Severance Plan Lawyers for Texas

Creative, results driven business & technology executive with 27 years of experience (17+ as a business/corporate lawyer). A problem solver with a passion for business, technology, and law. I bring a thorough understanding of the intersection of the law and business needs to any endeavor, having founded multiple startups myself with successful exits. I provide professional business and legal consulting. Throughout my career I've represented a number large corporations (including some of the top Fortune 500 companies) but the vast majority of my clients these days are startups and small businesses. Having represented hundreds of successful crowdfunded startups, I'm one of the most well known attorneys for startups seeking CF funds. I hold a Juris Doctor degree with a focus on Business/Corporate Law, a Master of Business Administration degree in Entrepreneurship, A Master of Education degree and dual Bachelor of Science degrees. I look forward to working with any parties that have a need for my skill sets.

General Counsel for Construction and Related Legal Services - Although Phil specializes in construction-related law, Phil’s law practice areas include commercial, construction, contract, criminal, employment, ERISA, energy, environmental, OSHA, government, immigration, insurance, labor (EEOC, FLSA, FMLA, COBRA, etc.), personal injury, product liability, real estate, surety, utilities, and workers’ compensation, amongst others.

I am a Texas Board Certified specialist in Labor and Employment Law (since 2002) with nearly three decades of experience across private practice, Big Law, in-house counsel, and national civil rights litigation. I currently own and manage Jump Start Legal Justice Center, where I lead nationwide litigation for nonprofit domestic entities, defending free speech and constitutional rights, litigating Title VI and Title VII claims for professors, and representing individuals in No Fly list and watchlist challenges. For nearly a decade, I served as Civil Litigation Department Head at the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America (now MLFA), managing a nationwide team of up to 12 attorneys, paralegals, and interns. My docket included religious freedom and religious discrimination cases for Muslim, Jewish, and Native American clients; birthright citizenship challenges; and inmate rights litigation for meal and prayer accommodations. My employment law background includes senior roles at Littler Mendelson, Jackson Walker, Akin Gump, and Jackson Lewis, as well as serving as the Texas state expert for Thomson Reuters Practical Law. I have counseled corporations on wage/hour compliance, non-compete agreements, FMLA, discrimination, retaliation, and workplace investigations. I have first-chaired federal court jury trials and handled appeals across the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits. I also hold a Mediation Certification from the University of Houston and have served as an Associate Hearing Officer for the City of Dallas. I am a multiple-year Texas Super Lawyer (through 2026), Fellow of the Texas Bar College, and Fellow of the American Bar Association. I draft and review employment agreements, severance agreements, non-compete agreements, employee handbooks, independent contractor agreements, and settlement agreements. I also advise on nonprofit compliance, religious accommodations, and constitutional claims. Bar admissions: Texas (1996), U.S. Supreme Court, multiple Circuit Courts of Appeal, and federal district courts in Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, and Illinois (General Bar and Trial Bar).

Curt Brown has experience advising clients on a variety of franchising, business litigation, transactional, and securities law matters. Mr. Brown's accolades include: - Super Lawyers Rising Star - California Lawyer of the Year by The Daily Journal - Pro Bono Attorney of the Year the USC Public Interest Law Fund Curt started his legal career in the Los Angeles office of the prestigious firm of Irell & Manella LLP, where his practice focused on a wide variety of complex civil litigation matters, including securities litigation, antitrust, trademark, bankruptcy, and class action defense. Mr. Brown also has experience advising mergers and acquisitions and international companies concerning cyber liability and class action defense. He is admitted in California, Florida, D.C., Washington, Illinois, Colorado, and Michigan.

Experienced Attorney with an MBA in Finance who provides a business-oriented mindset and thrives in a collaborative environment with a-typical challenges. Possesses exceptional skills in legal research, drafting and enforcing contracts, skillful in negotiations and mediations, drafts extremely persuasive pleadings, attacks depositions with zeal for my clients. Experience includes Business Management and IT Consulting with a successful track record managing outside relationships, associated costs, and optimizing outcomes for client(s). Effectively restructures antiquated business processes and incorporates technology and best practices to effectuate progressive outcomes for business clients. Partners collaboratively with business leaders to advance company objectives while minimizing risk to ensure internal and external compliance, increased profitability, and diverse practices. Dynamic communicator with the interpersonal skills to build trusting relationships with executives, management, and employees of various backgrounds, expertise, and styles.

M. Joseph “Joe” Smith is the founder of Celina Law, P.C. and Amirext LLC. Licensed to practice law in Connecticut and Texas, he helps clients with commercial contracts, mergers and acquisitions, financing, corporate governance, and disputes. Whether reviewing a straightforward agreement or guiding a complex transaction, Joe brings practical judgment and personal attention to matters large and small.

Practicing attorney and former law professor with 28 year's experience, including class actions and appeal. Primary practice areas: commercial litigation, contracts, business counseling, formation, collections, asset protection, employment, and government regulation. Extensive law teaching experience, including legal writing, legal research, contract drafting, civil procedure, contracts, conflict of laws, and business organizations. Attorney Rusco heads Rusco Law. Rusco Law attorneys practice in California, New York, Texas, Colorado, and Wisconsin. For more information, please visit www.ruscolaw.com. For more information about business counseling services, please visit https://www.ruscolaw.com/practice-areas-and-services-offered. Rusco Law combines big-firm expertise with small-firm personal attention to give a limited set of clients unparalleled representation and service. We provide: • Complete litigation services, from pre-filing demands through Supreme Court appeals. Extensive experience in commercial, employment, tribal, and personal injury matters. • Sophisticated business counseling with an emphasis on start ups, including formation, risk management, internal governance, employment policy, regulatory advocacy, and trademark/trade secret/patent protection. • Detailed contract negotiation, review, and compliance monitoring, including major construction and service agreements. • Full-spectrum legal support for principals and their families, including passionate injury representation, including childcare and playground accidents.

Real Estate, Finance, and Business Attorney in the Dallas area, specializing in multifamily, hotel, public improvement districts, business law, and all types of real estate matters. I can also assist with uncontested divorces.

I am a corporate lawyer with extensive experience assisting clients of all sizes, from solo practitioners to enterprise-level international corporations. Over the course of my career, I have negotiated, drafted, and reviewed thousands of contracts spanning a wide range of industries and complexities. My practice is focused on delivering practical, business-oriented legal solutions that help clients protect their interests and achieve their goals.

David M. Abner is a practicing attorney with over 30 years of experience representing clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies in California and Texas. Mr. Abner is currently based in Los Angeles, California, and his practice focuses on negotiating the purchase and sale of businesses; negotiating equity and debt financing agreements; drafting and negotiating revisions to a variety of commercial agreements; and investigating and responding to law enforcement and regulatory compliance investigations. Additionally, Mr. Abner has considerable experience dealing with litigation involving ownership and valuation of privately held companies. He has tried nearly a dozen cases in private practice, including cases involving breach of contract, products liability, fraud, and officer and director liability. As in-house counsel for Ashland Inc., Mr. Abner worked with business leaders daily to assess, manage and prevent a variety of legal risks that threatened the viability and profitability of products, services and customer relationships. His efforts produced results that included settling a $700M anti-trust class action lawsuit for less than $7M; assisting in closing the sale of the company’s joint venture interests in an oil and gas subsidiary; assessing and quantifying the liabilities associated with the acquisition of other businesses; and supervising Ashland’s responses to DOJ, FBI and EPA investigations. Mr. Abner has been licensed to practice law in Texas since 1993, and in California since 2012. Mr. Abner obtained his Juris Doctorate from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University in 1993, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Carolina in 1990.