Dallas Employment Lawyer Blog

If HR Isn’t There to Help You, Who Is HR For?

February 9, 2026 | Robert J. Wiley

This blog explains the role Human Resources actually plays in the workplace, why HR is not an employee advocate, and why Texas employees should still report workplace issues while protecting themselves through documentation and realistic expectations.

Blog Text:

Many employees believe Human Resources exists to help them, which is a totally understandable assumption. HR is the go-to for employees with just about any workplace question and is often presented as a neutral resource. But when a serious workplace issue arises, such as discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, employees often discover that HR’s role is not what they expected.

“I Didn’t Do That!” – The Reality of Defamation Cases in Texas

February 2, 2026 | Cassidy Monska

Dallas Employment Trial Lawyer Cassidy Monska

“I Didn’t Do That!” – The Reality of Defamation Cases in Texas

When someone spreads false information about you, whether to potential employers, customers, or colleagues, it feels deeply personal and damaging. The instinctive reaction is often: “That’s defamation! I’ll sue!” But in Texas, defamation cases are far more complex than most people realize. What seems like a straightforward claim often turns into a legal uphill battle.

What Information Can an Employer Legally Request From an Employee?

January 26, 2026 | Riley Carter

Dallas Employment Trial Lawyer Riley Carter

Employees are often asked to provide personal information as part of the hiring process or during their employment. While employers do have the right to collect certain information, that right is not unlimited. Federal and state laws strictly regulate what employers may request, when they may request it, and how that information may be used.

Understanding these boundaries is critical for employees who want to protect their rights.

Honoring Dr. King: Employment Law, Civil Rights, and the Continuing Fight for Justice in Texas

January 19, 2026 | Robert J. Wiley

Dallas Senior Trial Attorney Deontae Wherry

Every year, we gather to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But to truly honor him, we cannot settle for speeches and ceremonies. Dr. King never asked us to be comfortable, he asked us to be courageous. He asked us to look honestly at the world around us and refuse to accept injustice as normal. Here, in Texas, that call still echoes loudly.

Dr. King understood something profound: the struggle for civil rights and the struggle for workplace justice are the same fight. He knew that a person cannot live free if they cannot work free from discrimination, free from retaliation, free from exploitation, free from the systems that suffocate opportunities. Dr. King often reminded us that laws limiting the rights of Black Americans also limited their ability to participate fully in the economy. Economic inequality and racial inequality, he insisted, were two sides of the same broken coin.

Workers in Domestically Violent Relationships

January 19, 2026 | Robert J. Wiley

Rachel Bethel Dallas
Trial Attorney

Domestic violence (“DV”) does not confine itself to a victim’s home. DV hunts survivors down to factory floors, hospital units, classrooms, and office desks.

Several states have recognized the intimate link between a survivor’s physical safety and a survivor’s financial security.

What Happens if I Get Sued for Violating a Non-Compete?

January 12, 2026 | Robert J. Wiley

Despite the FTC ruling that non-competes are unenforceable, this ruling has been blocked by a judge in the Northern District of Texas and is tied up in continued litigation. Therefore, in Texas, noncompete agreements are enforceable. Read my other blog here to learn more about what makes a non-compete enforceable in Texas. Texas employers often move quickly when accusing a former worker of violating a noncompete, sometimes seeking emergency court orders that threaten your new job, your clients, and your livelihood. Understanding the process can help you protect your rights and respond strategically. Here’s what typically happens when you, the employee, are on the receiving end of a noncompete dispute in Texas.

1. The Accusation or Cease-and-Desist Letter

Most noncompete disputes (and lawsuits in general) begin with a cease-and-desist letter. This letter usually claims you’re working for a competitor, soliciting customers, or using company information in violation of your agreement. It may demand that you:

A Bittersweet End to the Designer Cupcake Era: Sprinkles’s Sudden Nationwide Closure and WARN Act Considerations

January 7, 2026 | Robert J. Wiley

Sprinkles Cupcakes, the once-ubiquitous gourmet bakery chain famous for its colorful storefronts and viral cupcake ATMs abruptly closed all of its retail locations and vending machines nationwide as of December 31, 2025, ending a 20-year run that began in Beverly Hills in 2005. The company’s founder, Candace Nelson, confirmed the shutdown in a TikTok post, describing the moment as “surreal” and not how she envisioned the brand’s legacy after selling it to private equity in 2012. With more than 20 storefronts across several states and numerous airport and mall ATMs, the sudden disappearance of Sprinkles shocked both longtime customers and employees alike.

I was a loyal Sprinkles customer myself. I went to college in Richardson, Texas, which is not known for its nightlife. But all-nighters were way more exciting when my friends and I would barrel up 75 to grab a cupcake at 4 AM from the Sprinkles ATM, which sang a ridiculous song at an even more ridiculous volume that had us sleep-deprived college kids in tears at its absurdity. I had a birthday just weeks after the onset of the covid-19 pandemic that sent us all into our homes and locked away from each other, and a vending machine cupcake seemed like the safest option to blow a candle out onto. When I graduated law school a few weeks later, again, I commemorated the occasion with a pastel-pink strawberry cupcake that my cat Rosie ate a quarter of when my back was turned. Those were huge cupcakes too. She’s a fluffy cat.

But my sweet memories pale in comparison to the plight of the employees who saw their jobs ripped from under them without warning immediately after working an unforgivingly busy holiday season. The closure was especially abrupt for staff, with many workers reporting they were given as little as one day’s notice and no severance pay, leading to public frustration and outcry on social media. After all, how could a brand that charged $82 for a dozen cupcakes and constantly sold out of product go out of business? Maybe I just answered my own question.

New Year, Same Tactics: How to Stay One Step Ahead of Your Employer Going Into 2026

January 5, 2026 | Robert J. Wiley

For many Dallas employees, December feels like the worst time to deal with a work problem. Everyone is juggling holiday travel, office potlucks, and year-end deadlines, and it’s extremely tempting to tell yourself, “I’ll deal with that in January.” We hear this all the time. Employees want to rock around the Christmas tree, not rock the boat, and employers often count on that hesitation. Unfortunately, your workplace rights don’t take a holiday break, no matter how much we wish the law would let us hit “pause” until after New Year’s.

The truth is that waiting can have real consequences. Employment laws run on strict timelines, evidence can disappear quickly, and employers make major decisions in December that can shape your case long before the new year ever arrives. As cozy as it sounds to postpone everything until January, that delay can close doors you didn’t even know were closing.

One of the most important reasons not to put off seeking advice is the legal deadlines that apply to discrimination and retaliation claims. In Texas, employees generally have 300 days from the date of an adverse action to file with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC explains these filing rules clearly on their website. Meanwhile, state-level claims filed through the Texas Workforce Commission often have even shorter timelines. Here’s the part many employees don’t realize: the clock keeps ticking regardless of holidays, holiday parties, or your supervisor being “OOO until January 3.” If your boss retaliated against you in March or April, December might be your last chance to preserve your rights.

Texas Sales Representative Act provides rare protections for contractors

December 29, 2025 | Robert J. Wiley

Summary: This blog briefly discusses what it means to be an independent contractor or employee. In particular, it goes over some special rights afforded to sales representatives who are contractors in Texas.

In employment law, a lot can turn on whether you are considered an employee or an independent contractor. Legally, whether someone is an employee and not an independent contractor largely depends on the level of “control” the employer has over the person’s day-to-day work. The more freedom someone has to set their own schedule, control their own work quality, use their own supplies, and choose where or with whom they want to work, the more likely they are to be an independent contractor and not an employee. On the other hand, whether your employer labels you a contractor or issues a Form 1099 to you at the end of the year are relatively unimportant. Although on paper being a contractor can sound great, unfortunately some employers may deliberately misclassify employees as contractors.

That is because, in Texas, those considered independent contractors are typically afforded fewer rights than employees. They generally do not get any of the benefits employees do. And an independent contractor is generally exempt from most civil rights protections or similar laws that protect employees. Really, the only protections that a contractor can typically rely on are those in their written contract itself (if they have one at all).

Fired Right Before the Holidays? Severance, Unemployment, and Your Next Moves

December 22, 2025 | Cassidy Monska

Dallas Employment Trial Lawyer Cassidy Monska

Fired Right Before the Holidays? Severance, Unemployment, and Your Next Moves

Getting terminated right before the holidays can feel devastating. Beyond the emotional impact, you need to act quickly to protect your rights and financial stability. Here’s a practical checklist to guide your next steps.