Practice Area Overview

Walter S. Cowger, Attorney at Law
Dallas Fort Worth Employment Litigation

Employment Litigation and Counseling / Business Litigation
ERISA / Contract Negotiation / Investigations

“The essence of being a lawyer is that you think solely of your client’s interests - not your own.”

At the Dallas Fort Worth employment law office of Walter S. Cowger, I offer dedicated, professional representation for clients involved in employment or business litigation or negotiation. From my office in the Comerica Tower in downtown Dallas, I represent a variety of clients including individuals, small businesses, and Fortune 500 corporations. I have 32 years of experience, and was a partner in the firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld L.L.C. for 15 years. Contact my Dallas, Texas, employment litigation law office today if you need representation for any of my practice areas:

Negotiation – I have negotiated scores of employment-related agreements for both employers and employees, including employment contracts, nondisclosure agreements, noncompetes, and severance agreements, ranging from simple to complex.  I have also negotiated the resolution of a great many lawsuits and disputes, both employment-related and general business-related. 

Employment-Related Lawsuits – I have handled well over 100 employment-related lawsuits, mostly on the defense side, involving claims of discrimination (race, sex, age, disability); sexual harassment; retaliation (for complaining of discrimination and for filing workers’ compensation claims); defamation; assault & battery; drug testing; whistleblowing; and just about any other employment-related claim imaginable.  I have obtained summary judgments in many of these cases, settled others, and successfully tried still others.     

General Business Litigation - I have represented large and small businesses and individuals in a wide variety of general business lawsuits. Some recent representations include:

Defense of the seller of an interest in a group of radio stations against claims of misrepresentation and failure to disclose in the sale transaction. Settled favorably to the seller.

Representation of a defense contractor against a claim by a subcontractor seeking payment on a subcontract concerning fighter plane flight simulators. Settled favorably to the defense contractor.

Defense of an insurance company and its principals in a suit asserting DTPA and fraud claims in connection with a real estate transaction. Obtained summary judgment in Texas state court dismissing all claims.

Defense of employee sued by his former employer asserting civil RICO claims. Suit is ongoing.

Employment Counseling – I have counseled both employers and employees on all aspects of the employment relationship, including employment contracts, disciplinary issues, wage-hour issues (both rate-of-pay and exempt/nonexempt classification), employee handbooks, noncompete and nondisclosure agreements, unemployment, independent contractor v. employee status, and severance agreements. 

Investigations – When an employee makes a complaint of discrimination or harassment (either an internal complaint or a charge of discrimination filed with the EEOC or TWC), the employer has a legal obligation to conduct a prompt, thorough, and unbiased investigation of the complaint.  Ideally, the investigation should be handled by outside counsel.  Often, the employer will have someone other than its regular outside counsel conduct the investigation, so that regular outside counsel will not be “conflicted out” and will be able to defend the employer in any lawsuit arising from the complaint.  I have conducted many such investigations, involving complaints directed at co-workers ranging from low-level supervisors to CEOs.

ERISA - I have represented both employers and employees in various ERISA matters, including:

Defending a large retailer in a class action lawsuit alleging that the retailer's change of its workforce from predominantly full-time to predominantly part-time violated ERISA § 510. Suit settled favorably to employer.

Defending an employer in a suit by a deceased employee's next of kin challenging the denial of claims for several hundred thousand dollars of medical expenses. Suit settled favorably to employer.

Obtaining long-term disability benefits on behalf of an employee after an initial denial of benefits by the insurance carrier.

Obtaining reinstatement of retiree medical benefits for an employee after the initial denial of those benefits.

Legal Malpractice - I have represented both plaintiffs and defendants in legal malpractice claims.

Dallas Fort Worth Business Litigation
Walter S. Cowger, Attorney at Law

If you need experienced and professional representation for any employment or business litigation matter, contact Texas business litigation attorney Walter S. Cowger, today to discuss.

Walter S. Cowger, Attorney at Law
1717 Main St., Suite 5500 • Dallas, TX, 75201
Phone: (214) 743-4190 • Fax: (214) 743-4191

Walter S. Cowger, Attorney at Law, provides Texas employment and business litigation services in Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), McKinney, Plano, Irving, Arlington, Tarrant County, Dallas County, Collin County, and throughout Texas