Labor and Employment

Blanco Ordoñez Mata & Wechsler, P.C., has significant experience in the area of labor and employment law. The firm currently represents publicly and privately held companies with workforces ranging from 20 to several thousand employees. As a result, we are familiar with and have a great deal of experience in virtually every aspect of labor and employment law. Additionally, and with respect to the area of employment litigation, we have attorneys who focus their attention on this specific and narrow area of law and have tried numerous employment cases. Additionally, the El Paso employment attorneys in our firm are uniquely reflective of the demographic makeup of the Southwest Region. We believe these factors often provide our clients a unique competitive advantage in litigating employment claims in this region.

Steven J. Blanco is a Senior Shareholder in the firm and Chairman of our Labor and Employment Practice Group. Mr. Blanco is licensed to practice law in Texas and New Mexico and is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Other lawyers practicing in this area include Robert Estrada, Priscilla de Mata, and Jenée Durán.

Employment Litigation

Our lawyers handle all aspects of employment litigation in both state and federal courts at all levels nationwide and matters pending in arbitration. We focus our practice on representing employers in the defense of employment-related claims. Each of the attorneys in our Labor and Employment Practice Group has experience representing employers in a wide variety of employment-related matters. These matters include individual and class actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, state fair employment practice statutes and claims of wrongful discharge, sexual harassment, personal injury and subrogation issues. We also represent employers before federal and state administrative agencies, including, among others, the Department of Labor, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Labor Relations Board, Texas Commission on Human Rights, and the New Mexico Human Rights Division.

General Labor and Employment Counseling and Advice

Our lawyers serve a wide variety of clients as day-to-day "general labor" counsel. The firm provides routine advice to clients on issues reviewed by state and federal administrative bodies. We advise clients on the implications of business decisions ranging from reductions in force, acquisitions and relocations to day-to-day employee disciplinary issues and management decisions. We also provide routine advice to clients on the creation and use of employment forms, policies, contracts, severance agreements, and best practices and procedures. We assist our clients in their efforts to comply with the ever-changing landscape of employment law by providing training on all aspects of employment law, including hiring, termination, discrimination, and harassment.

Our experience in advising clients on management and employment law issues is diverse. For example, our firm currently represents clients in the following areas:

  • Small- to medium-sized local businesses with workforces ranging from 20-100 employees
  • Local banking institutions with over 500 employees
  • Regional trucking companies with over 700 employees
  • Publicly held companies with over 1,000 employees
  • Public entities with workforces in excess of 1,500 employees
  • Staff leasing companies with workforces ranging from 500 to 1,000 employees

We service these and other clients on a daily basis by providing operational advice on issues related to discipline, grievances, terminations, wage and hour issues, internal investigations, workers' compensation and employee complaints to federal agencies. We work hand in hand with human resources personnel and believe a proactive approach in the management of labor relations can help our clients avoid employment-related lawsuits and grievances and, when necessary, be better prepared to respond to labor and employment claims.