Ed Sullivan
Email: ed@osattorneys.com
Ph: 713.401.3557
Fax: 713.401.3547
Ed Sullivan specializes in labor and employment law. Based out of Houston, he is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Since 2002, Ed has focused on some of the most significant employment law cases in America. From this experience he has developed notable expertise in this type of high-level litigation. Texas Monthly Magazine recognized him as a "Super Lawyer" in both 2012 and 2013 and a “Rising Star Lawyer” for the years 2004-2011. To see an overview of Ed's employment law experience click here.
Ed graduated from Antonian College Preparatory in San Antonio, and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin. After college, he moved to Washington D.C. to work for U.S. Congressman Dick Armey as a Legislative Analyst. He decided, however, that he wanted to make his life in Texas. He then attended and graduated from the University of Houston Law Center. Upon his graduation in 1997, he was admitted into the Order of the Barristers.
After graduation, Ed joined the Texas Attorney General's office in Austin, and represented the State of Texas before every federal district judge in the state. He also handled numerous appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He returned to Houston in 2000 to work for The Honorable Marcia Crone, who currently serves as a United States District Judge in Beaumont, Texas. In 2002, he joined Seyfarth Shaw LLP, one of the largest and most respected labor and employment law firms in the United States, where he represented major companies in a wide range of employment-related disputes. In 2005, the firm named him a partner. Ed left Seyfarth Shaw LLP in June 2010 to pursue a vision he shares with Mark Oberti: To build and run a law firm that sets the standard for excellence in labor and employment law.
Ed is an expert in matters before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Labor. He is also a trial lawyer and has tried several cases to verdict in state and federal court. From 2001-2011, Ed served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston Law Center, where he taught trial advocacy skills to a number of law students. In 2011, Ed was named a Mock Trial Coach for Thurgood Marshall School of Law - Texas Southern University.
Ed enjoys spending time with his family, including his wife Stephanie and his two children, Kate and James.
“Punitive Damages: How Employers Avoid Them, How Employees Obtain Them,” South Texas College of Law’s In House Counsel Conference and 26th Annual Employment Law Conference, Houston, Texas (July 2013)
“2013 Update: Texas Noncompete Law; Trade Secrets Litigation; Texas Adopts The Uniform Trade Secrets Act; Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine; and Fiduciary Duties,” State Bar of Texas, Austin, Texas (June 2013)
“15 Things You Need To Know About The New Wave of Retaliation, Dodd-Frank, and SOX Whistleblower Claims,” State Bar of Texas, Austin, Texas (March 2013)
“Top 10 Ethical Traps for Employment Lawyers (And How To Avoid Them),” State Bar of Texas, Austin, Texas (November 2012)
"Employment Law Ethics - Surreptitiously Recording Conversations," American Petroleum Labor Lawyers' Association, Houston, Texas (October 2012)
"Employment Law 2012 - 10 Hot New Developments All Lawyers Need to Know," State Bar of Texas, Austin, Texas (July 2012)
"FLSA: How to Prosecute and Defend Texas Overtime Claims," State Bar of Texas (December 2011)
"Rumbles in the 'C' Suite – Representing Texas Executives in Employment Disputes," State Bar of Texas (October 2011)
"Retaliation Claims: Welcome to the Danger Zone," State Bar of Texas, Austin, Texas (July 2011)
"Top 10 Mistakes Employers Make, and How to Prevent Them."
- Oberti Sullivan LLP podcasts (summer 2011)
- State Bar of Texas, Austin, Texas (September 2010)
"Analysis of the Supreme Court's Decision in Wal-mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes," Oberti Sullivan LLP website (June 2011)
"A Day in the Life Of An Employment Lawyer," University of Houston Law Center, Houston, Texas (February 2011)
"Family and Medical Leave Act – How to Comply," State Bar of Texas, Austin, Texas (February 2011)
"Texas Non-Compete and Trade Secrets Update," State Bar of Texas, Austin, Texas (December 2010)
"Alternative Fee Arrangements In The New Economy" Garland Walker American Inn of Court, Houston, Texas (November 2010)
"Ethical Issues In The Employment Context," Houston Bar Association, Houston, Texas (November 2010)
"Disability Law Update 2010," Houston Bar Association, Houston, Texas, (October 2010)
"FLSA Litigation – Including Collective Actions"
- University of Houston Advanced Employment Law CLE, Houston, Texas (May 2009)
- University of Houston Advanced Employment Law CLE, Dallas, Texas (May 2009)
- University of Houston Advanced Employment Law CLE, Houston, Texas (April 2008)
- University of Houston Advanced Employment Law CLE, Dallas, Texas (April 2008)
- Houston Bar Association Litigation Section, Houston, Texas (November 2007)
- University of Houston Advanced Employment Law CLE, Dallas, Texas (June 2007)
- University of Houston Advanced Employment Law CLE, Houston, Texas (June 2007)
"Disability Law Update 2009"
- University of Houston Advanced Employment Law CLE, Dallas, Texas (March 2009)
- March 2009, University of Houston Advanced Employment Law CLE, Houston, Texas (March 2009)
"Courtroom Advocacy," Illinois Bar Association, Chicago Illinois (November 2008)
"Handling Reductions In Force in This Economy," Seyfarth Shaw LLP Breakfast Briefing in Houston, Texas (November 2008)
"Five Ways to Reduce Employment Litigation Costs," Association of Corporate Counsel of America, Houston, Texas (May 2008)
"Litigation Hold Letters & Document Preservation Obligations in FLSA Cases," Seyfarth Shaw LLP National Videoconference, Houston, Texas (May 2007)
"FLSA Litigation Strategies"
- Council on Education in Management, Houston, Texas (February 2007)
- Lorman Education Services, Houston, Texas (January 2007)
- Council on Education in Management, Houston, Texas (October 2006)
- Lorman Education Services, Houston, Texas (October 2006)
- Seyfarth Shaw LLP Breakfast Briefing, Houston, Texas (June 2006)
- "FLSA Discovery Strategies – Summary Judgment And Beyond," Seyfarth Shaw LLP Videoconference, Houston, Texas (July 2006)
"Justice Scalia On The Establishment Clause," Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court, Houston, Texas (March 2006)
"Federal Court Practice In The Southern District of Texas – Typical Traps For The Unwary," Houston Bar Association, Houston, Texas (December 2005)
"Interviewing and Hiring Basics," National Law Enforcement Recruiters' Association, Washington, D.C. (September 2005)
"Is Big Brother Watching? Privacy In The Workplace," Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc., Houston, Texas (June 2005)
"Overtime Litigation-Defendant's Perspective; Avoiding and Defending Claims," UHLC Advanced Employment Law CLE, Dallas, Texas (April 2005)
"Limitations on the At-Will Employment Doctrine," Lorman Education Services, McAllen, Texas (November 2004)
"The Importance of Effective Documentation," Lorman Education Services, McAllen, Texas (November 2004)
"Navigating the New Overtime Regulations"
- Houston Hotel & Motel Association, Houston, Texas (October 2004)
- Houston Area Builders and Contractors, Houston, Texas (September 2004)
- Society of Human Resource Managers, Harlingen, Texas (August 2004)
"Historical Origins of the Freedom of Press Clause to the U.S. Constitution," Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court, Houston, Texas (February 2004)
"Managing the Most Difficult FMLA Dilemmas," Council on Education in Management, Houston, Texas (May 2003)
"What Federal Judges Expect From Judicial Interns," University of Houston Law Center, Houston, Texas (May 2003)
"Differences Between District Judges and Magistrate Judges," University of Houston Law Center, Houston, Texas (May 2002)
"Expectations Placed Upon Federal Law Clerks," University of Houston Law Center, Houston, Texas (April 2001)
Education
- J.D., University of Houston (1997)
- Order of the Barristers
- B.A., University of Texas (1992)
Admissions
- State Bar of Texas (Labor and Employment Section)
Courts
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- All Federal District Courts of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
Affiliations
- Texas Board of Legal Specialization (Labor and Employment)
- College of The State Bar of Texas
- Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court, Barrister
- Houston Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section)
