system throughout the State of Texas.

Although his goal is to resolve disputes before they reach the courthouse, Aaron has more than twenty-five years of experience at every level of the Texas state and federal courts, including jury and bench trials and appeals before the Texas Courts of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Texas. He also represents clients in mediation and in binding arbitration before AAA and JAMS. 

Aaron's areas of practice include:

Representation of Employers

• Advising employers on policies and procedures, including hiring, discipline, reductions in force, terminations, and the evaluation and mitigation of risk.

• Drafting, negotiating, and litigating employment-related agreements, including employment, arbitration, severance, and bonus, commission, and other compensation agreements.

• Drafting, negotiating, and litigating post-employment restrictions, including non-compete, confidentiality, non-disclosure, and non-solicitation agreements, and related claims for breach of fiduciary duty and under the Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act.

• Wage and hour and overtime disputes, including individual and collective actions and proceedings before the U.S. Department of Labor and the Texas Workforce Commission.

• Discrimination and retaliation claims based on age, disability, race, sex, pregnancy, national origin, religion, and other classes protected by federal and state law.

• Preparing for and responding to governmental investigations and audits, including those conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Texas Workforce Commission, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Representation of Executives and Employees

• Reviewing and negotiating employment agreements, offer letters, and bonus, commission, and other compensation arrangements.

• Reviewing and negotiating severance and separation agreements.

• Advising executives and professionals as to the restrictions on mobility imposed by existing non-compete, confidentiality, non-disclosure, and non-solicitation obligations, and defending against related claims.

• Wage and hour claims, including unpaid overtime and unpaid commission and bonus disputes.

• Retaliation and whistleblower claims, including claims under Chapter 260A of the Texas Health and Safety Code, which prohibits retaliation against employees of nursing homes and assisted living facilities who report neglect, abuse, or exploitation of residents.

Business, Contracts, and Real Estate

• Drafting, defending, and enforcing commercial agreements, including commercial and residential leases, real estate contracts, sales and service contracts, purchase orders, independent contractor and consulting agreements, settlement agreements, and mechanic’s liens.

• Defending fair housing claims and claims under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (public accommodations).

• Filing and responding to motions to dismiss under the Texas Citizens Participation Act.

Administrative and Licensure Matters

• Representing clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Texas Workforce Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Texas Medical Board, Texas Board of Nursing, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and the City of Austin’s Fair Housing and Equal Employment Office, including appeals of agency decisions to district and appellate courts.

• Representing applicants before the Texas Board of Law Examiners.

Background

Aaron was born and raised in McAllen, Texas. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin’s Plan II Honors Program in 1997 and from The University of Texas School of Law in 2000, and was admitted to the Texas Bar in November 2000. He began his career in the employment law section of Winstead Sechrest & Minick in Houston. From 2008 to 2016 he practiced with Hill, Ducloux, Carnes & de la Garza in Austin. Aaron opened his own practice in 2016.

Aaron is admitted to practice before the courts of the State of Texas, the United States District Courts for the Western and Southern Districts of Texas, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He is a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas and has served as a certified guardian ad litem and as a Texas Education Agency–appointed independent hearing examiner for school district employment disputes.

Aaron lives in central Austin with his wife, Jennifer, and their two children. In his spare time, Aaron is an active member and officer of the Underground Texas Grotto, the oldest caving organization in Texas.