If you are an executive and look around carefully at other law firms, you will discover that most plaintiffs’ attorneys operate on a volume basis and spend the vast majority of their time assisting unsophisticated low-wage earners. They are typically unused to handling C-suite executives’ demands or compensation structure. Due to the number of cases they handle simultaneously, they struggle to respond to a client's immediate needs. Sometimes, these plaintiffs’ lawyers become overwhelmed and intimidated when an employer engages a premier law firm to defend the case.
Is that the type of lawyer you want? Would you hire this kind of lawyer if you were spending the company’s money?
What differentiates Oberti Sullivan from those types of lawyers? It boils down to four reasons:
Attention to Detail. We are not a volume shop. We take a small number of clients and cases that interest and motivate us to achieve superior results. Oberti Sullivan provides individualized attention to your concerns and does the hard work learning the complicated facts of your case. Early and often, we will ask you tough questions because we never want to be caught off-guard by the other side, and we do not want you to ever be on the defensive.
Experience. Mark and Ed have over fifty years of combined employment law experience. We have represented CEOs, COOs, CFOs, and others in the C-Suite. We also have decades of experience representing employers in high-level disputes. Our experience representing both employers and executives is rare and significantly enhances our value. We prepare for the many tactics a company could deploy against you, and we collaborate with you to design an individualized game plan to maximize your legal leverage.
Reputation. As an executive, when you make a legal claim against your employer or former employer, they will make a reasonably quick decision about how seriously they need to take your allegations and maybe how much money to put in reserve. Many companies place a value on your claim based on the lawyers you hire. If you hire a "settle quick and cheap lawyer," the other side will respond accordingly. So, it is critical to hire lawyers who are known, respected, and unafraid to take your case all the way.
Results. Ultimately, this is why you want a lawyer. Period. We consistently deliver results for executive clients. We work on a contingency basis, so we don't have any incentive to drag your case out by the hour. Our entire mindset is to do what is necessary to obtain the maximum value for you and your case. We work hard to understand your case’s unique facts and devote our time, energy, and efforts to achieving the results and testimonials you see below.
We have obtained significant financial awards, typically through confidential settlements, for many of our executive clients. These are people who have succeeded at the workplace for a long time, worked in various highly compensated professional positions, and often served on a company’s leadership team.
For a Chief Legal Officer alleging age and sex discrimination case.
for a Marketing Director alleging race discrimination.
for a breach of contract claim by a former executive in the finance industry
for a Vice President of HR alleging race discrimination
Breach of employment agreement for former Director of company
National origin discrimination claim for former CFO of company.
to an African American applicant for a Vice President position for race discrimination and retaliation.
for a mid-level executive who alleged he was fired without cause
for a Diversity and Inclusion officer in a race discrimination and retaliation case
We have a track record of working with some of Texas’ highest-paid executives and delivering results. We routinely handle the following types of cases for executives:
Most employees do not have such a contract and are “at-will” employees. Many executives, however, do have such agreements. We routinely assist executives in analyzing, explaining, and helping you negotiate the terms of that important contract. You need to know if you are signing something that protects you if the worst happens in your future job or if it merely has the veneer of protection.
Frequently, if you have such a contract and are terminated, the company will argue that you were fired “for cause” and provide you with no money. You may have uprooted your life and family for a high-level position that only lasted a short time and find yourself without any compensation. You may have a claim that the company breached its contract with you. We have handled many such cases, and we are not intimidated when the company hires a white-shoe law firm to represent it, defending against your allegations. In fact, we thrive on it and have delivered superior results to our past clients who faced similar situations.
If you are an executive and we agree to litigate on your behalf, it is because our vetting suggests that you have a good case. We will not ask you for an up-front retainer, and in the vast majority of cases, we exempt from our fee structuring agreement any money that you may have already been offered. When you interview other firms, please see if that is their practice.
If you have such an agreement, you may be entitled to a significant monetary award if the company is acquired. You will wish to discover the impact of the change in control, and you may be curious about the preconditions that must occur before you can recover what you were promised. We frequently counsel clients on such highly technical agreements.
You may have been provided and required to sign a seemingly “standard” non-compete and non-solicitation agreement. Now, you wish to understand what you were provided (or signed) and the limitations contained therein. You will want to know how enforceable the agreement is in a court of law and the process of defending yourself in such litigation. We understand the law regarding these important documents and spend the time and care you want to provide you the necessary guidance.
You may have an agreement with your employer to provide you a bonus or pay. When you are terminated, you suddenly find yourself without either. You will want to know if you have any legal rights to the pay you believe you earned. Such advice and guidance require a knowledge of the law at issue, and we routinely provide this service to our clients.
If you have been terminated, you may have been provided a severance agreement. Yet, some of the terms are confusing, and many seem unfair. Some of you will have been told to contact an attorney, and you may have been given at least 21 days to consider signing the Agreement. We assist executives in such a situation and can help them understand what they have been asked to sign and whether they have any right to negotiate or change the contract’s terms.
If you contact and retain us, we will review your agreement and discuss its specifics with you. As experienced Houston executive attorneys, we quickly cut to the core of the most complex issues and help vindicate your legal rights.
