Tarrant County, Texas Attorneys

Tarrant County is located in the northern part of Texas and is one of the most populous counties in the state. The county has a rich history and is known for its diverse culture, vibrant economy, and exceptional quality of life. This article is a comprehensive guide to Tarrant County, Texas, and covers everything from its history to its economy and attractions.

Tarrant County is a Texas county located in north Texas officially part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan statistical area. Informally it is part of the North Texas region (sometimes called North Central Texas). It is one half of the Dallas/Fort Worth or DFW area and a significant portion of the region referred to as the metroplex. Dallas County is the third largest county in Texas by population and the sixteenth largest county by population in the nation. 

County Government in Tarrant County, Texas

Fort Worth is the county seat of Tarrant County which includes the majority of the population and land mass of Tarrant County. The majority of the county government operates from offices in downtown Fort Worth where it operates courts, administrative buildings and other operations.

The Tarrant County government operates exclusively within the confines of Tarrant County, which is adjacent to Dallas County, Denton County, Ellis County, Johnson County, Parker County and Wise County. The head of the county government in Tarrant County is the county judge elected by county-wide vote. The primary governing body for the county is the commissioners court. It includes the county judge plus four commissioners who are elected by their respective precinct. The commissioners court does not hear lawsuits like most courts. Their responsibilities are administrative with judicial authority to hear cases transferred to the Tarrant County Courts at Law.

History

Tarrant County has a rich history that dates back to the early 19th century. This section will cover the major events that shaped the history of Tarrant County.

Tarrant County was originally inhabited by several Native American tribes, including the Wichita, Comanche, and Tonkawa. The area was first explored by Europeans in the early 1800s.

Tarrant County was founded in 1849 and was named after General Edward H. Tarrant, a hero of the Texas Revolution. During the Civil War, Tarrant County played a significant role in supplying troops and resources to the Confederate Army. After the war, the county experienced significant growth and development. In the 20th century, Tarrant County continued to grow and prosper. The county saw significant economic growth and became a hub for transportation and industry.

Geography

Tarrant County is located in the northern part of Texas and covers an area of approximately 902 square miles. This section will cover the geography of Tarrant County.

Tarrant County is located in North Texas and is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area.

Tarrant County has a humid subtropical climate, with hot summers and mild winters. The county receives an average of 37 inches of rain per year.

Tarrant County is home to several natural attractions, including the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge, Lake Worth, and the Trinity River.

Economy

Tarrant County has a diverse and robust economy that has grown significantly in recent years. This section will cover the economy of Tarrant County.

The major industries in Tarrant County include aerospace and aviation, healthcare, education, and manufacturing.

The major employers in Tarrant County include American Airlines, Lockheed Martin, Texas Health Resources, and the Fort Worth Independent School District.

Tarrant County has experienced significant economic growth in recent years, with a strong focus on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Tarrant County is known for its vibrant culture and numerous attractions. The county is home to several cultural attractions, including the Kimbell Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. It has a rich history and is home to several historical attractions, including the Fort Worth Stockyards, the Texas Civil War Museum, and the Log Cabin Village. Tarrant County is known for its entertainment and sports options, including the AT&T Stadium (home of the Dallas Cowboys), the Texas Motor Speedway, and the Fort Worth Zoo.

Education

Tarrant County has a strong education system that includes several top-ranked universities and colleges. This section will cover the education system in Tarrant County.

Tarrant County is home to several universities and colleges, including Texas Christian University, the University of Texas at Arlington, and Tarrant County College.

The K-12 education system in Tarrant County is known for its high-quality schools and programs. The Fort Worth Independent School District is the largest school district in the county.

Healthcare

Tarrant County has a robust healthcare system that includes several top-ranked hospitals and medical centers. This section will cover the healthcare system in Tarrant County.

The major hospitals in Tarrant County include Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital, Cook Children’s Medical Center, and Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center.

Tarrant County is known for its healthcare innovation and is home to several healthcare startups and companies.

Transportation

Tarrant County has a comprehensive transportation system that includes several major highways, airports, and public transit options. This section will cover the transportation system in Tarrant County.

The major highways in Tarrant County include Interstate 20, Interstate 30, and Interstate 35W.

Tarrant County is served by several airports, including Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Fort Worth Alliance Airport.

The public transit system in Tarrant County is operated by Trinity Metro and includes bus and rail options.

Commissioners Court in Tarrant County

The commissioners court primarily deals with oversight and budgetary responsibilities within Tarrant County. They set budgets for the county entities including transportation districts and the hospital district which oversees county-level public works.

Tarrant County government also includes agencies subordinate to the commissioners court. Some agencies fall under elected officials while others receive appointments by the court. These county agencies include the district attorney, district clerk, county clerk, sheriff, constables, tax assessor-collector and treasurer.

Within Tarrant County there are also governments and government offices that do not report to the county. These include city and town governments, state representatives and senators, judges and U.S. representatives. Some of the representative and senator districts within Tarrant County include areas outside of Tarrant County. 

Tarrant County Geography

In addition to Fort Worth there are a number of other cities within Tarrant County. Many of these communities are only partially within Tarrant County with the remainder in one or more counties. These include Arlington, Azle, Bedford, Benbrook, Blue Mound, Burleson, Colleyville, Crowley, Dalworthington Gardens, Euless, Everman, Forest Hill, Grapevine, Grand Prairie, Haltom City, Haslet, Hurst, Keller, Kennedale, Lake Worth, Mansfield, Newark, North Richland Hills, Pelican Bay, Richland Hills, River Oaks, Saginaw, Sansom Park, Southlake, Watauga, Westworth Village, White Settlement, Edgecliff Village, Flower Mound, Lakeside, Pantego, Trophy Club, Westlake, Westover Hills, Briar, Pecan Acres, Rendon, Eagle Mountain, Alliance, Avondale, Boss, Eagle Acres, Lake Crest Estates, Lake Forest and Lake Shore Estates.




The county also includes some or all of several school districts. These include Arlington ISD, Birdville ISD, Carroll ISD, Castleberry ISD, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD, Everman ISD, Fort Worth ISD, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, Keller ISD, Kennedale ISD, Lake Worth ISD, White Settlement ISD, Azle ISD, Burleson ISD, Crowley ISD, Godley ISD, Mansfield ISD and Northwest ISD.

Although these cities, towns and school districts are government entities within Tarrant County they are independent of the county government. They are independent governments with their own authority under state law. There is often coordination between local and county government due to the overlap of responsibilities and resources.

Courts in Tarrant County

The county includes several overlapping judicial systems of local, county, state and federal courts. County level courts in Tarrant County include the civil and criminal County Courts at Law, statutory probate courts and justice of the peace courts. Tarrant County is also home to the Tarrant County District Courts that hear both civil and criminal cases. It is also home to the Second Court of Appeals of Texas. It hears appeals from county and district courts within the county (and some surrounding counties). Cities within Tarrant County operate their own municipal courts that hear certain misdemeanors and city ordinance violations within city limits. Tarrant County is also within the U.S. Northern District of Texas. The Northern District has its own division of federal district courts with jurisdiction over most civil and criminal cases under federal law.]

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarrant_County,_Texas

http://access.tarrantcounty.com/en/administration.html

Fort Worth, Texas is a large city that anchors the western side of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is the county seat of Tarrant County and the fifth largest city in Texas. Although Fort Worth is the capital of Tarrant County it also spreads into Parker County, Wise County and Denton County. Fort Worth annexed considerable land over the twentieth century that created a sprawling city weaving among its neighboring suburbs. As a result Fort Worth shares borders with a large number of cities including Blue Mound, Saginaw, Haltom City, Keller, Arlington, Forest Hill, Edgecliff Village, Burleson, Benbrook, Westworth Village, River Oaks, Euless and Hurst.

Employment lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas

Employment lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas help employees recover for employment law claims under federal and Texas law. Employment lawyers in Fort Worth, Dallas and surrounding cities represent clients in EEOC hearings, lawsuits, arbitrations and other venues. If you believe you have an employment law claim then you should contact Texas employment lawyers right away. Employment law claims include wrongful termination, employment discrimination, unpaid overtime and FMLA claims. Many employment law claims have short statutes of limitations so contact employment lawyers right away if you believe you have a claim.

Fort Worth, Texas Employers & Employment

Due to its size and industrial history Fort Worth has a diverse business presence that includes companies like Lockheed Martin, American Airlines, JPS Health Network, Harris Methodist Hospitals, Bell Helicopter, Alcon, Pier 1 and D.R. Horton. Fort Worth is also home to a number of secondary education institutions including Texas Christian University, the UNT School of Medicine and the Texas A&M School of Law.

Fort Worth, TX: A History of Tarrant County

Fort Worth began as a fort in the late 1840s. It struggled to develop as a city through the mid-nineteenth century. In 1849 the U.S. Army built a fort north of what is today downtown Fort Worth as part of a line of forts holding the western frontier from Native American insurgency. Due to flooding from the Trinity River the fort was moved on the bluffs that line the northern end of downtown Fort Worth, where the courthouses are built. This fort gave the city its name although it was abandoned by the Army in 1853.

Through the 1850s Fort Worth struggled to find its footing. It battled with local Birdville (now part of Haltom City) for control of the county. Legend has it that in an election destined to settle the question Birdville brought in a barrel of whiskey (or beer) to entice people to come vote but Fort Worth residents siphoned the barrel empty and used it to entice their own voters to bring them to victory.

Fort Worth became a stop on the Chisholm Trail. Through this it became associated with the cattle business, leading to its nickname as Cowtown. The Civil War hit Fort Worth hard economically and the town population dwindled. A Dallas paper reported in the 1870s that downtown was so empty a panther was seen sleeping in the streets. This gave the city its nickname Panther City.

Fort Worth and the Railroad Economy

Fort Worth battled through the 1870s to bring in railroads, an important battle finally won. A newspaper editor in the city ambitiously planned a map of multiple railroads converging in the city. This would transform the town into an important economic hub. This was the “tarantula map” that went on to become advertising material for the city for decades. The T&P rail finally came to the city and spurred an economic boom that transformed the stockyards from a small cattle stop to a premier cattle market.

Later several other rails through the southern U.S. were built into the city and the town indeed became a critical rail hub. Along with the city’s growth came less desirable aspects of economic growth. South downtown became known as Hell’s Half Acre with a high level of drinking, gambling, prostitution and crime. Fort Worth fought to control Hell’s Half Acre into the early twentieth century.

Modern Fort Worth Economy

Fort Worth’s economy began to grow beyond cattle in the early twentieth century. This continued until cattle became an insignificant part of the town’s business. Meat packing was an extension of the cattle business in early twentieth century, followed by oil. World War 1 brought the aviation industry. That remains an important part of west Fort Worth and Tarrant County with the construction of Carswell Air Force Base. Today railroad and aviation continue to play an important of the economy and employment.

Fort Worth TX Government and Laws: How an Attorney Does His Job

Fort Worth receives services from its city government and the county government in each county in which it lies. Students have a number of private school options but primarily attend public schools in the Fort Worth ISD. Parts of Fort Worth fall into other school districts including Azle ISD, Burdville ISD, Burleson ISD, Castleberry ISD, Crowley ISD, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD, Everman ISD, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, Keller ISD, Kennedale ISD, Lake Worth ISD, Mansfield ISD, Northwest ISD, White Settlement ISD and Arlington ISD although the land within the Arlington school district only includes a water treatment plant with no residential zone.

Fort Worth Sex Discrimination Lawyer

Fort Worth Sex Discrimination Lawyers represent clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas in sex discrimination in employment. Sex discrimination occurs when an employer discriminates against employees and applicants on the basis of sex or gender. Sexual discrimination is unlawful under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Equal Pay Act and the Texas Labor Code. Sex or gender discrimination can have a significant impact on your career. If you believe your employer discriminated on the basis of your sex or gender then you should contact a Fort Worth sex discrimination lawyer right away.

Sex discrimination in Fort Worth, Texas

Sex discrimination is a unique form of employment discrimination because it occurs in ways other forms of employment discrimination do not. Sex discrimination may occur like other forms of employment discrimination in which an employee or applicant suffers less favorable treatment on the basis of sex or gender. This might include sex stereotypes that one sex is less intelligent, strong, or able to perform specific roles. Sex discrimination also includes gender stereotypes that a person of one sex should dress and behave in a stereotypical manner. This type of employment discrimination may result in termination, demotion, pay inequality, harassment, differences in job assignments and promotion opportunities.

Sexual harassment in Texas

Additionally, sex discrimination may occur in the form of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is more than just harassment for being a man or woman. It is harassment on the basis of a romantic or sexual attraction. Sexual harassment may range from sending sexual or romantic emails, phone calls or text messages all the way to sexual assault. An employer may engage in quid pro quo sexual harassment. Quid pro quo sexual harassment occurs when an employer forces an employee to choose to submit to unwelcome sexual/romantic advances or suffer an adverse employment action or lose a desirable employment opportunity.

An employee may also face sexual harassment in the form of unwelcome sexual or romantic advances from coworkers or customers. These advances may not carry the same direct threat as quid pro quo harassment but an employee has the right to a workplace free from unwelcome sexual and romantic advances.

Pregnancy discrimination in Texas

Discrimination against a pregnant employee is also an unlawful form of sexual discrimination. Employers may not treat pregnant employees unfairly because they are pregnant or might become pregnant. This is a form of sex discrimination because it only applies to women for obvious biological reasons. An employer also may not treat pregnant women less favorably in leave policies for pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions. Any leave policy an employer has for other short term medical leave must apply equally to pregnancy and pregnancy-related medical conditions.

Transgender and sexual orientation discrimination

Employers may not discriminate against transgender employees or applicants on that basis. It is a form of gender discrimination because it treats employees who do not adhere to gender stereotypes less favorably than those who do.

The law is still developing around whether sexual orientation discrimination is explicitly a form of sex discrimination under current statutes. However, sexual orientation discrimination also involves gender stereotype discrimination in which gay men are perceived as less masculine/too feminine and gay women as less feminine/too masculine.

Remedies for sexual harassment and other forms of sex discrimination in Texas

Employees who suffer sex discrimination should speak with Fort Worth sexual harassment lawyers right away. Sex discrimination laws give employees the right to recover for lost wages, out of pocket expenses, mental anguish, punitive damages, attorney’s fees and other relief. However, sex discrimination claims often involved limited statutes of limitation and complicated employer defenses. You should consult with a Fort Worth sex discrimination attorney about your potential claims to assess the merits of the claim and how to best protect your rights.

Fort Worth sex discrimination lawyers  represent clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas in sex and gender employment discrimination. Sex discrimination and gender discrimination at work occurs when an employer treats an employee or applicant less favorably on the basis of the person’s sex or gender. Sex discrimination is unlawful under federal and Texas law. If you experience sex discrimination at work then you should contact a Fort Worth sex discrimination lawyer right away.

Sex discrimination in employment in Fort Worth, Texas

Sex discrimination in employment can affect your job in many ways. Common ways employers discriminate on the basis of sex or gender include:

• Hiring or promotions
• Pay disparity
• Sexual harassment or hostile work environment
• Quid pro quo sex requests
• Termination or demotions
• Assigning work assignments on the basis of sex or gender
• Harassing employees on the basis of gender stereotypes
• Pregnancy discrimination
• Assigning employees to positions or tasks as “men’s work” or “women’s work”

Fort Worth sex discrimination lawyers understand these acts can occur because an employee is favorably male or female or unfavorably male or female. In other words, you can be treated less favorably because you are a woman because the employer intentionally discriminates against women or because the employer intentionally discriminates in favor of men. It is still sex discrimination.

Sex discrimination by harassment or hostile work environment

Sex discrimination often occurs on the basis of harassment or hostile work environment. This may include sexual comments or gestures to an employee, making sexual advances, commenting offensively about one’s body or appearance in a sexual manner and other offensive conduct. Sexual harassment has a meaningful impact on its victims and Fort Worth sex discrimination attorneys sue employers for allowing this to occur.

Quid pro quo sex discrimination

Quid pro quo sex discrimination occurs when a supervisor or business owner demands sex, sexual acts, dates or other romantic affairs in exchange for continued work, promotion, pay raises, to prevent termination, demotion, or a pay cut. Basically any sex for work request or demand is quid pro quo sex discrimination.

Contact Fort Worth sex discrimination lawyers

Fort Worth sex discrimination lawyers fight for clients who suffer sex discrimination at work. Usually once this behavior starts in a Fort Worth, Texas workplace it does not go away on its own. You will need the help of a sex discrimination lawyer in Fort Worth. Do not delay contacting an employment lawyer about this issue. Sex discrimination claims often have short statutes of limitations periods to act.

Fort Worth Wrongful Termination Lawyers

Fort Worth wrongful termination lawyers represent clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas in wrongful termination lawsuits. Wrongful termination, also called wrongful discharge, happens when an employer fires an employee in violation of a law. Not all unfair or bad terminations are wrongful terminations; however, if you are wrongfully discharged you should contact a Fort Worth wrongful termination lawyer right away.

Wrongful Termination in Fort Worth, Texas

Wrongful termination in Texas is generally a creation of statutory law although there are some common law claims. Claims for wrongful termination often arise under employment laws that prohibit retaliation or discrimination. These include:

• Termination on the basis of an unlawful form of discrimination including age, race, sex, disability, national origin, religion or being a servicemember
• Discharge for complaining about an unlawful practice including refusing to pay minimum wage or overtime pay
• Termination for requesting a legally protected right such as FMLA leave or a reasonable accommodation to a disability
• Termination for complaining about unsafe work conditions that violate OSHA
• Discharge for filing an EEOC complaint or participating in an investigation of an EEOC complaint
• Discharge for supporting unionization or a union practice in the workplace

Common law wrongful termination claims

Additionally, Texas has two non-statutory wrongful termination claims. First is firing for refusing to commit a criminal act on behalf of the employer. An employer may not make you choose between your job or committing a crime. This claim includes termination for contacting a law enforcement agency to assess whether the request is criminal.

Second, a termination that violates an employment contract can be categorized as a wrongful termination claim. Most employees do not work under a contract in Texas as a result wrongful termination claims for most firings would fail. However, if an employee has a contract there may be a claim.

Claims for wrongful termination often hold the employer liable for unpaid wages, lost benefits, out of pocket expenses due to the termination, job search expenses, attorneys fees and sometimes punitive or liquidated damages. If you believe you were wrongfully terminated by your employer then you should speak with one or more Fort Worth wrongful termination lawyers right away. Many of these claims have brief statutes of limitations and not taking the right actions within a limited period of time may destroy the claim.

Wrongful termination lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth wrongful termination lawyers represent clients in Dallas, Fort Worth and other parts of Texas in wrongful termination and wrongful discharge cases. Wrongful termination occurs when an employer terminates an employee for an unlawful reason. Not all terminations that are unfair, unreasonable, or based on incorrect facts are unlawful. (Although you may be eligible for unemployment benefits through the Texas Workforce Commission.) If you believe you were wrongfully terminated then you should speak with a Fort Worth wrongful termination lawyer right away. Some wrongful termination claims under Texas law or federal law have short statutes of limitations periods.

In Texas most wrongful termination claims come from statutory protections against wrongful termination. These include discriminatory firings on the basis of age, race, religion, sex, disability, national origin. It also includes firing employees for complaining about employment discrimination, requesting FMLA, complaining about unpaid wage and overtime pay, or requesting a reasonable accommodation to a disability or religious practice. These statutory protections arise from FMLA, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Texas Payday Law, ADA, Title VII, Texas Labor Code and other federal and Texas statutes.

Sabine Pilot claims in Fort Worth, Texas

Additionally, Texas has one common law wrongful termination claim that applies to Fort Worth employees. This is a Sabine Pilot claim. A Sabine Pilot claim is a claim for wrongful discharge when the employer fires the employee for refusing to commit a criminal act on behalf of an employer. It also includes wrongful termination when an employer fires an employee for contacting a law enforcement agency to investigate whether a requested act is illegal. In Texas an employee’s claim for wrongful discharge in Fort Worth must come from a statute or a Sabine Pilot claim.

Remedies for wrongful termination in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth wrongful termination lawyers help clients recover for wrongful termination claims in Texas. Remedies for wrongful discharge in Texas vary based upon the statute or common law basis for the claim. Remedies may include lost wages, out of pocket expenses, liquidated or punitive damages, attorney’s fees and court costs. Assessing the available remedies to a wrongful termination claim under Texas or federal law is critical to developing and litigating a claim. This is a role of Fort Worth wrongful termination attorneys.

Fort Worth Wrongful Discharge Lawyers in Texas

Fort Worth wrongful discharge lawyers like Adam Kielich represent clients in the Dallas/Fort Worth area who lost their jobs through a wrongful discharge or wrongful termination. Wrongful discharge occurs when an employer fires an employee in violation of a statute or common law protection. Employees wrongfully discharged can recover against the employer for lost wages and other damages. A Fort Worth wrongful termination lawyer understands the federal and Texas employment laws that affect losing your job.

Although some states have a wide range of wrongful discharge claims against employers, Texas has a small number of these claims. A legal claim for wrongful discharge arises only when a law specifically prohibits an employer’s act. Any termination that is unfair, unreasonable, or based on bad information is certainly harmful to the employee. However, that does not by itself create a claim for wrongful discharge. The employee may pursue unemployment benefits where the standard for a wrongful discharge is much broader.

Wrongful discharge in Texas

Wrongful discharge from employment in Dallas or Fort Worth can happen for a few reasons. Not all terminations are wrongful or against the law. These are some of the most common forms of wrongful discharge in Texas:

• Refusing to perform a criminal act for the employer
• Termination violates an employment contract under Texas law
• Retaliation for complaining about a violation of a civil rights statute
• An employer firing you in violation of an employment statute
• In retaliation for whistleblowing about certain unlawful acts by the employer or in the workplace

Additionally, other wrongful discharge claims exist under Texas and federal law. These include breach of contract and other whistleblowing protections.




A termination or discharge that is unfair, based on bad information, or for no reason at all is not a wrongful discharge under Texas or federal law. It may entitle you to unemployment benefits under the Texas Labor Code but would likely not be a claim Fort Worth wrongful discharge lawyers may pursue. However, if you have a wrongful discharge claim under Texas or federal law then you may receive reinstatement or monetary damages including back pay, front pay, out of pocket financial losses, punitive damages and attorney’s fees.

Wrongful discharge lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth wrongful discharge lawyers help clients in Texas with wrongful discharge claims. Wrongful discharge occurs when an employer fires an employee is violation of federal or Texas employment law. Many federal and Texas employment laws prohibit employers from firing an employee because of a protected trait or the exercise of a legal right. This includes employment discrimination on age, disability, national origin, race, sex, gender, and religion. It also includes the exercise of legal rights to FMLA leave, requesting accommodations to a disability or religious practice, resisting unlawful pay practices, complaining about employment discrimination and other whistleblowing. Also, employers in Texas are also prohibited from firing employees for refusing to commit crimes for the employer.

Fort Worth lawyers for wrongful discharge

Employees who suffer wrongful termination can recover damages from the employer. That includes lost wages, lost benefits, attorneys fees and other losses. An employee wrongfully terminated may seek reinstatement with the employer. The employer may offer reinstatement after wrongful termination. This is not a common result although it may be available. Most of the time the employee will hire a Fort Worth wrongful discharge attorney to recover losses.




If you believe your employer wrongfully terminated you then you should contact a Fort Worth wrongful discharge lawyer to explore your claim. Many wrongful termination claims have a short statute of limitations. Some require filing an administrative complaint with the EEOC or other government agency. Failing to timely follow the right process can limit or defeat your claim permanently.

When a wrongful discharge isn’t a wrongful discharge

One of the greatest challenges in wrongful discharge claims is analyzing the claim to determine whether a legal claim exists. Certainly any bad firing is wrong; however, not all bad firings create a legal claim for wrongful discharge. A termination that is unfair, cruel, based on bad logic, or unreasonable is bad and wrong. That does not mean a federal or Texas law created a legal remedy for that bad act. If a law has not created a legal remedy then no matter how awful the employer’s reason an employment lawyer will have little success pursuing a claim. Instead the employee may pursue unemployment benefits and accept that as the final remedy.

Fort Worth Unpaid Wages Lawyers in Texas

Fort Worth unpaid wages lawyers help clients in Texas recover unpaid wages for work performed. An employee is entitled to wages for work performed on behalf of an employer. Employers, however, sometimes try to get the work for free or for less than the employment relationship requires. This can have a significant financial impact on the employee and the employee’s family. If your employer failed to pay your wages then you should contact a Fort Worth unpaid wages lawyer right away.

Unpaid wages in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth workers enjoy protection for their wages, salary and other forms of compensation under a variety of labor and employment laws. The two most commonly used by Fort Worth unpaid wages lawyers are the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Texas Payday Law. The FLSA establishes minimum wage and overtime requirements. The Texas Payday Law sets out minimum standards for the timing and method of wage payments. Failing to pay minimum wage or overtime to nonexempt employees can create claims under the FLSA. Failure to make timely payments in Texas can create liability under the Texas Payday Law that includes civil and criminal penalties. A Fort Worth unpaid wages lawyer can help recover losses.

A claim for unpaid wages may arise because the Fort Worth employee received no wages or because the worker received less wages than due on the payday. Either situation may give the employee a reason to contact a Fort Worth unpaid wages attorney about the claim. Unpaid wages claims in Texas have a statute of limitations so if you believe you have not been paid correctly you should contact a Fort Worth employment lawyer right away.

Unpaid wages can mount up to significant claims. Many times unpaid wages under the FLSA can be doubled along with interest and attorneys fees. Even beyond what you may recover in a Fort Worth, Texas court the unpaid wages can harm your financial stability. Contact a Fort Worth unpaid wages lawyer today to fight back.

Unpaid Wages Lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth unpaid wages lawyers helps clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas with unpaid wage issues. The employment relationship is built on the simple exchange of work for pay. Texas employers sometimes want the work for free but you don’t work for free. Texas and federal laws protect your rights to pay for your work. If your employer violates employment laws protecting your wages then you should contact a Fort Worth employment attorney right away.

Unpaid wages in Fort Worth, Texas

Texas employers use a wide range of mechanisms to deprive workers of pay earned from techniques that skim small sums to full scale theft of entire paychecks. No matter whether your employer leaves you with small amounts of unpaid wages or rips off your entire paycheck, you have not received fair pay for the work you performed. Some of the unlawful ways employers rip off employees:

• Making employees work before or after shifts off the clock
• Making employees work through unpaid lunches
• Failing to pay overtime pay to nonexempt employees
• Paying less than required for overtime pay
• Promising comp time or other non-wage compensation for overtime pay to employees entitled to overtime pay
• Deducting benefit payments from the paycheck but not paying the money to the benefit plan
• Improperly deducting tips or sharing tips with ineligible employees
• Withholding the employee’s last paycheck
• Not paying earned bonuses

If your employer unlawfully deducts wages or refuses to pay earned wages then you likely have a claim against your employer. This may be a claim under statutory pay requirements such as the Fair Labor Standards Act or a claim under Texas contract law. No matter the basis for the claim, your employer owes you wages for work performed. Often unpaid wages claims allow the employee to recover unpaid wages, out of pocket expenses, liquidated damages, attorneys fees and other damages. If you believe you have a claim against your employer then you should contact a Fort Worth unpaid wages lawyer right away.

Transgender rights lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth transgender rights lawyers fight for clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas to be treated equally in employment. Transgender employees often suffer employment discrimination related to their gender, transition and sexual orientation. Federal and Texas law protects transgender rights from this type of discrimination. If your employer discriminates on the basis of your transgender status then you should contact a Fort Worth transgender rights lawyer right away.

Transgender Rights and Employment Discrimination in Fort Worth, Texas

Transgender employees deserve equal employment opportunities as everybody else but often face discrimination in hiring and promotions as well as harassment in the workplace. Fortunately transgender employees receive protections from employment discrimination under Title VII which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex and gender. Title VII has been used by transgender rights lawyers in Fort Worth and other areas to assert transgender-based discrimination is discrimination on the basis of sex or gender stereotypes. Sometimes this also implicates questions of sexual orientation-based discrimination. When restroom access is impaired by transgender discrimination OSHA may be implicated. OSHA requires employers to give employees meaningful access to restrooms. The Texas Labor Code provides the same protections against sex and gender discrimination.

Some employers improved awareness and treatment of transgender employees to prevent and respond to discrimination; however, discrimination continues in many workplaces. If your employer or a prospective employer discriminates on the basis of your gender then you should speak with Fort Worth transgender rights lawyers right away. Do not delay contacting Fort Worth transgender rights lawyers about workplace discrimination. There is a short window of opportunity to begin a claim against an employer for transgender discrimination. Contacting a Fort Worth transgender rights lawyer is the first step in filing that claim.

Fort Worth Transgender Discrimination Lawyers in Texas

Fort Worth transgender lawyers represent transgender clients in employment discrimination claims in and around Fort Worth, Texas. Transgender discrimination is a form of gender or sex discrimination. Transgender discrimination in employment is prohibited by Title VII and the Texas Labor Code. Employment discrimination against transgender employees and applicants can have serious effects on a career. If you believe an employer discriminated on the basis of your sex or gender then you should contact a Fort Worth employment lawyer right away.

Transgender employment discrimination in Fort Worth, Texas

Although great strides occurred in the past several years, transgender workers continue to suffer discrimination at work. Transgender discrimination may occur in restroom access, harassment, demotion or termination, failures to promote, pay differences, lack of career opportunities and other areas. Transgender employment discrimination can have the same effects on an employee or applicant as any other form of employment discrimination. Employment discrimination may have small effects on a career such as a slight pay difference or lack of work assignment opportunities to as much as termination and continued discrimination in negative job references. No matter how severe the form of discrimination or its effects, transgender employment discrimination is unlawful.

Employment Laws and Transgender Discrimination

Employment discrimination against transgender employees is unlawful under several laws because employment discrimination is prohibited under state, federal and local laws. Federal laws include Title VII, which prohibits sex and gender discrimination, and OSHA, which requires employers to provide meaningful restroom access to employees. Restroom access is a common transgender discrimination issue. Texas employment law prohibits transgender discrimination at work as well. The Texas Labor Code contains similar prohibitions on sex discrimination as Title VII. Because federal and state law contain similar bans on employment discrimination, an employee may bring claims under both laws.




Additionally, local laws sometimes prohibit employment discrimination. These often include prohibitions on sex discrimination. They may also include prohibitions on sexual orientation or transgender discrimination. Local laws typically do not create claims an employee can bring to court against private employers; however, they may allow a city employee who suffers discrimination a path for resolution with the city. The city may have powers to pursue private entities but rarely do. Cities with these ordinances include Fort Worth and Dallas. Fort Worth transgender discrimination lawyers can advise whether these local laws may help your claims.

Lawsuits in Fort Worth, Texas for transgender employment discrimination

Employees in Fort Worth, Texas pursuing transgender employment discrimination claims may file in federal or state courts. There may be tactical advantages to choose one or the other. Employees must file an administrative complaint with the EEOC or Texas Workforce Commission before a lawsuit may be pursued on an employment discrimination claim for sex discrimination. (Except a claim brought under the Equal Pay Act.) Lawsuits in Texas for transgender employment discrimination may result in recovery of lost wages, out of pocket losses, mental anguish and attorney’s fees. Sex discrimination lawsuits for transgender discrimination can be complex cases.

Fort Worth transgender rights lawyers fight for clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas to be treated equally in employment. Transgender employees often suffer employment discrimination related to their gender, transition and sexual orientation. Federal and Texas law protects transgender rights from this type of discrimination. If your employer discriminates on the basis of your transgender status then you should contact a Fort Worth transgender rights lawyer right away.

Transgender Rights and Employment Discrimination in Fort Worth, Texas

Transgender employees deserve equal employment opportunities as everybody else but often face discrimination in hiring and promotions as well as harassment in the workplace. Fortunately transgender employees receive protections from employment discrimination under Title VII which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex and gender. Title VII has been used by transgender rights lawyers in Fort Worth and other areas to assert transgender-based discrimination is discrimination on the basis of sex or gender stereotypes. Sometimes this also implicates questions of sexual orientation-based discrimination. When restroom access is impaired by transgender discrimination OSHA may be implicated. OSHA requires employers to give employees meaningful access to restrooms. The Texas Labor Code provides the same protections against sex and gender discrimination.

Some employers improved awareness and treatment of transgender employees to prevent and respond to discrimination; however, discrimination continues in many workplaces. If your employer or a prospective employer discriminates on the basis of your gender then you should speak with Fort Worth transgender rights lawyers right away.



Do not delay contacting Fort Worth transgender rights lawyers about workplace discrimination. There is a short window of opportunity to begin a claim against an employer for transgender discrimination. Contacting a Fort Worth transgender rights lawyer is the first step in filing that claim.

Pregnancy discrimination lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth pregnancy leave lawyers help pregnant mothers and mothers of newborn babies protect their jobs from unlawful pregnancy discrimination. Various federal and Texas laws protect pregnant mothers from discrimination on the basis of the pregnancy. These laws also protect mothers from discrimination on the basis of recent childbirth. If you believe you suffered or currently suffer pregnancy discrimination then contact a Fort Worth pregnancy leave lawyer.

Pregnancy Discrimination at Work

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) included discrimination against pregnant mothers and mothers who recently gave birth as a form of sex discrimination. Title VII’s original sex discrimination prohibition did not specify anything about pregnancy although it is obviously a sex-specific issue. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act created two anti-discrimination protections. First, it prohibited adverse employment actions on the basis of pregnancy.

Second, it required covered employers to treat pregnancy under the same policy as other medical leave. If an employer has a policy to grant short term leave for surgeries, illnesses and other medical conditions then it must make the same allowance for pregnancy-related conditions and childbirth. An employer does not have to create a leave policy specifically for pregnancy or childbirth. FMLA leave supersedes this issue in many cases because it provides a statutory right to leave for many employees. As a result this is less of an issue than in the past. It may still be an issue for employers with too few employees for FMLA coverage.

Ways pregnancy discrimination occurs

Pregnancy discrimination can occur in several ways:

• Wrongfully refusing FMLA leave for pregnancy or childbirth-related serious medical conditions
• Wrongfully refusing FMLA leave post-birth for bonding
• Treating pregnancy differently from other short term disabilities with regard to leave policies
• Demoting, firing or otherwise diminishing the job of a pregnant employee
• Retaliating against an employee for requesting pregnancy leave
• Bring the employee back to an inferior position after pregnancy leave

Although pregnancy discrimination has been prohibited by federal statute since the 1970s, many employers continue to engage in this unlawful practice. If you believe your employer discriminates against you for your pregnancy or pregnancy leave needs then you need to contain a Fort Worth pregnancy leave lawyer right away. Don’t wait until you take leave to try to figure out what to do. It may be too late. Fort Worth pregnancy leave attorneys can fight to protect your job or if your employer fires you then file suit to recover lost wages and other damages.

Contact Fort Worth Pregnancy Leave Lawyers

Fort Worth pregnancy leave lawyers can help protect your job from wrongful termination and other forms of pregnancy discrimination. Do not delay if you believe your employer discriminated on the basis of your pregnancy or recent childbirth.

Fort Worth pregnancy leave lawyer in Texas

Fort Worth pregnancy leave lawyers help clients with pregnancy leave-related employment law claims. Pregnancy leave and leave for childbirth are protected by federal and Texas employment laws. These include the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Texas Labor Code. Under certain labor laws an employer is required to provide medical leave for pregnancy or childbirth while others prohibit discrimination on the basis of pregnancy or childbirth. If you believe your employer discriminated on the basis of your pregnancy then you should contact a Fort Worth pregnancy leave lawyer right away.

Pregnancy leave and discrimination in Fort Worth, Texas

Pregnancy and childbirth drive sex discrimination claims in employment. Employers often do not want to lose employees to long term intermittent leave or continuous leave because it is disruptive to their workflow. This applies to pregnancy and childbirth as well as many other medical conditions. Pregnancy and childbirth relate to sex for obvious reasons. Discriminating against employees for pregnancy or childbirth but not other medical conditions is a form of sex discrimination.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act added this form of sexual discrimination to Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination in employment. Under the PDA employers do not have to offer leave for pregnancy, pregnancy-related medical conditions or childbirth. If, however, an employer offers leave for other medical conditions then it must apply that same leave policy for pregnancy and childbirth.

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and pregnancy leave

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act preceded FMLA which extends leave protections to many employees. The Family Medical Leave Act protects the rights of covered employees to take leave for up to twelve weeks within a calendar year for applicable reasons. FMLA includes pregnancy-related medical conditions, childbirth-related medical conditions and childbirth. FMLA leave may be a continuous period or intermittent leave. This law provides overlapping protection with the PDA because it protects an employee who requests FMLA leave for a pregnancy or childbirth reason from retaliation and interference with that leave.

Texas Labor Code and preganancy discrimination

Chapter 21 of the Texas Labor Code contains the state employment laws on discrimination. It mirrors many of the federal employment discrimination claims and sex discrimination is no exception. The Texas Labor Code prohibits discrimination on the basis of pregnancy like the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. For that reason, employees in Fort Worth and other parts of Texas may bring a pregnancy-based sex discrimination claim under state law as well as federal.

Fort Worth Harassment Lawyers In Texas

Fort Worth harassment lawyers represent clients in employment harassment lawsuits in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas. Workplace harassment happens when an employee suffers unwelcome, offensive conduct on an unlawful basis. If you believe you suffered harassment or a hostile work environment at work then you should contact a Fort Worth harassment lawyer right away.

Workplace harassment in Fort Worth, Texas

Most people think of workplace harassment as sexual harassment but harassment at work may occur for many other reasons. Harassment may arise from age, disability, race, national origin, religion. It may also occur for exercising an employment right like FMLA or complaining about unlawful behavior. Harassment must be offensive, unwelcome behavior. A claim for harassment against an employer requires in most cases for the harassment to reach a point where it has an actual negative effect on your job or is so bad it is impossible to remain in the job. When harassment becomes this bad it can create a claim for constructive discharge. Perpetrators of harassment can include supervisors, owners, coworkers, customers, clients, or outside vendors.

Often employees work under managers or supervisors who are not good people and enjoy harassing employees for no particular reason or for no unlawful reason. Harassment only leads to a lawsuit when an employer creates a hostile work environment on an unlawful basis. If your manager harasses you because he or she does not like your personality, your food preferences, the teams you root for, the shoes you wear, or because the manager thinks you are bad at your job then your manager is a jerk but there is probably not a harassment lawsuit waiting for you. When in doubt it is better to talk to a Fort Worth harassment lawyer to assess the situation.

How a Fort Worth harassment lawyer can help

Texas harassment claims can be difficult to prove. Not all harassment is motivated by an unlawful purpose. Nor is all harassment so bad that it meets the legal standard for a lawsuit. Additionally, many harassment claims require specific pre-lawsuit procedures. If you believe your workplace is becoming a hostile work environment you should contact a Fort Worth harassment attorney right away to discuss the situation and what steps you should take. Often in the early stages of a harassing situation your employer can take steps to eliminate the problem and keep your job on the right path. If not then you need to know the right steps to take to protect and assert your claim. A lawsuit for workplace harassment in Texas can offer remedies including reinstatement, lost wages, lost benefits, mental anguish, punitive or liquidated damages, attorney’s fees and court costs.

Harassment lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth harassment lawyers represent clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas in employment-related harassment claims. It is unlawful for your employer to harass you or allow a hostile work environment to exist on the basis of a protected trait or the exercise of a legal right. If your employer violates these employment laws then you should contact a Fort Worth harassment lawyer.

Harassment and hostile work environment at work in Fort Worth, Texas

Unlawful harassment, often called hostile work environment, in employment occurs when an employer makes work conditions intolerable on the basis of a protected trait or protected right. The protected traits include race, age, disability, national origin, sex, gender, military service, religion and possibly sexual orientation. The protected rights include requesting FMLA leave, requesting an accommodation to a disability or religious practice, complaining about improper pay conditions, complaining about safety conditions to OSHA, participating in union activity and participating in an investigation of an EEOC complaint. (There are many others.)

The act of harassing employees often occurs in two ways. First, the employee is subjected to comments, images and behavior targeting the protected trait or protected right. Second, management takes action to affect work conditions to make the employee feel uncomfortable and quit. This might include changing schedules or work assignments, pay cuts, demotions and moving the employee to an unusual work location. If you suffer harassment of this type at work then you should contact Fort Worth harassment lawyers right away.

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is a unique form of employment harassment because it also opens the door to quid pro quo harassment. Quid pro quo harassment occurs when the employer demands the employee engage in a romantic or sexual act with a supervisor as a condition of work. This might be in exchange for a promotion, to avoid termination or demotion, for a pay raise, to stop a pay cut, or merely to continue working.

Contact Fort Worth harassment lawyers

Fort Worth harassment lawyers assess whether harassment or hostile work environment claims meet the legal standard to file a lawsuit or other claim. Not all harassment situations are unlawful. The legal standard for harassment claims is technical. The process to initiate a harassment lawsuit in many cases requires specific steps. If you believe you suffer harassment at work then contact a Fort Worth harassment lawyer right away.

Fort Worth Retaliation Lawyers in Texas

Fort Worth retaliation lawyers help clients who have suffered retaliation at work for complaints of unlawful activity or exercising legal rights. Federal and Texas employment laws protect employees from retaliation for these acts. If your employer unlawfully retaliated against you in Fort Worth, Dallas, or other parts of Texas then you should contact a Fort Worth retaliation lawyer. Fort Worth retaliation lawyer represents clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas in employment retaliation lawsuits. Employers unlawfully retaliate when they treat employees less favorably for exercising a protected right. These protected rights include the right to complain about many types of unlawful activity and the right to various employment acts such as medical leave and using employee benefits. Employees who believe they have suffered unlawful retaliation in Texas should contact a Fort Worth retaliation lawyer.

Employment retaliation in Fort Worth, Texas

Employers retaliate against employees when they terminate, demote, cut pay, fail to promote, take away job opportunities, or harass employees in response to exercising a protected labor right. These include exercising rights to Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, union activity under the National Labor Relations Act, using employee benefits protected by ERISA, requesting a reasonable accommodation to a disability and requesting a reasonable accommodation to a religious practice.

Employers also retaliate when employees complain about unlawful activity. This includes retaliation for complaining about employment discrimination including age, disability, race, sex, religion and national origin. An employee also suffers retaliation for complaining about workplace safety conditions (OSHA), unfair labor practices (NLRA), unpaid wages (FLSA) and unpaid overtime pay (FLSA). An employer may also unlawfully retaliate when an employee participates in an investigation of one of these complaints.

Retaliation and Employment Laws in Fort Worth, Texas

Not all acts of retaliation are unlawful under federal or Texas employment law; but several forms of retaliation are unlawful. These include:

• Complaining about an employer’s refusal to lawfully pay minimum wage or overtime pay (FLSA)
• Complaining about, reporting, or participating in an investigation of employment discrimination
• Requesting FMLA leave
• Requesting a reasonable accommodation under the ADA and Texas Labor Code
• Submitting requests for benefits due under an ERISA-governed benefit plan
• Reporting or participating in an investigation of a workplace safety complaint (OSHA)
• Participating in a union or union elections (NLRA)

An employer may retaliate against an employee in several ways including:

• Termination or demotion
• Harassment or creating a hostile work environment
• Refusing a promotion or pay increase
• Decreasing bonuses
• Changing work responsibilities

An employer’s retaliation can have a significant impact on your career even if not fired or demoted. Retaliation can affect future employers because it puts a black mark on your resume. Future employers will contact prior employers to verify employment and likely will find that you were fired from the job. As a result, the retaliation can carry with you for years. If your employer retaliates unlawfully then you should contact Fort Worth retaliation lawyers right away. Retaliation claims often follow the same procedure for employment discrimination claims because they arise from the same statutes. Employment discrimination claims typically must begin with a complaint filed with the EEOC.  Many retaliation claims under employment law have short statutes of limitations and specific procedures that must be followed to initiate a claim.

Medical Leave Retaliation in Texas

Federal and Texas law protects an employee’s right to various types of medical leave. Each medical leave is subject to statutory requirements specific to each law. These include:

• Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Maternity leave protected under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act
• Short term disability and long term disability leave under an ERISA-governed plan
• Leave as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Texas Labor Code
• Leave as part of recovery for a workplace injury under worker’s compensation

Employers may retaliate against an employee for requesting medical leave protected by law. Employers may grant the leave request and then retaliate when the employee returns from medical leave. Retaliation for requesting medical leave from your Texas employer may come through termination, demotion, pay cut, benefit reduction, harassment or changes to work assignments. Any form of retaliation is unlawful. If your employer retaliates for requesting or taking medical leave then you should contact a Fort Worth retaliation lawyer right away.

If your employer retaliates for asking for medical leave then you are entitled to reinstatement for a lost position and/or monetary damages. Damages include lost pay, out of pocket financial losses, punitive or liquidated damages, pain and suffering, attorney’s fees and other losses.

Retaliation claims in Fort Worth, Texas

Employers retaliate against employees who exercise statutory employment rights in several ways. Not all retaliation claims end in a wrongful termination although many do. Employers may take less severe forms of retaliation that still have a negative effect on employees. Of course, employers often do retaliate against employees through a wrongful termination. However, the employer may also retaliate by other employment acts including:

• Demotion

• Refusing to promote

• Pay cuts or cutting bonuses

• Changing work assignments to less prestigious work assignments

• Changing the employee’s physical work conditions to less favorable conditions (moving the employee to an office far away from her peers)

• Suspension

• Creating a hostile work environment

• Poisoning the employee’s career by spreading false information about the employee

• Judging the employee’s work by a more difficult standard to affect the employee’s compensation and promotion opportunities

• Transfer the employee to a less prestigious or lower paying position

Employers who retaliate are liable to the employee for the harm suffered by the retaliation. Fort Worth retaliation attorneys represent clients in Texas in lawsuits to recover against these employers.

Retaliation for medical leave and other employment issues

Your employer may retaliate against you for exercising a wide range of statutory or common law employment rights. An employee has a claim against an employer for retaliation when the employer’s retaliation violates a statute that contains an anti-retaliation provision or breaches a common law (non-statutory) prohibition on retaliation. These include:

• Requesting FMLA medical leave

• Requesting pregnancy leave protected by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act

• Reporting unlawful employment discrimination to the employer or an outside government agency like the EEOC

• Reporting unsafe work conditions to OSHA

• Filing a complaint about wage or FMLA violations to the Department of Labor

• Complaining about improper wage payments including improper wage deductions, unpaid minimum wage or overtime pay

• Requesting benefits protected by ERISA

• Suing an employer for violating anti-employment discrimination laws, FMLA, FLSA, ERISA and other employment laws

• Refusing to commit a criminal act for an employer

• Whistleblowing under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Remedies for employment retaliation in Fort Worth, Texas

Employees who suffer retaliation in Fort Worth, Texas may recover remedies depending upon what statute the employer violated. These may include lost wages, out of pocket expenses, mental anguish, lost benefits, liquidated damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees and court costs. Fort Worth retaliation lawyers help clients analyze retaliation claims to determine what type of remedies and the amount of remedies that may be available.

Contact Fort Worth retaliation lawyers

Fort Worth retaliation lawyers are employment lawyers who protect their clients from unlawful employment acts. If you do not stand up for your rights in the workplace then your employer will feel emboldened to continue retaliating. Protect your career and your financial well-being by asserting your retaliation claim.  Fort Worth retaliation attorneys know how to identify and pursue these claims for clients across Texas.

Fort Worth Religious Discrimination Lawyers in Texas

Fort Worth religious discrimination lawyers represent employees in Fort Worth and other parts of Texas who suffer discrimination at work on the basis of their religion. Title VII and the Texas Labor Code prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of religion. If you believe your employer is engaging in religious discrimination then you should contact a Fort Worth religious discrimination lawyer right away.

Religious discrimination in employment in Fort Worth, Texas

Under federal and Texas law it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an employee on the basis of the employee’s religion. Employers discriminate against employees on the basis of religion in many ways including:

• Refusing to hire or promote an employee on the basis of religion
• Terminating an employee for holding religious beliefs
• Terminating an employee for not participating in a religious practice
• Creating a hostile work environment or harassing an employee due to the employee’s religion
• Cutting pay or work assignments on the basis of religion

Additionally, employers must provide reasonable accommodation for religious practices. These may include permitting dress code deviations for religious attire and leave to attend religious ceremonies. Note that these need only be reasonable accommodations. Not all requests for religious practices fall under this protection.

Fort Worth religious discrimination lawyers represent clients in lawsuits and EEOC complaints on these adverse employment actions. Religious discrimination attorneys understand these types of employment law claims. If you believe your employer discriminated on the basis of religion then you should contact a Fort Worth religious discrimination attorney right away.

Religious discrimination in Fort Worth, Texas

Religious discrimination at work happens in two ways. First, it may occur like any other form of employment discrimination in which an employer treats you less favorably than other workers on the basis of your religious beliefs. Second, it may occur because an employer refuses a reasonable accommodation to a religious belief.

Adverse employment action religious discrimination in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth religious discrimination attorneys help clients with religion discrimination when an employer treats an employee less favorably than other employees on the basis of the employee’s religious beliefs. Discrimination may be because the employee has religious beliefs the employer opposes or simply because the employee does not share the employer’s faith.

Religious discrimination may be as direct as the employer directly making employment decisions on the basis of the employee’s faith; it may be as indirect as making employment decisions upon the employee declining to participate in “voluntary” religious practices in the workplace. How religion ties into the employer’s adverse employment action is not as important as the employer’s mere decision to act adversely on the basis of religion. Any negative act by the employer on the basis of religion is unlawful religious discrimination and you should contact Fort Worth religious discrimination lawyers about your situation.

Failure to accommodate religious practices

Unlike other forms of employment discrimination like race, sex, or age, religion discrimination includes a specific type of discrimination which is a failure to reasonably accommodate religious practices. Under Title VII and the Texas Labor Code a covered employer must reasonably accommodate a religious practice of an employee or applicant. Common accommodations include: schedule changes to permit the employee to attend religious ceremonies; schedule changes for religious work rules; adjusting break periods to allow for prayers or other religious practices at work; and modifying dress codes to allow for religious attire.

The standard for the reasonableness of an accommodation is low. Often if an employer has an honest business reason to deny the accommodation the employer will often prove its case. However, before assuming your requested accommodation is unreasonable under the law you should speak with a Fort Worth religious discrimination lawyer.

Contact Fort Worth religious discrimination lawyers

Fort Worth religious discrimination lawyers help clients protect their religious beliefs and practices from unlawful employment activities. If you believe you suffered religious discrimination then you should contact a Fort Worth religious discrimination lawyer right away. There is a limited period to initiate a claim for religious discrimination. Religious discrimination lawyers in Fort Worth know the process to fight against this practice.

Fort Worth racial discrimination attorneys in Texas

Fort Worth racial discrimination lawyers represent clients in lawsuits against employers who racially discriminate in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas. Racial discrimination in employment is unlawful under both federal law and Texas law. If you believe your employer discriminated on the basis of your race or ethnicity then you should contact a Fort Worth employment lawyer.

Racial discrimination at work in Fort Worth, Texas

Racial discrimination in employment happens when an employer discriminates against an employee or applicant on the basis of the person’s race, ethnicity, or skin color. Race discrimination in employment is unlawful under federal laws including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Texas employment law also prohibits racial discrimination at work in the Texas Labor Code. Some municipal codes in Texas, such as those in Fort Worth and Dallas, also prohibit racial discrimination at work.

Racial discrimination happens when an employer takes an adverse employment action or harasses an employee on the basis of race or ethnicity. An adverse employment action includes termination, demotion, pay cuts, reduction of work assignments, negative changes to work conditions and failures to promote or hire. A Texas employee may suffer racial harassment by management, coworkers, customers, or outside vendors. Offensive, harassing behavior that forms a hostile work environment can be just as harmful to a career as an adverse employment action.

Race discrimination in employment in Fort Worth, Texas

Race discrimination in employment is unlawful under Title VII, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Texas Labor Code. Employers who discriminate on the basis of race are liable to employees or applicants who are the victims of this discrimination. Employers engage in this form of employment discrimination by:

• Making promotion, hiring and work assignment decisions on the basis of race
• Terminating, demoting or giving pay cuts on the basis of race
• Creating harassment or a hostile work environment on the basis of race
• Allowing employees to harass other employees on the basis of race

Racial discrimination in employment can occur because the employer favors one race over another or attacking members of a race. Promoting an employee being he is white and not promoting an employee because she is Asian is equally unlawful. Race discrimination can also occur by favoring one member of a race over another members of the same race. This happens because one employee is lighter skinned than another of the same race or seen as less stereotypical. This same-race discrimination is no different from any other form of race discrimination.

An employer engaging in employment discrimination on the basis of race is liable to the employee for damages. Damages include lost wages, mental anguish, out of pocket losses, attorneys fees, court costs, lost benefits and other damages. Fort Worth race discrimination lawyers fight against this violation of employment law for clients.

How Fort Worth racial discrimination lawyers can help

If you believe you suffered discrimination on the basis of race either through an adverse employment action or harassment you should contact a Fort Worth racial discrimination lawyer to discuss your situation. Employment discrimination claims result in complex lawsuits with many legal and factual issues that can be harmful to a claim. There are specific procedures that must be followed in many cases to structure the strongest case possible for an employee. Fort Worth racial discrimination attorneys have experience to guide you through this process and fight for your rights.

Fort Worth national origin discrimination lawyers in Texas

Fort Worth national origin lawyers represent clients in lawsuits for national origin discrimination in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas. National origin discrimination is an unlawful form of discrimination on the basis of an individual’s national origin or heritage. National origin discrimination often involves racial discrimination or ethnicity discrimination. If you believe you suffered national origin discrimination at work then you should contact a Fort Worth employment lawyer right away.

National origin discrimination at work in Fort Worth, Texas

National origin discrimination is a form of employment discrimination in which an employer discriminates against an employee or applicant because that person is from a particular country or the person’s family is from a particular country. It may result in an adverse employment action, including termination, demotion, pay cuts, reduction in work assignments and failure to hire or promote. It may also occur through harassment in which employees, supervisors, customers or vendors create a hostile work environment. These forms of employment discrimination can have a significant impact on a person’s career.

National origin discrimination may also involve racial discrimination or ethnicity discrimination. Often discrimination on the basis of nationality involves broader hate or harassment about the person’s race or ethnicity. These claims may be so closely related that it is difficult to agree where one begins and one ends.

National origin discrimination in employment in Fort Worth, Texas

Employment discrimination on national origin is unlawful under Title VII and the Texas Labor Code. These employment laws make it unlawful for an employer to take an employee or applicant’s national origin into consideration in a negative manner. An employer may have negative feelings towards people from particular nations or may hold harmful stereotypes about people from particular nations. National origin discrimination may occur in:

• Hiring or promotion decisions
• Termination or demotion decisions
• Pay increases or cuts
• Work assignments
• Harassment or hostile work environment

When an employer unlawfully discriminates on national origin then it is liable to the employee for lost wages, lost benefits, attorneys fees, litigation costs, mental anguish and other sums. If your employer discriminates against you then you should contact Fort Worth national origin discrimination lawyers right away.

Employers are permitted to discriminate in favor of national origin when there is a legitimate business need. This rarely occurs; and often only in customer service jobs. In those jobs a person’s national origin or ethnicity makes the business more authentic. Employers are not permitted to show bias against people of any national origin for other reasons. This includes:

• Setting up English-only rules that lack a legitimate business need
• Harassing employees for their national origin
• Making business decisions based on the stereotypes the employer believes its customers hold

National origin discrimination is often connected to race discrimination or ethnicity discrimination. Determining the proper type of employment discrimination claim is a job for Fort Worth national origin discrimination attorneys.

How a Fort Worth national origin discrimination lawyer can help

Employment discrimination claims, including national origin discrimination, are complex claims. They require specific legal procedures and the laws governing employment discrimination lawsuits in Texas are complex. An experienced Fort Worth national origin discrimination lawyer understands the process to protect your rights and fight for justice. A lawsuit for national origin discrimination may result in an award of lost wages, punitive damages, mental anguish, attorney’s fees and court costs. Before taking action on a national origin discrimination claim you should speak with a Fort Worth national origin discrimination attorney. 

Fort Worth national origin discrimination lawyers represent clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas in employment discrimination on the basis of national origin. It is a violation of federal and Texas employment law to discriminate in employment on the basis of an employee or applicant’s nation of origin. If your employer discriminated against you for your national origin then you should contact a Fort Worth national origin discrimination lawyer right away.

Disability discrimination attorneys in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth disability discrimination lawyers represent clients in disability employment discrimination lawsuits in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas. Disability discrimination happens when an employer discriminates against an employee or applicant with a disability on the basis of that disability or refuses to provide a reasonable accommodation for a disability. If you believe your employer discriminated against you on the basis of a disability then you should talk to a Fort Worth disability discrimination lawyer .

Disability discrimination in Fort Worth, Texas

Disability discrimination in employment is unlawful under the Texas Labor Code, ADA and other federal statutes. Under these employment discrimination laws an employer may not discriminate on the basis of a disability. An employer might discriminate in hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, pay cuts, pay raises, job assignments, or harassment. An employer also has a duty to provide a reasonable accommodation to a disability that allows an employee meaningful access to the workplace or to perform the essential functions of the job.

Disability discrimination claims are particularly complex because anti-discrimination laws use highly technical definitions for many of the key terms. The definition of a disability under the ADA and Texas Labor Code is specific and a source of disagreement in disability discrimination lawsuits. Similarly, a disability discrimination claim may be the subject of dispute over the application of “essential functions” and “reasonable accommodations” as defined by the statutes.

Reasonable accommodation claims

Reasonable accommodation claims are particularly challenging without a thorough understanding of employment discrimination law. These claims carry all the challenges of proving the elements of a disability under the ADA and Texas Labor Code. However, a reasonable accommodation claim is not just a claim for inferior treatment; but a claim that the employer failed to do something to help the employee. What is reasonable and what is an accommodation are both technical, legal questions. The bar for reasonableness is high but does not require an employer to do everything or anything a disabled employee requests.

Often a problem arises in which the employee requests one specific accommodation without any flexibility. Under the ADA and Texas Labor Code an employer only has to offer a reasonable accommodation that is truly both reasonable and an accommodation. The employer is not required to offer the best accommodation or the specific accommodation requested by the employee. If you have a reasonable accommodation problem with your employer then you should speak to a Fort Worth disability discrimination lawyer.

Disability discrimination in employment in Fort Worth, Texas

The Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the Texas Labor Code prohibit employers from discriminating on a disability. This includes current disabilities, past disabilities and the employer’s perception that an employee or applicant is disabled. An employer may discriminate in hiring, promotion, termination, demotion, pay cuts, pay raises, work assignments and harassment. These acts are unlawful. If you suffer any you should contact Fort Worth disability discrimination lawyers right away.

What is a disability under federal and Texas law

The Americans with Disabilities Act defines a disabled person as:

a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment

Because there is a lot to unpack in this definition, take it one piece at a time. The definition of a disabled person includes (1) a person with a disability; (2) a person with a history of a disability; and (3) a person perceived to have a disability even if that person is not actually disabled. Therefore the question becomes what is a disability.

Next, the ADA definition is, “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities…”

Parse out the definition and find several parts: (1) physical or mental impairment; (2) substantially limits; (3) one or more major life activities. Each element must be met. Therefore, any employee who does not meet all three will not prevail on a claim.

First, there must be a physical or mental impairment. It must be an actual impairment to the body. Let’s jump to the end and come back to the middle. Third, it involves one or more major life activities. Under the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, the definition of a major life activity is broad. It includes walking, thinking, sleeping, eating, reading, talking, etc. As a result, defense lawyers often argue that the definition means everybody is disabled. Second, the impairment must substantially limit a major life activity. A minor limitation will not meet the definition. The clear and significant limitation must exist.

Reasonable accommodation and disability discrimination

These employment laws also require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to disabilities to allow an employee or applicant meaningful access to the workplace like any other employee and to accommodate the employee’s performance of the essential functions of the job. There is a specific process an employer must follow to provide a reasonable accommodation. Failing to follow the process is itself a form of disability discrimination. Even if the employer does not fire or demote the employee.

Additionally, recall an employee may meet the definition of a disabled employee because the employee is perceived as disabled although not actually disabled. An employee perceived disabled but not actually disabled is not entitled under the ADA to a reasonable accommodation. Employment lawyers have brought these lawsuits to court without success.

Recovery in disability discrimination lawsuits in Fort Worth, Texas

Employers who discriminate are liable for lost wages, out of pocket losses, attorneys fees, mental anguish and other damages. Reinstatement is sometimes an option to cure a disability discrimination claim, especially when demotion or termination occurs. Often the employer, employee, or both do not prefer this option. Because the disabled employee did not fill the position, another employee often holds that job. Judges usually do not like to displace an innocent third party to reinstate the aggrieved employee.  If your employer negatively affected your job or refused to provide a reasonable accommodation to a disability then you should contact Fort Worth disability discrimination attorneys right away.

How a Fort Worth disability discrimination lawyer can help

Maneuvering a disability discrimination lawsuit in Texas begins with understanding employment discrimination laws and the meaning of the key terms of the statute. Disability discrimination claims often require a pre-suit process to preserve claims before an employee may file a lawsuit. Failure to understand the processes and legal structure of a disability discrimination claim can doom the claim and the employee. A successful claim for disability discrimination can result in an award of damages including lost wages, mental anguish, out of pocket losses, attorney’s fees and court costs. An employee or applicant who believes disability discrimination played a role in a workplace decision should contact a Fort Worth disability discrimination lawyer to discuss the situation and possible remedies.

Age discrimination lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth age discrimination lawyers represent clients in age discrimination lawsuits in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas. Age discrimination occurs when an employer discriminates against an employee or applicant on the basis of age when the person is forty or older. Age discrimination is unlawful under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and Texas Labor Code. If you believe you suffered age discrimination at work then you should contact a Fort Worth age discrimination lawyer right away.

Age discrimination at work in Fort Worth, Texas

Age discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee or applicant who is forty or older less favorably than another employee or applicant on the basis of age. It may take place in hiring, firing, layoffs, demotions, promotions, pay or benefits decisions, or through harassment. Age discrimination often takes place in hiring and layoffs where employers often employ age stereotypes about energy, strength, or health in employment decisions. Industries where age discrimination is common include IT, manufacturing and hospitality but any Fort Worth employee over the age of forty may be the victim of age discrimination.

Texas age discrimination claims are complex employment law claims. They require a pre-suit process to preserve claims before a lawsuit may be filed. The standard to prove an age discrimination claim is much higher than many other types of employment discrimination lawsuits. For these and many other reasons you should hire a Fort Worth age discrimination attorney to assess your claims and represent you. Working with an experienced Fort Worth age discrimination lawyer gives you the best opportunity to recover on your claims. An age discrimination claim may recover lost wages, attorney’s fees and other damages. In limited cases a court may order reinstatement of a terminated employee. If you believe you suffered age discrimination as an employee or job applicant than you should contact a Fort Worth age discrimination lawyer.

Age discrimination and severance agreements in Texas

Age discrimination is a particular problem around severance agreements. A common tactic employers used against older workers was to offer a take-it-or-leave-it severance agreement with a short window of opportunity to take the deal. Often these severance agreements were terrible for the workers but great for the employers because they waived potential claims against the employer for next to nothing. To combat this problem Congress passed the Older Worker Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA).

OWBPA establishes mandatory time frames for workers over forty years of age to consider and even revoke acceptance of a severance agreement. Under OWBPA, workers forty and older must have at least forty-five days to consider a severance offer. After accepting, these workers have seven days to revoke acceptance. This allows workers time to consider the offer, schedule time to meet with a Fort Worth employment lawyer and even look at the job market before making a decision. If an employer offers shorter periods of time then you may have a claim for age discrimination. If you find your self in this position then contact a Fort Worth age discrimination attorney.

Age discrimination at work in Fort Worth, Texas

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and Texas Labor Code prohibit age discrimination in employment. Age discrimination happens when an employer treats an employee or applicant less favorably on the basis of age. Under both the ADEA and Texas Labor Code an employer may not discriminate on the basis of age against workers forty and older. An employer can discriminate against employees or applicants younger than forty. This distinction exists because employers, as a whole, are more likely to discriminate against older workers. Older workers are a more vulnerable class because they are perceived as less useful but more expensive workers. (Also, several other reasons.)

Employers discriminate on the basis of age in several ways, including:

• Hiring and promotions
• Terminations and demotions
• Pay raises and decreases
• Creating hostile work environments
• Including older workers in layoffs/reductions in force

Employers who discriminate on the basis of age are liable to the victim employee or applicant for lost wages, attorneys fees and other damages. If you believe your employer discriminated against you on the basis of age then you should speak with Fort Worth age discrimination lawyers right away.

Common age discrimination tactics

Often age discrimination occurs in several ways including:

• Hiring younger employees to bring in employees believed to be more energetic, more in line with the company’s image as youthful, more tech savvy
• Creating a reduction in force that targets all the older workers
• Creating job postings that target younger workers or discourage older workers
• Making job decisions for hiring or promotions using age as a stereotype for lacking the ability to adapt or adopt new technology
• Hiring younger employees because they are perceived to be cheaper or physically more capable

In addition to these common forms of age discrimination, the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) requires employers to give older workers at least forty-five days to consider a severance agreement and seven days to revoke agreement to it. If your employer fails to meet this requirement then you may have an additional claim for age discrimination.

Fort Worth Discrimination Lawyers

Discrimination in the workplace is prohibited when that discrimination is on the basis of one’s sex/gender, race, national origin, religion, age (if over forty), disability, pregnancy, genetic information and military service. Employment law prohibits it against both employees and job applicants. Employment discrimination on one of these classifications generally falls into two forms of conduct. This post is an overview of employment discrimination. It does not address every form of unlawful discrimination or every method in which unlawful employment discrimination occurs. If you believe you are the victim of unlawful employment discrimination then you should speak with an employment lawyer.

Texas and federal discrimination law prohibit only certain types of employment discrimination. An employee may file a charge of discrimination or lawsuit on employment discrimination only for a trait protected by law. Some forms of employment discrimination are not illegal. Some for reasonable reasons and others because we have yet to recognize the unreasonableness. Employment discrimination laws prohibit discrimination on innate qualities, such as race, sex, religion and so forth. We will probably never reach a point where we prohibit discrimination on attributes like height or hair color because these tend to produce minimal negative effects in the workplace.

Fort Worth Pension Lawyers in Texas

Fort Worth pension lawyers help clients resolve pension issues with their employers or former employers. Pensions are complicated retirement plans that rely on complex formulas to determine benefits. The laws governing pensions and other retirement plans are also complex. When employers fail to pay pension benefits accrued under the plan rules you can lose retirement benefits. That can be dangerous to a retiree. If your employer refuses to pay benefits accrued under a pension plan then contact a Fort Worth pension lawyer right away.

Pension benefits in Fort Worth, Texas

Pension benefits typically accrue under one or more defined benefit formulas. These formulas often pay a percentage of your pre-retirement income as a pension benefit. Many modern pension plans use cash balance formulas which accrue benefits based on pay and income credits. Pension plans often pay benefits to retirees as a monthly payments for life. Many plans now offer lump sum payments and term specific payments.

These plans are expensive to fund and manage so employers sometimes do not want to pay benefits accrued or fail to properly manage the plan. Private pension plans are often ERISA plans. Public plans may fall under Texas law, a municipal ordinance, federal civil or military service regulations. Some private plans are not ERISA plans and find governance under other laws. Fort Worth pension lawyers understand the differences between these laws and how they affect your benefits.

Failure to properly manage a pension plan and pay accrued benefits can create claims against the employer (or other plan sponsor). Damages under these plans may include payment of lost or unpaid benefits, punitive damages, out of pocket expenses, attorney’s fees and others. If you believe you have not received pension benefits due to you then contact a Fort Worth pension attorney right away.

Pension plans in Fort Worth, Texas

What most people call pension plans are defined benefit pension plans. Under employee benefit laws, “pension” is a term for a retirement plan that includes 401k plans, 403b plans as well as defined benefit plans. The use of “pension” to mean only defined benefit plans is almost universal beyond the benefits industry and benefits lawyers.

A defined benefit pension plan is similar to a life insurance annuity. It is a promise to pay a stream of income in the future based upon some calculation. Traditional pension formulas calculated benefits on a fraction of annual wages and years of service so the plan rewarded loyalty. There are several formulas in use today although traditional formulas and cash balance formulas are the two most popular.

One difficulty often seen in Dallas and Fort Worth is the overlap of several benefit formulas within the plan. This often happens in employers like AT&T where employees worked for several businesses spun off from AT&T only to be later re-acquired. Employees also move divisions with different formulas or move from bargained to non-bargained positions which have different formulas.

As a result, employees may have multiple formulas and the plan uses a master formula to figure out how to resolve the conflict between multiple formulas. This creates opportunities for incorrect benefit amounts when the employer fails to apply the correct formula. Fort Worth pension lawyers help people understand their benefits and pursue benefit corrections.

Pension mismanagement

Employers fund pension plans based upon their expectation of payable future benefits and invest the money set aside in the plan to use investment returns to partially fund benefits and reduce their costs. This creates a lot of opportunity to mismanage funds or manage funds in a way that is beneficial to the employer at the expense of retirees or future retirees. It also brings companies in the benefits and securities industries to try to earn the pension’s business. Those companies do not always have the pension’s best interests at heart.




Pensions management is complex and creates opportunities to negligently or fraudulently mismanage the plan. The plan relies on complicated formulas to calculate benefits and convert benefits into various payment options. The formula may rely on decades of data which may flow across several benefit formula changes, mergers, acquisitions and other corporate actions.

Many people involved with pension management are smart human resources professionals but not experts in employee benefit laws or pension calculations. Errors are possible at many steps. This complex administration is also costly which creates incentives to reduce expenses and complexity. That can lead employers to take unreasonable steps to reduce their burden.

Pension laws in Texas

In Texas most pensions are regulated by ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. ERISA sets out a large regulatory system for benefit plans, including pensions. ERISA regulates benefit formulas, recordkeeping and trust management of pension funds. It requires plan administrators to operate the plan in the interest of its participants rather than the employer.

This federal law gives employees remedies against employers who violate employee rights to pension benefits. Public employee pensions are governed by Texas law, for state employees, and federal law, for federal employees and military servicemembers. These laws create their own employer duties which are similar, but not always the same, as ERISA.

Common ways employers violate ERISA include:

• Payment arrangements with benefit plan service providers that permissibly launder money from the pension to the employer or its owners

• Failure to maintain adequate pension records

• Apply the wrong benefit formula to reduce pension benefits

• Apply incorrect discount rates on pension payment options

• Delay payments beyond reasonable plan administration needs

• Failure to protect the interests of alternate payees and beneficiaries

• Allow imprudent investment of pension trust resources

• Use the pension trust resources for the employer’s needs through unlawful loans, acquiring trust investments at unreasonable prices, self-dealing purchases from employer to trust

Violating your ERISA rights can result in improper reductions in your benefits, delays to payments and other real harm. Pension mismanagement can result in this harm across the board to all employees and retirees. If your employer violates your rights then you should talk to a Fort Worth pension lawyer right away. There are specific processes to assert rights under ERISA and failing to follow those processes can delay or prevent resolution to your claims.

Fort Worth Benefits Lawyers in Tarrant County

Fort Worth benefits lawyers help clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas with employee benefits issues. Employee benefits, including 401k, pension, insurance, severance, bonuses, deferred compensation plans and vacation, are important parts of employee compensation. Employee benefits are a part of your compensation like your paycheck. Even if the benefit does not have an obvious financial component, like a bonus or 401k contribution, losing that benefit is a pay cut. Federal or Texas employment law governs many employee benefits. If your employer improperly harms your benefits then you may have a claim under these laws against your employer. If you believe you may have a claim then you should talk to a Fort Worth benefits lawyer who can analyze your situation.

Employee benefits in Fort Worth, Texas

Many benefit plans fall under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 known as ERISA. ERISA governs 401k plans, many defined benefit pension plans, many insurance plans, some severance plans, 403b plans, 401a plans, cafeteria plans and some other benefits. ERISA sets a high standard for plan management and safeguards for employee benefits. Employers who violate ERISA are liable to employees for lost benefits, out of pocket expenses, attorneys fees and other damages depending upon the type of claim. ERISA plans often require specific procedures to begin a claim against the plan or employer because the statute and its regulations give employers an opportunity to cure many violations before sending the issue to court.

Some benefits are not ERISA plans such as vacation pay or some company reimbursement plans. Employers have much more freedom to reduce or eliminate these benefits at their discretion. The strongest protection for these benefits comes from working under a contract or collective bargaining agreement because that gives a direct contractual remedy to the employee. Employees may have remedies when an employer retroactively reduces these benefits under Texas statute or contract law.

Any time your employer messes with your benefits you should talk to a Fort Worth benefits lawyer about your situation to assess whether there are meritorious claims against your employer to protect your compensation. Fort Worth benefits attorneys can help you assess your situation and determine what steps are available.

Employment benefits in Fort Worth, Texas

Employee benefits are compensation for labor. It is a form of payment taken alternatively from cash in your paycheck. Granted, most employers do not give you the option to take benefits or cash but it is nevertheless a part of the employer’s cost to employ you. Additionally, many benefits available through employment are cheaper than what you could get if you bought the same coverage or dollar amount on your own as a consumer. These benefits are valuable.

Many employee benefits in Texas enjoy protection under federal or state law. These include ERISA and the ACA. These laws establish regulations for plan administration and require employers to manage the plan as fiduciaries. Employee benefit plans covered by ERISA include 401k plans, 403b plans, many pensions, health insurance plans, disability plans and other benefit plans known as cafeteria plans. When employers violate these laws they are liable to workers for losses. Fort Worth benefits lawyers help recover these losses.

ERISA history

ERISA is the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Congress enacted ERISA as a basic protection for employee benefit plans. Before ERISA employees had few protections for their benefit plans. That is because plans were creatures of contract law, governed by state laws. Many states lacked strong protections for benefit plans. When the benefits failed employees had to choose between losing everything or hiring employment lawyers to pursue the employer. Often this was a futile effort because the employer was insolvent or nearly insolvent.

The final straw was when well known car manufacturer Studebaker declared bankruptcy. As a result of the bankruptcy a large number of employees lost their entire pension plan. The bankruptcy became a wake up call to Congress.

Non-ERISA benefits

Additionally, there are many benefit plans beyond the scope of ERISA. These often include fringe benefits like vacation pay, sick pay, sick leave, some company reimbursement for business expenses, severance pay (sometimes). These benefits do not have the same level of protection as required by ERISA. Therefore, an employer can cancel those benefits at their discretion. Whether you have any continuing right to those benefits are often a matter of employment law or contract law.

Further, employers may have executive compensation plans like 409A plans or nonqualified plans. These plans often look like a 401k or pension in many ways. However, they are not ERISA plans. Therefore, if the employer becomes insolvent the employees may lose their benefits or at least have to line up in bankruptcy court to fight for payment.

401k attorneys in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth 401k lawyers represent clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas in claims against 401k plans. 401k plans are defined contribution retirement plans offered by many employers as part of the employee’s compensation. 401k plans hold huge sums of money and require regulated recordkeeping and administration which create opportunities for negligent and fraudulent mismanagement of the plan. If you believe your employer improperly mismanaged your 401k plan you should talk to a Fort Worth employment lawyer right away about your concerns. 401k plans require a specific procedure to complain about a plan deficiency. Failing to follow through on that process may limit or destroy a valid claim against the plan.

Common 401k plan problems in Fort Worth, Texas

401k plans are one of the most common retirement savings vehicles in this country but most people do not understand the complexity behind their operation. 401k plans must meet investment and recordkeeping requirements under ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, designed to safeguard employee savings. These regulatory provisions are expensive for plan sponsors like employers which creates incentives to try to cut corners and rob the plan.

Here are some common ways employer mismanage 401k plans that violate ERISA:

• Hire 401k service providers under contracts that favor the employer over the plan and its particpants
• Select investment options on the basis of how they reduce plan costs to the employer over their prudence for employees
• Failing to retain required records
• Unlawfully delaying payments from participants for deferrals and loan payments
• Robbing the plan trust of funds
• Deducting deferrals from employee paychecks but not depositing funds to the plan trust

Employers who mismanage the plan or steal funds from it can rob employees of their retirement savings, setting them back years or even decades financially. Congress passed ERISA specifically to prevent this terrible situation. If your employer steals from the plan or mismanages the plan in violation of ERISA then you should act quickly to protect your rights and your savings.

Remedies for 401k plan violations

Fort Worth 401k lawyers help clients recover from 401k plans and employers for negligent and fraudulent mismanagement. Participants may have claims for funds restoration, administrative penalties, disgorgement of stolen funds, attorneys fees and other damages. ERISA claims are some of the most complicated in federal or Texas employment law. Many require a specific process to preserve and pursue the claim. Failing to follow this process can significantly limit your opportunity to protect your retirement savings. For this reason you should contact a Fort Worth 401k lawyer about a potential claim.

401k plan problems in Fort Worth, Texas

401k plans are defined contribution plans offered by many employers. They are popular retirement savings vehicles which allow access to investments and tax-deferred savings. Employees defer wages to the plan on a tax deferred basis. The employer may also make various contributions. The employee can choose from 401k investments to invest funds on a tax deferred basis. This gives the employee an opportunity to compound gains not available in a typical brokerage account. The employer also gains a tax benefit on contributions paid to the plan.

401k plans are expensive to manage. Employers spend a lot of money administering 401k plans. This creates a lot of opportunities for mismanagement although employer gain a tax advantage from its contributions. Sometimes employers abuse the 401k plan because they cannot afford to manage it correctly. Sometimes they use the 401k to self-deal, resulting in side deals for their own benefit. Employers also want to limit administrative costs because that is an added labor cost. That in turn creates an incentive to find ways to make the plan cheaper, often leading to a less beneficial 401k for employees.

401k plans and ERISA

401k plans are governed by ERISA, a federal law designed to protect employee benefits. ERISA sets high standards for 401k plan management. Common ways employers violate ERISA include:

• Failing to make employer contributions within the plan rules
• Failing to timely deposit employee deferrals and employer contributions
• Engaging in fraudulent transfers from the 401k plan
• Failing to maintain required records
• Failing to prudently select investments

When employers violate ERISA they can be liable to employees, retirees and beneficiaries. Damages in an ERISA suit brought by a Fort Worth 401k attorney include lost benefits and attorneys fees. ERISA claims are incredibly complex because the statute and its regulations are so complex. 401k plans involve an intersection of benefits law, tax law, employment law and securities law. That is just not a common skillset for many lawyers.

Arbitration in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth arbitration lawyers represent clients in labor and employment law claims in arbitration. Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution because it moves the forum out of the courts to a private setting. Alternative dispute resolution also includes mediation and other forms of private, non-judicial resolution. Arbitration is, however, similar in many aspects to a trial that might take place in Fort Worth, Texas. Fort Worth employment lawyers represent clients in both judicial and non-judicial forums.

Arbitration in Fort Worth, Texas

Most people don’t know realize it but they have undoubtedly signed multitudes of arbitration agreements. Businesses use arbitration agreements commonly in consumer transactions. They are especially popular with credit card and telecommunications. Employers often sometimes use arbitration agreements in hiring documents to avoid litigation. Arbitration is also common in union collective bargaining agreements. Most people do not read or pay attention to the arbitration agreements because it’s usually another button to click along the process of buying a new smartphone or getting a job.

What is arbitration?

Arbitration is a non-judicial procedure to resolve claims between parties. Arbitration generally includes a trial or trial-like hearing before an arbitrator. The arbitrator hears the evidence and arguments of the parties and renders a decision. Arbitration is a creature of contract so the rules and procedure of arbitration are mostly left up to the parties and the arbitration agreement. As a result arbitration may be very similar to trial procedure in Fort Worth, Texas state courts or federal courts in Dallas-Fort Worth. On the other hand, it may be a completely different process stripped down to a basic procedure.

Federal and Texas arbitration laws

Texas and federal law govern arbitration proceedings. The federal law is the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). The Texas law is the Texas Arbitration Act (TAA). Both of these laws set a legal framework to bind parties to arbitration agreements and establish minimum standards to preserve due process. Originally the FAA, passed in the 1920s, intended to help large businesses set up a framework to resolve business disputes without years of litigation over shipments of wheat or steel. In the 1980s large corporations figured out they could apply these same laws to consumer transactions to block them from judicial remedies. Allies in the courts agreed and now arbitration is far more common with consumers and employees.

Arbitration and Fort Worth employment claims

Fort Worth employees may find themselves directed to arbitration for most employment law claims. Employment arbitration agreements tend to cover all employment claims except workers’ compensation which has its own non-judicial resolution process and most ERISA claims for benefit plans. Employees under a valid arbitration agreement will have to arbitrate their employment claims including wage claims, overtime pay, employment discrimination, FMLA, contract claims, retaliation and wrongful termination.

Although arbitration is often a more streamlined process it is not an easier process for employees. The legal standards for employment law claims remains the same. Generally any administrative procedures required in a lawsuit apply in arbitration as well. The process may be less complex but that can be harmful to an employee. Discovery is an important part of building the employee’s case because the employer generally controls the important files and paperwork related to the claim. The less discovery allowed by arbitration the more effective the employee must be with the discovery requests. For this reason, the employee should definitely retain a Fort Worth employment lawyer for arbitration.

FMLA lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth FMLA lawyers represent clients in Family Medical Leave Act claims in Texas. FMLA protects the right of eligible employees to take up to twelve weeks of medical leave. FMLA leave may be either continuous or intermittent leave. Employers sometimes wrongfully deny FMLA leave or retaliate against employees for requesting or taking FMLA. Employees can recover against employers for violating FMLA in Fort Worth or Dallas courts. If you believe your employer violated your FMLA rights then you should contact a Fort Worth employment lawyer.

FMLA leave in Fort Worth, Texas

The Family Medical Leave Act is a federal law that protects an employee’s right to medical leave. FMLA applies to employees who work for employers with fifty or more employees within a seventy-five mile radius of the employee’s work location. Employees becomes eligible for FMLA leave after completing one year of employment and 1250 hours of work for the employer. At that time, the employee can request continuous or intermittent FMLA leave up to twelve weeks (in almost all cases).

FMLA leave may be taken for four reasons:

1. Treatment of the employee’s serious health condition
2. Treatment of a serious medical condition of an immediate family member of the employee
3. Bonding time with a new child in the family regardless of the new child arriving by birth, adoption, or foster placement
4. Care of a military servicemember injured in active duty

If the FMLA leave is for care of a military servicemember injured in active duty the leave may be extended up to twenty-six weeks.

Serious health condition and FMLA leave

FMLA defines a serious health condition as, “an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves–(A) inpatient care in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility; or (B) continuing treatment by a health care provider.” Employees seeking FMLA leave for a serious health condition may need as little as overnight stay in a hospital to qualify for FMLA. The employee may need as much as the full twelve weeks of continuous leave. However, an employee may also need intermittent leave of shorter periods of time over a long stretch of time. For example, an employee may need routine doctor’s visit for treatment that lasts an hour but the employee needs to go once each week for two months.

FMLA contains strict regulations around all facets of leave. There are regulations about each element of an FMLA leave request and the manner in which an employer responds. If your employer denies an FMLA request you may have a claim against your employer. Fort Worth FMLA lawyers represent clients in FMLA interference claims.

FMLA retaliation

Employers sometimes retaliate against employees for requesting or taking FMLA leave. This may include punishing the worker after return from FMLA leave or firing the employee during leave. The employer may retaliate against an employee for asking about FMLA or requesting FMLA, even if the employer grants FMLA or the employee ends up not taking FMLA leave. Retaliation for requesting or taking FMLA violates the Family Medical Leave Act. If your employer retaliates against you in violation of FMLA you should contact a Fort Worth employment lawyer right away.

Employers often violate FMLA rights, requiring employees to look for a Fort Worth FMLA lawyer when they:

• Refuse FMLA leave for a serious medical condition because the employer disagrees with the physician’s certification without merit
• Delays responding to an FMLA leave request
• Harasses or repeatedly contacts the employee while on FMLA leave
• Retaliates against the employee for requesting or taking FMLA leave
• Establishes its own FMLA approval process beyond the scope of FMLA regulations

What a Fort Worth FMLA lawyer can do for you

A Fort Worth FMLA lawyer can work with your employer to gain approval for a valid FMLA request. If you already have approved leave and the employer interferes with the leave then your Fort Worth FMLA lawyer can instruct the employer to follow FMLA regulations. If you were wrongfully denied FMLA or retaliated against for taking FMLA leave then you have remedies against the employer. You may be entitled to lost pay and benefits, liquidated damages, attorney’s fees and other damages. Contact Fort Worth FMLA lawyers right away if you believe your employer violated your rights.

Fort Worth Minimum Wage Lawyers in Texas

Fort Worth minimum wage lawyers represent clients in Texas in unpaid minimum wage claims. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act nonexempt employees must receive minimum wage for each hour of work in a workweek under forty and overtime pay for each hour over forty in the workweek. Employers are liable to employees for unpaid wages, attorneys fees and other damages for failing to pay minimum wage. You do not work for free. If your employer thinks you should then you should contact a Fort Worth minimum wage lawyer about your possible claims. Contact Fort Worth minimum wage lawyers right away if your employer failed to pay minimum wage. The FLSA provides for recovery of attorneys fees on a prevailing claim so there is little reason not to contact an employment lawyer to help you. FLSA regulations are technical and an experienced Fort Worth minimum wage lawyer can review your situation to assess whether you are owed unpaid wages.

Minimum wage in Fort Worth, Texas

The Fair Labor Standards Act is a federal law that establishes minimum wage provisions for employees. FLSA minimum wage applies to all employees who work for covered employers who are not exempt under the law. Minimum wage must be paid for each hour worked for all nonexempt employees. A common exemption to minimum wage is for salaried employees to meet one or more of the salaried exemptions. Not all salaried employees are exempt from overtime. An employee must receive a salary plus meet one of the job classifications for the employer to exempt the employee. Otherwise the employee must receive minimum wage and overtime pay.

FLSA minimum wage and overtime provisions only apply to employees. Individuals who work as independent contractors are not employees so they do not fall within the FLSA minimum wage and overtime pay provisions. However, like a salaried, exempt employee an employee is not an independent contractor just because the employer says so.

Minimum wage arises for most jobs under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA sets minimum wage and overtime pay requirements for all positions not exempt under the law. The most common exemption from the FLSA is the salaried exemption but there are many others. Most hourly employees are due at least minimum wage for hours worked.

Employers violate the minimum wage provisions of the FLSA in several ways. These include:

• Setting the hourly rate at less than minimum wage
• Requiring employees to work off the clock or at a lower wage that results in less than minimum wage
• Misclassifying workers as salaried and exempt and working hours that reduce pay below minimum wage
• Changing timesheets to remove hours worked from paychecks
• Illegal tip pooling schemes that pay tips out to ineligible employees, managers and owners
• Improper deductions from tips for breakage fees, spillage fees and walked tabs

If your employer unlawfully fails to pay minimum wage then you are entitled to recover lost pay and other damages. These may include liquidated damages (doubling the unpaid wages), attorney’s fees and other amounts. If you believe your employer violated the FLSA minimum wage provisions then you should contact Fort Worth minimum wage lawyers now. There is a statute of limitations for minimum wage violations so contact a Fort Worth minimum wage attorney right away.

Common ways employers wrongfully fail to pay minimum wage

Employers often follow the same unlawful patterns when depriving employees of minimum wages. Fort Worth minimum wage lawyers see these methods commonly employed:

• Work employees through unpaid lunches
• Ask employees to continue work after the end of a shift but clocking the employee out before work ends
• Taking tips from tipped employees
• Improper tip deductions from tipped employees
• Misclassifying employees as managers or other supposed nonexempt positions
• Misclassifying employees as independent contractors
• Removing hours from employees’ time sheets
• Promising non-wage compensation for hours worked

Failing to pay minimum wage is not just a business dispute. It’s wage theft. Don’t let your employer steal from you. If you believe your employer is not paying minimum wages you earned then you should contact a Fort Worth minimum wage lawyer right away.

Fort Worth Overtime Lawyers

Fort Worth overtime lawyers represent clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas in unpaid overtime pay claims. Nonexempt employees receive overtime pay for each hour worked over forty in a workweek. Overtime pay is the employee’s regular rate of pay times 1.5 for each hour of work. When employers unlawfully fail to pay overtime the employee can lose significant sums of cash. Do not let your employer steal from your paycheck. Contact a Fort Worth employment lawyer about your unpaid overtime pay right away.

Overtime pay in Fort Worth, Texas

Overtime pay for most employees arises under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). FLSA is a federal employment law establishing minimum wage provisions for privately employed workers. Part of the FLSA wage provisions include overtime pay as described above. Some employees do not receive overtime pay protected by FLSA because they are exempt by the statute and its regulations. Employees exempt from overtime pay provisions in the FLSA may receive overtime pay because a contract requires it or by an employer’s voluntary policy. Otherwise, any employee properly exempt from overtime pay does not receive it regardless of how many hours the employee works.

Employers try to evade overtime pay by underpaying for work time or not paying at all. This can steal substantial wages from employees. Common ways employers refuse to pay overtime pay include:

• Shifting hours from one week to another to avoid overtime pay
• Misclassifying employees as exempt
• Recalculating hourly pay to avoid overtime pay
• Improperly excluding compensation from the overtime pay calculation
• Requiring employees to work off the clock
• Not including time spent waiting to work on the job
• Not paying for working lunches and other supposed break times in which work occurs

Employers who steal from their employees’ wages are liable for unpaid wages, attorneys fees and other monetary relief. This includes claims for unpaid overtime pay as well as retaliation claims against an employer who retaliates against an employee for complaining about unpaid overtime pay. If your employer does not pay overtime pay as required or retaliates for requesting unpaid overtime pay then you should contact Fort Worth overtime lawyers right away. There is no benefit to delaying contacting an overtime pay attorney.

Overtime pay violations in Texas

As any employee who worked overtime knows, overtime pay can add up quickly for an employee. It’s a good way to help cover bills or save money when regular pay doesn’t cut it. That also means employers feel the pain of paying a higher rate of pay to nonexempt employees. That is an incentive for some employers to try to avoid overtime pay. Employers are less crafty than they think about skirting overtime pay regulations. If you find yourself in one of these scams you should contact Fort Worth overtime lawyers. Here are some of the common scams:

Shifting hours between workweeks

Sometimes employers try to evade overtime pay by moving hours over forty hours off one week and put them on the next week to turn overtime hours into regular pay hours. A lot of times this accompanies a schedule cut to make room for the shifted hours. This card game is explicitly prohibited by the FLSA. If this happens, call an overtime attorney right away.

Shifting workweeks

Employers who consider themselves craftier sometimes try to shuffle the workweek rather than shuffle hours. What happens is they will change the start date of workweeks going forward so a big day of overtime moves into a “short” week and the employees end up with two normal weeks. For example, a company with a Sunday-Saturday schedule has a big weekend of overtime hours. The employer will change the new workweek to start on Friday (ending Thursday) that week knowing it will create a short week running Sunday-Friday which turns those overtime hours into regular hours. This too is expressly prohibited when the purpose is to avoid overtime pay.

Asking employees to work off the clock

Sometimes employers will come right out and ask employees to work off the clock to avoid overtime pay. Usually the employee receives a promise of comp time or a bonus down the road. Only public employees can be paid in comp time in lieu of overtime pay (although Congress is considering changing that). A bonus is nice but the FLSA requires overtime paid with the workweek in which it is worked.

Cutting hours off the time records

Sometimes employers just make time disappear. This isn’t magic. It’s against the law. Employers have a duty to maintain correct time records. Cutting off hours violates both that duty and the duty to pay overtime pay. If your employer does this you need to start keeping your own time records and contact a Fort Worth overtime lawyer ASAP.

Misclassifying employees to avoid overtime pay

Some employees are exempt from overtime pay provisions. These include most management, professional employees and several other classes. Employers like to classify employees as salaried because the overtime pay requirement does not apply to most salaried, exempt employees. Employees are not salaried and exempt merely by receiving a salary or because the employer says so. Employers also will classify employees as independent contractors because an independent contractor does not receive benefits or overtime pay unless it is in the contract.

Fort Worth, Texas overtime lawyers

Fort Worth overtime lawyers represent clients in overtime pay issues in Fort Worth and other parts of Texas. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers must pay all nonexempt employees minimum wage and overtime pay. Employees earn overtime pay under the FLSA for each hour worked in a workweek over forty hours. The FLSA mandates calculating overtime pay at 1.5 times the regular rate of pay for each hour. The overtime pay calculation is not always as simple as it seems. When an employer fails to pay overtime the employee has the right to recover lost wages and other damages, including attorneys fees. An employee who believes overtime pay is due but not paid should speak to a Fort Worth overtime lawyer right away.

Expunction Lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth expunction lawyers represent clients in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas in employment background issues. Texas law allows individuals with certain types of criminal records to expunge or seal those records so they are available to fewer employers. Texas job applicants face a difficult job market in many areas. Having criminal records in your background can make the job search far more difficult. Fort Worth employment lawyers help clients obtain court orders to improve their employment opportunities.

Fort Worth Expunction and Nondisclosure Orders

First, background searches for employment are limited by federal and Texas laws. Especially relevant, although there is a seven year limit for many searches, some searches can go back with no time limit or limit on what public records the employer can search. Criminal records are common components of background searches.

Expunctions

First, expunctions are court orders to destroy criminal records. As a result, expunctions include everything from arrest records forward. They are generally only available when the arrest does not result in a conviction or guilty plea. This is the strongest remedy for a criminal record. The only types of crimes eligible for expunction after a guilty plea is a class C misdemeanor dismissed after deferred adjudication or certain juvenile offenses.

Non disclosure orders

Second, non disclosure orders are court orders to seal criminal records. These also apply to everything from the arrest forward. Conversely, they are available when the arrest involves certain crimes and the individual pleaded guilty to receive deferred adjudication. A nondisclosure has several requirements. Unlike an expunction a nondisclosure does not destroy records. It only seals the records from the public. State and federal agencies can still access these records.

The rules around expunctions and nondisclosure orders are highly technical. Details of the criminal record and how it was resolved are critical. A Fort Worth expunction lawyer knowledgeable about these rules can help get these records out of your criminal background.

Expunctions and nondisclosure orders can help remove certain criminal background records from your history. Criminal background records can be the difference between an employer extending a job offer or moving to the next candidate. Fort Worth expunction lawyers ]help clients in Texas remove those background records.

Expunctions and nondisclosure orders in Texas

Expunctions are court orders that completely remove all records of a criminal event, from an arrest through any conviction. An expunction is only available in almost all cases if no conviction ocurred. For most people this includes arrests that are dismissed without any trial or plea deal. If you pled guilty or no-contest to a criminal charge then you likely cannot receive an expunction.

Nondisclosure orders seal records of a criminal event but do not destroy them. Nondisclosure orders are also court orders. To receive a nondisclosure order from a Texas court you must satisfy several requirements. The most important requirements include the court placing you on deferred adjudication for the crime and completing deferred adjudication. If the court dismisses the charge after deferred adjudication then you may be eligible.

Juvenile records are sealed similar in effect to nondisclosure orders but under a different process. These include minor alcohol crimes.

Do I need an expunction or nondisclosure order in Dallas or Fort Worth?

The benefit of an expunction or nondisclosure order is that the court order takes those records away from most public inquiries. That means most future employers cannot find them along with lenders, landlords and other parties who might conduct a background search. Many public agencies can and do access sealed criminal records for employment and other purposes.

Often people become aware of the need for an expunction or non disclosure order when they enter the job market. Unfortunately by that time it may be too late. Expunctions and nondisclosure orders are not quick procedures. The lawyer must file a petition in court. The state reviews the petition and may contest it. If there is no contest then the court will likely grant the order. The state may contest in which case the court will set it for trial.

Fort Worth Non-Compete Attorneys

Fort Worth non-compete lawyers help clients interpret, understand and negotiate non-compete agreements. Non-compete agreements are common in employment relationships where the employee has access to trade secrets and other proprietary data. They can be powerful tools for employers that limit the employment opportunities of employees. Fort Worth noncompete agreement lawyers help clients interpret, negotiate and litigate noncompete agreements with employers. Noncompete agreements are agreements between employer and employee the employee’s employment opportunities after employment. These agreements can have a powerful effect on a future job search so it is important to treat them seriously. The employer may also call them covenants not to compete or restrictive covenants.

Why employers in Dallas or Fort Worth use non-compete agreements

Employers like non-compete agreements because they allow the employer to protect sensitive information. An employer cannot take information back out of your head when you leave employment so they must use a contract to limit your ability to use that information with a competitor. Examples of information a non-compete agreement may protect include:

• Proprietary business techniques
• Research & Development
• Sales contacts
• Sales processes
• Lead generation
• Pricing models
• Business relationships
• Other trade secrets worth protecting

A non-compete agreement may also limit a departing employee’s ability to compete in the same market. This may be useful where the former employer marketed the employee as an asset and does not want that marketing transferring to a competitor. It may also prevent a competitor in the same market who knows the employer’s trade secrets, sales practices or business contacts.

An enforceable non-compete agreement in Texas

In Texas a non-compete agreement must be enforceable to prevent a departing employee from moving into a competing role or using proprietary information in another Dallas or Fort Worth job. To be enforceable the agreement must:

• Be connected to some other enforceable contract (e.g. employment contract, severance agreement)
• Protect a legitimate business interest (see above)
• Contain reasonable limits on the activities restrained
• Contain reasonable geographic and time limits

If a non-compete agreement is not enforceable then the employer cannot prevent you from going to work for a competitor in the same market.

If the non-compete agreement is enforceable then the employer can go to court in Dallas or Fort Worth and seek an injunction to prevent you from working in breach of the agreement. This can be harmful to your career. That is why it is important to understand a noncompete agreement before signing. If you signed one and want to leave your current employment then you should understand the terms before putting yourself in a bad position.

Fort Worth Non-Compete Lawyers

Non-compete agreements are useful to employers to protect information that provides them a business advantage. This can include sales and client lists, research and development of new products or services, proprietary business processes and proprietary tools. This is important because that information gives the employer a tactical advantage. If employees can leave and take that information with them then the employer’s ability to earn profits is in jeopardy.

Employers also use non-compete agreements for professional employees such as doctors to prevent them from competing in the same market as the employer. For example, a physician’s practice in Fort Worth might use a non-compete agreement to prevent one of its doctors from opening a competing practice across the street. That practice might use a non-compete agreement to exclude the doctor from going to work in a practice within Fort Worth. This is to prevent the doctor from using her relationship with patients to bring those patients from the first practice to the new practice. It maintains the business-patient (or client or customer) relationship.

Non-solicitation agreements

Non-compete agreements may also come in the form of non-solicitation agreements. Non-solicitation agreements are agreements between employer and employee that the employee will not solicit customers or clients from the business upon leaving. These serve the same purpose as the non-compete agreements above because they prohibit departing employees from becoming direct competitors in the same market.

Legal enforcement of non-compete agreements

Not all non-compete agreements are legally enforceable by the employer. Texas employment law limits non-compete agreements to prevent them from being so broad that they prevent the employee from finding any work at all. That would create a near slave relationship with the employee because the employee would have to suffer a serious career setback to leave. If faced with a non-compete agreement you should speak with a Fort Worth non-compete attorney about the legitimacy of any non-compete agreement you have been asked to sign.

Fort Worth labor lawyers in Texas

Fort Worth labor attorneys represent clients in labor law situations. These include union elections and retaliation for union activities. The right to cooperate with coworkers to improve work conditions is protected for almost all employees by federal and Texas law. If your employer interferes with that right or retaliates against you for exercising that right then you may have claims against your employer. These claims can result in recovery against the employer by the affected employees. This is especially true when the employees are wrongfully terminated. If this happens you should contact a Fort Worth employment lawyer.

Fort Worth labor lawyers for union rights

Most employees in the Dallas and Fort Worth area are protected by one of two federal labor laws. The National Labor Relations Act (and its amendments) protect most private employees. In Dallas-Fort Worth we have a lot of employees in transportation, including railway and airline employees. These employees fall under the Railway Labor Act.

Labor law versus employment law

Most people, even lawyers, consider labor law and employment law as different subjects. Labor laws primarily deal with the relationship between the employer and employees as a unit. Conversely, employment law deals with the individual relationship between employer and each employee. Class actions can arise under employment laws; however, these do not deal with the relationship as a collective in the same manner.

Labor law situations often implicate employment laws because the labor relationship deals with employment law issues like wages, benefits and wrongful termination. When a worker has a problem at work where there is a union and visits a labor attorney, the employee may come with multiple issues. There may be claims under the collective bargaining agreement. The worker may have claims under labor laws for violations of labor rights. The worker may also have claims under employment laws. The CBA may in turn govern how the employee must pursue those claims.

What labor laws do

These labor laws protect the rights of employees to work together to improve work conditions whether it is through an external union or an informal group of employees. This includes pay, benefits, work rules, safety concerns, schedules and so forth. When employers violate these rights or interfere with the right to organize into a formal union entity the employees have claims against the employer. The employees should contact Fort Worth labor attorneys right away.

Claims for violation of labor laws including the National Labor Relations Act and Railway Labor Act follow specific procedures and limited limitations periods. Failing to follow the right process can defeat claims under these labor laws. Employees who believe they may have a claim should contact a Fort Worth labor lawyer familiar with these labor laws.

Fort Worth labor lawyers represent clients in Dallas County and Tarrant County in labor law claims. Labor law is the commonly used term to describe laws that deal with unions and the relationship between employer and employees as a collective unit. This is different from laws normally described as employment laws because those laws deal with the individual employer-employee relationship. (Class actions not included.) Most labor law claims involve one of two issues. First, the employee participated in a union or union organizing and the employer retaliated against the employee. Second, the employee cooperated with coworkers beyond a union to improve work conditions and the employer retaliated. In these cases a Fort Worth labor lawyer can fight back against the employer and help the employee.

Labor laws in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas

The labor law that applies to most Texas workers is the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA protects the rights of workers to assemble and cooperate to improve work conditions like pay, hours and benefits. These include rights to join a union and assist in efforts to vote a union as the bargaining representative of the employees. An employee who works under a collective bargaining agreement has additional rights and benefits that an at-will employee does not. The NLRA also protects the right of workers to cooperate without the presence of a formal union entity for the same purpose.

Often labor lawyers in Fort Worth get involved in a labor law situation when employees attempt to organize with or without a union and the employer unlawfully interferes or retaliates against the employees. In these cases the employee is entitled to reinstatement and/or monetary damages. Many employers take their chances to get rid of a “problem” employee in the workplace. Labor lawyers understand the law and fight to protect your job and your pay.

Contact Fort Worth Labor Lawyers

Fort Worth labor lawyers represent clients across Tarrant County, Texas and surrounding counties like Dallas and Denton in NLRA and other labor law issues. Don’t let your employer take advantage of you or isolate you from your coworkers. You have legal rights in most workplaces to cooperate to improve your pay, benefits and other work conditions. If you believe your employer violated your labor law rights, contact Fort Worth labor lawyers today.

Fort Worth Uncontested Divorce Lawyers

Fort worth uncontested divorce lawyers help clients across Tarrant County, Texas with uncontested divorces. Uncontested divorces are divorces in which the parties agree on the property, custody and child support issues in the divorce. Uncontested divorces are often less stressful and less expensive for the parties because they chose not to fight over the terms of the divorce. Although uncontested divorce is not right for everybody in Fort Worth, it is a good option for many people who can reach a fair and reasonable agreement. People seek uncontested divorce lawyers in Fort Worth when they have an agreement on their divorce but want professional help maneuvering the Tarrant County family courts and converting their agreement into a well written and enforceable divorce decree. If you are ready to move forward on your uncontested divorce then contact a Fort Worth uncontested divorce lawyer.

Uncontested divorces in Fort Worth, Texas

Uncontested divorces are good solutions when the parties decide the marriage needs to end but do not want to turn it into a messy and expensive fight. This is especially beneficial for marriages with children because the co-parenting relationship and parent-child relationships survive the divorce. Parents who can work together on custody schedules often continue strong relationships with the children and provide healthy homes for the children. Parents can be good parents together even if they were not good spouses together.

One key aspect to maintain a strong co-parenting relationship is a clear custody agreement that allows the parties to resolve disagreements which will naturally arise with time. Over time the lives of both parents and the children will inevitably change and the parents will need to work out solutions to those changes. The first line of defense from a changing situation turning into discord and conflict is the ability to rely upon the divorce decree as a road map to a solution. On the other hand, a poorly drafted and unclear divorce decree can be the road map to disagreement and destroying a good co-parenting relationship. This is a good reason to have a divorce lawyer draft the divorce decree to ensure clear language describes the agreement of the parties.

Fort Worth uncontested divorce lawyers work with clients to craft a workable custody agreement and draft that agreement clearly into the divorce decree. Whatever custody terms go into the divorce decree become the order of the court so it is vital that you or your Fort Worth uncontested divorce lawyer draft clear custody language.

Do you need a lawyer for an amicable divorce in Fort Worth, Texas?

You can obtain an uncontested divorce in Fort Worth and other parts of Tarrant County without an uncontested divorce lawyer. The more important question is whether you should hire a lawyer for an amicable divorce. As already discussed, an uncontested divorce lawyer can use his skills and experience drafting divorce decrees and working with family law situations to draft meaningful custody terms in your divorce decree. Similarly, your amicable divorce will include terms to divide assets and assign ownership rights between the spouses. Failing to draft property division terms appropriately can create problems with property titles and account ownership down the road. You may easily pay more to fix bad divorce decree language than you would pay to get it right the first time.

Additionally, in Tarrant County uncontested divorces without lawyers are scheduled on the pro se dockets for the courts. The Tarrant County family courts in Fort Worth only schedule so many uncontested divorces without lawyers on their dockets each day. Currently people are waiting months beyond the basic sixty day waiting period to see a judge on their uncontested divorces. Divorce lawyers are not limited by this docket and may appear in court as soon as the sixty day waiting period is over and the parties are ready for their divorce. If time is a concern in your divorce then hiring a Fort Worth uncontested divorce lawyer may be highly beneficial.

How much does it cost to get an uncontested divorce in Fort Worth, Texas?

In Fort Worth, Texas an uncontested divorce will cost at least $300-400 in filing fees and process server fees. You may also pay anywhere from $500-$3000 for attorney’s fees on an uncontested divorce. A Texas divorce begins by filing a divorce petition and paying a filing fee. This fee ranges from approximately $280-330 depending upon whether the parties have children together. The non-filing spouse must be served with process (a copy of the petition and a citation) by a process server unless the spouse signs a waiver of service. This generally costs $60-100 but waivers of service are common in uncontested divorces.

Fort Worth, Texas Prenup Lawyers in Tarrant County

Fort Worth prenup lawyers help clients draft and enforce prenuptial agreements in Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas. Prenuptial agreements help individuals protect property from creditors and messy divorces. If you are getting married and think you may need a prenup agreement then you should contact a Fort Worth prenup lawyer.

Fort Worth Prenup Agreements

Prenup agreements in Texas are a creation of contract law and the Texas Family Code. Prenuptial agreements define the property status of property acquired before and during the marriage. As a community property state, many people share concerns about how property may divide in a Tarrant County divorce. Although a Fort Worth prenup attorney could help draft a postnuptial agreement signed after the marriage ceremony, most property dividing agreements are prenuptial.

Under the Texas Family Code and Texas Constitution, a person’s property is either separate property or community property. Separate property is property acquired by an individual absent a marriage or, regardless of marital status, by gift, devise, or descent. Community property is property acquired during a marriage among spouses that is not separate property. Income earned during a marriage is generally community property by law. Spouses before or during a marriage may choose to enter into an agreement to change these property rules. A prenup agreement might eliminate community property, distinguish separate property, make everything community property, or anything in between.

Child support and custody in a Tarrant County Prenup

A prenup cannot change the laws in Texas, only modify what the law allows. A common request to Fort Worth prenup attorneys is to establish rules for custody and child support. Specifically, many people want Tarrant County prenup lawyers to draft prenups to eliminate child support. In Texas a prenup that eliminates child support in the event of a divorce is void. Texas law requires family law courts to make custody and child support decisions on the best interests of the children. Spouses agreeing to zero child support in a prenup made a decision on their financial motivations, not the interests of the children.

Why you need Fort Worth prenup lawyers

Prenup agreements often include provisions that are disadvantageous to one or both spouses in the event of a divorce so enforcing a prenup is a common issue in a divorce. Enforcement of a prenup depends primarily upon: (1) whether the prenup lawyers drafted the prenup accurately within Texas law; (2) whether the prenup terms precisely describe what it intends to do; and (3) whether a valid contract exists because the parties knowingly and voluntarily entered into the prenup. If a valid, lawful prenuptial agreement cannot be proven then the divorce judge may decline to follow the prenup. One important way to prove the parties each voluntarily and knowingly entered into the prenup is for both sides to have Fort Worth prenup lawyers. Both parties gaining representation by a Fort Worth divorce attorney also means multiple lawyers have reviewed the terms for application of Texas law.

Fort Worth Property Division Lawyers in Tarrant County, Texas

Fort Worth property division lawyers help clients with divorces in Fort Worth and Dallas involving high net worth property divisions. In a Texas divorce the two main issues are child custody and property division. Property division in a Fort Worth divorce involves dividing the assets in the divorce and confirming liability for debts. Property division may range from a simple agreed or uncontested divorce to complex litigation. The challenge with property division in a Tarrant County divorce is not just dividing property for what exists today. Dividing property in a Fort Worth divorce must be forward thinking to how it will affect your future financial wealth.

Dividing property in a Fort Worth, Texas divorce

The Texas Family Code, along with other Texas statutes, determine the way a court may divide property in a divorce. Texas follows community property rules which give shared property interests in most property accumulated during the marriage. Dividing property in a Tarrant County divorce is not as easy as cutting everything in half for several reasons including:

• Property may have a mixed community property and separate property status.
• Property may have been converted into different assets or exhausted during the marriage and must be traced back to its inception. (E.g. money earned as wages spent to buy a car which was later sold and partially used to pay home bills and partially used to buy a new car.)
• It may be in a form that is not easily liquidated such as illiquid financial instruments.
• Property may have debts attached to it that cannot be easily removed or divided. (E.g. a home with a mortgage.)
• Property may be in a form that has little current value but a larger future expected value or income stream. (For example, a business owned by the spouses.)
• Assets may have been purchased with debt financing and sorting out payment of the debt is difficult.
• Assets require special tools, like a QDRO, to divide the property.

Dividing debts in a Tarrant County divorce

In addition to dividing assets, the spouses also must sort out the marital debts. Marital debts may include lines of credit, like a credit card, or attached to specific property, like a mortgage. Dividing debts is often more difficult than dividing assets. Although the divorce may require indemnification or payment of debts between the spouses, the family courts cannot make money appear. Importantly, the Texas Family Code does not allow the court to reassign the creditor’s rights to debts. A creditor is free to pursue payment and other remedies from any liable party on a debt.

For example, if the husband took out a credit card and spent $50,000 on a new boat to float Tarrant County lakes then the credit card company can pursue the husband for the debt. It cannot pursue the wife (generally) for the debt even if the divorce decree orders the wife to pay for half of the credit card debt. The husband and creditor have a contractual relationship for the debt.

Debts issues become even more complicated when both parties signed as liable for the debts or where property that needs division guarantees a shared debt. These issues can sometimes seem simple today but after the divorce can turn into a financial disaster.

How a Fort Worth property division lawyer can help

A Fort Worth property division lawyer can help both with the process to divide property in a Fort Worth divorce and to review the division to ensure it is fair and productive. Even in uncontested divorces an agreement to divide property may be imbalanced or unintentionally bring financial disaster to one or both parties. Dividing assets and debts in the divorce is a major part of that process.

Fort Worth property division attorneys work with clients to develop a property division plan to protect valuable assets and ensure a fair division of debts. With a background in the financial industry he understands financial instruments and retirement plan assets like 401ks and pensions.

Fort Worth QDRO Lawyers

Fort Worth QDRO lawyers help clients draft QDROs and resolve QDRO issues in Tarrant County divorces. QDROs are court orders required to divide many types of employer-sponsored retirement plans following a divorce. The divorce decree divides retirement benefits between the spouses but the plan administrator is not bound by the Texas divorce decree. A separate order–the QDRO–is an order directed to the plan administrator. If you believe you need a QDRO or other court order to divide retirement benefits in your Fort Worth divorce then you should contact a Fort Worth QDRO lawyer.

QDROs in a Fort Worth, Texas divorce

A QDRO is a qualified domestic relations order. QDROs are necessary court orders to divide an employer-sponsored retirement plan governed by ERISA. ERISA is the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, a federal law regulating many types of private employer benefit plans. ERISA requires plan administrators to protect benefits earned by employees. As a result, a special court order is necessary to order the plan administrator to divide benefits. A QDRO signed by the judge in your Fort Worth divorce will complete the division of ERISA benefits. (Once the plan administrator processes the QDRO.) For non-ERISA plans a QDRO or other type of division order may be necessary. State retirement plans use QDROs to divide benefits although they are not ERISA plans. Federal benefit plans need similar orders although they are not ERISA plans. Some private employer plans are not ERISA plans. They may or may not require some type of domestic relations order to divide benefits.

What makes QDROs difficult to draft–why a QDRO lawyer may be necessary

Laws governing benefit plans and the benefit plan rules are often extremely complex rules. ERISA is one of the largest statutory and regulatory systems in the nation. Many benefit plans also fall under various insurance, employment and securities laws. Benefit plans often include complicated benefit formulas and record keeping. QDRO lawyers have experience with these laws and rules which is critical to understanding how to draft a QDRO for Tarrant County clients. A poorly drafted QDRO at best delays completing the benefit division and at worst may result in permanently losing benefits. Poorly drafted QDROs can become years of trouble for both the employee/retiree and the alternate payee.

Family law lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth family lawyers represent clients across Tarrant County including Bedford, Arlington, Grapevine, North Richland Hills and Hurst. Most people come in contact with family law attorneys through divorces. Divorce is a common on-ramp to family law because it is generally the first time child custody orders arise. Once custody orders exist they will remain with the children until adulthood. However, custody is not the only effect of a divorce. The divorce also divides marital property. The effect of dividing marital property can have a huge impact on the financial well-being of the former spouses. These are just some of the dangers to pursuing a divorce or other family law matter without the help of Fort Worth family lawyers.

Divorce is not the only reason people in Tarrant County might need to contact a Fort Worth family lawyer. Family law proceedings can occur in non-marital family situations. Child custody orders may arise from a suit affecting the parent-child relationship, a CPS removal, or an adoption. In these situations a Texas court orders child custody child support orders; but without a marriage there is no property division.

Fort Worth Paternity Lawyers

Fort Worth paternity lawyers represent clients in Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas in paternity suits. Establishing paternity is an important part of a father obtaining custody access to his child or a mother establishing child support for a child’s father. The Texas Family Code establishes procedures to determine paternity. If you need to establish paternity for a child then contact a Fort Worth divorce lawyer to start on your paternity suit.

Establishing paternity in Fort Worth, Texas

Under the Texas Family Code the first step to establish custody rights or child support obligations is to establish paternity. In many cases paternity is presumed because the parents were married at the time of birth. Texas presumes the husband is the father of  any children born to the wife during the marriage. In cases where the child was not a product of a marriage, Texas follows different procedures. A father may voluntarily admit to paternity by signing an acknowledgement of paternity. An acknowledgement of paternity results in a legal finding of paternity so before any father signs an acknowledgement of paternity he should consider speaking with a Fort Worth paternity lawyer first.

The Texas Family Code also permits establishing paternity through a DNA paternity test. A DNA test can provide a scientific basis for establishing or denying paternity. If a legal presumption does not establish paternity and the father does not sign an acknowledgement of paternity then the court must receive evidence of paternity. A DNA test will provide that evidence. If the father will not submit to a DNA test or cannot be immediately found then the court can order a DNA test on a biological family member of the alleged father. Before pursuing a DNA test you should speak with a Fort Worth paternity attorney.

What happens after establishing paternity in Texas?

Once a court establishes paternity a father gains all the rights and responsibilities of a parent. These include rights to access and visitation to the child and to participate in parental decision-making. Paternity also results in an obligation to provide support for the child. This typically results in an order for child support payments. Generally establishing paternity is the first step in a child support lawsuit. This is a critical step for the alleged father. Once the mother establishes paternity and a Tarrant County court orders child support payments, the father owes child support until the child reaches eighteen. Undoing an incorrect paternity finding is difficult and expensive. Far better to work with a Fort Worth paternity lawyer to get it right the first time.

Fort Worth Custody Lawyers in Texas

Fort Worth custody modification lawyers represent clients in modifying custody orders in Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas. Custody orders often arise in Tarrant County as the result of a divorce or other custody proceedings. Over time the custody order may become unworkable due to changing circumstances of the children or parents. If the parents cannot reach an agreement about custody changes then they will need to return to court and ask the judge for a modification order with new custody terms. If you find yourself in this situation you should speak with a Fort Worth child custody lawyer.

Child custody in Fort Worth, Texas

Often in divorces and other custody proceedings in Fort Worth, Texas the parties and their Fort Worth divorce lawyers apply the standard possession order as a custody order. The standard possession order comes from the Texas Family Code. The Texas Family Code makes the SPO available as a presumptive solution to custody disputes. The standard possession order is the 1-3-5 weekend schedule many families follow. The Texas Family Code presumes this is a workable schedule because the Texas Legislature decided so. For many families the standard possession order is not ideal and the parents may work with custody lawyers to develop a custody schedule that meets the family’s needs.

With time the family changes and new custody schedules may become necessary. Many changes can affect the custody schedule, including job schedule changes, job changes, new significant others, buying new homes, changing hobbies, children changing schools, children engaging in new hobbies, the kids driving and so forth. Sometimes it is difficult for the parents to reach an agreement. They may not have the expertise in dealing with custody situations to know how to craft a workable custody modification. These are reasons why the parents should consider hiring Fort Worth child custody lawyers. Fort Worth child custody lawyers have experience helping parents resolve custody modifications in Tarrant County and surrounding counties.

Fort Worth custody lawyers represent clients in custody proceedings in Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas. Custody orders often first arise in a divorce or SAPCR but may require modification as time passes. Custody proceedings in Tarrant County, Texas may range from the initial proceedings establishing custody orders to modifications and custody enforcement proceedings. The effect of custody proceedings can have a long term impact on your relationship with your children. If you are involved in a custody situation you should contact a Fort Worth custody lawyer to represent your interests and protect your relationship with your children.

Custody proceedings in Fort Worth, Texas

Custody proceedings, like divorces, involve establishing orders for possession and access to the children along with rights and obligations to the children. A typical custody order includes a possession schedule for the children, a schedule of parental rights and a schedule of duties for the parents when each has possession of the children. These orders may include the standard possession order, expanded standard possession order, or a modified possession order.

Parties can agree to almost anything; but the real test is whether the Tarrant County family judge will agree to the terms. Judges must consider the best interests of the children in setting custody orders. They often give more leeway to parents represented by Fort Worth custody attorneys than pro se parties. Judges know that parties represented by custody lawyers received advice to consider the effects of the desired agreement. On the other hand, when parties lack counsel the judges are more likely to order the standard possession order.

Of course, when parties cannot reach an agreement they will have to have a trial on the custody issues and leave it to a judge or jury to determine what is in the best interests of the children. These are all good reasons for parties to custody proceedings in Tarrant County to hire a Fort Worth custody lawyer.

Fort Worth Child Support Lawyers in Tarrant County, Texas

Fort Worth custody lawyers represent clients in custody proceedings in Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas. Custody orders often first arise in a divorce or SAPCR but may require modification as time passes. Custody proceedings in Tarrant County, Texas may range from the initial proceedings establishing custody orders to modifications and custody enforcement proceedings. The effect of custody proceedings can have a long term impact on your relationship with your children. If you are involved in a custody situation you should contact a Fort Worth custody lawyer to represent your interests and protect your relationship with your children.

Custody proceedings in Fort Worth, Texas

Custody proceedings, like divorces, involve establishing orders for possession and access to the children along with rights and obligations to the children. A typical custody order includes a possession schedule for the children, a schedule of parental rights and a schedule of duties for the parents when each has possession of the children. These orders may include the standard possession order, expanded standard possession order, or a modified possession order.

Parties can agree to almost anything; but the real test is whether the Tarrant County family judge will agree to the terms. Judges must consider the best interests of the children in setting custody orders. They often give more leeway to parents represented by Fort Worth custody attorneys than pro se parties. Judges know that parties represented by custody lawyers received advice to consider the effects of the desired agreement. On the other hand, when parties lack counsel the judges are more likely to order the standard possession order.

Of course, when parties cannot reach an agreement they will have to have a trial on the custody issues and leave it to a judge or jury to determine what is in the best interests of the children. These are all good reasons for parties to custody proceedings in Tarrant County to hire a Fort Worth custody lawyer.

Fort Worth child support enforcement lawyers represent clients in child support enforcements in Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas. Child support enforcements are legal proceedings to enforce unpaid child support against a child support obligor. A child support enforcement can result in a finding of contempt that results in additional monetary penalties, community supervision and even jail time. Fort Worth child support enforcement lawyers represent clients on both side of the child support obligation. If you are owed unpaid child support or you have been served with a child support enforcement motion then you should contact a Fort Worth child support enforcement lawyer right away.

Child support enforcement in Fort Worth, Texas

Once a Tarrant County family court orders child support payments the obligation to pay accrues every month until the order terminates. Under normal conditions the obligor parent pays child support every month through an income withholding order. If child support is not withheld or paid to the Attorney General then the unpaid child support payments accumulate and begin to accrue interest. The Texas Family Code sets out many remedies for unpaid child support payments through a child support enforcement. Before involving yourself in a child support enforcement you should speak to a Fort Worth child support enforcement attorney.

A parent owed unpaid child support can file a motion for contempt to enforce child support payments. A finding of contempt may be civil or criminal. A finding of contempt for unpaid child support results in an obligation to pay the enforcing parent’s attorney’s fees in addition to other contempt penalties. These can include additional financial penalties, community supervision, civil judgments against the obligor’s property and even jail time. Child support enforcements are serious legal proceedings.

Why hire Fort Worth child support enforcement lawyers

Contempt proceedings for child support enforcement are technical proceedings due to the gravity of penalties available. For the parent seeking to enforce unpaid child support, a single wrong move can take several penalties off the table. There is no reason to do this. Repayment of the obligee’s attorney’s fees for the child support enforcement is available through the Texas Family Code. A parent seeking to enforce unpaid child support may contact the Texas attorney general for help; but the attorney general is not quick to move on a child support enforcement.

For the parent who owes the unpaid child support, a child support enforcement proceeding carries such grave consequences that it is dangerous to go to court alone and hope for the best. The child support enforcement lawyer on the other side knows the law better than you and what penalties are available. Bring a child support enforcement attorney who understands the law and can raise your legal defenses.

Fort Worth child support enforcement lawyers represent parents in child support enforcement actions in Tarrant County, Texas.

Fort Worth Child Custody Attorneys in Tarrant County, Texas

Fort Worth child custody lawyers represent clients in custody proceedings in Fort Worth, Dallas and other parts of Texas. Custody proceedings under the Texas Family Code range from original proceedings including divorces to modifications and enforcement proceedings. Child custody is a significant part of family law litigation in Texas. If you are involved in a child custody situation in Tarrant County then you should hire a Fort Worth child custody lawyer.

Child custody in Fort Worth, Texas

Once children become involved in the child custody proceedings in Texas they remain a part of that legal system until they become adults so it is extremely important to treat custody proceedings as serious as they are. Child custody proceedings in Fort Worth, Texas are governed by the Texas Family Code and includes several types of proceedings. All child custody proceedings in Texas begin with an original custody proceeding. Once children become part of an original proceeding the Texas family courts can exercise jurisdiction over children until they become adults. For that reason you should hire Fort Worth child custody lawyers to represent you and your children’s interests.

Original child custody proceedings in Fort Worth, Texas

Most child custody proceedings begin with an original child custody proceeding under the Texas Family Code. Three original proceedings exist in Fort Worth under the Texas Family Code. First, a divorce is an original custody proceeding when there are children in the marriage. The divorce automatically includes a custody suit so the court can render child custody and support orders. Second, a suit affecting the parent-child relationship (SAPCR) is an original custody proceedings. A suit affecting the parent-child relationship is a custody lawsuit to establish parental rights, possession schedules and child support orders. Third, a CPS child removal is an original custody proceeding brought by CPS to remove a child from her or her home. A removal results in either establishing CPS custody of the children, adoption, or returning the children to the parents. In any original proceedings you should hire a Fort Worth child custody attorney to represent you.

Modification child custody proceedings in Fort Worth, Texas

Once a Fort Worth family court enters custody orders the court may have to modify the orders due to a material change to the conditions of the parents, children, or conservator of the children. Modification orders are similar to original proceedings because they can order nearly anything the court could have ordered in the original order. Modifications are sometimes more difficult. Many of the legal presumptions that exist in original proceedings to help the court deal with custody issues goes away. This can result in more complicated litigation and more expensive proceedings. Fort Worth child custody lawyers represent clients in modification proceedings.

Enforcement child custody proceedings in Fort Worth, Texas

Enforcement custody proceedings are contempt proceedings to enforce the existing custody orders. Proceedings to enforce possession or child support give the court additional powers to penalize the person who violated the order and induce them to comply with the order. Enforcement proceedings may result in fines, community supervision, loss of licenses and even jail. Enforcement proceedings are technical in nature due to their quasi-criminal nature. When entering an enforcement proceeding for child custody in Texas you should hire a Fort Worth child custody lawyer right away.

How a Fort Wort child custody lawyer can help

Once your children enter custody proceedings under the Texas Family Code they are “in the system” until they become adults. They may be under the governance of the courts for nearly twenty years. You can be subject to modification or enforcement proceedings because somebody wants to gain access to your children. There is a lot on the line in child custody proceedings. You need a Fort Worth child custody lawyer on your side.

Fort Worth Agreed Divorce Attorneys in Tarrant County, Texas

Fort worth agreed divorce lawyers represent clients in Fort Worth and other parts of Tarrant County in agreed or uncontested divorces. Agreed divorces are divorces in which the parties agree to the terms of the divorce before or shortly after filing a petition for divorce. Agreed divorces are a cheaper route for divorce because it avoids many of the more costly aspects of litigation. An agreed divorces are not right for every divorce in Tarrant County but for many people they can be a way to take a lot of the stress, time and money out of a divorce.

Agreed divorce in Fort Worth, Texas

Although agreed divorces take out a lot of the cost and difficulty of a Fort Worth divorce, an agreed divorce is not without its challenges. An agreed divorce is still a divorce under the Texas Family Code and must follow the same processes and law. The divorce decree at the end of an agreed divorce is equally as binding and problems with the divorce decree language can lead to massive problems for both custody and property issues.

Problems drafting child custody and support orders

Vague custody schedules can cause confusion down the road. Errors in the child support language can lead to problems collecting child support or unintentionally collecting too much child support and causing financial problems for both parents. At best the former spouses will spend considerable sums returning to court to modify those orders. Often it is better to spend a little money upfront on Fort Worth agreed divorce lawyers than spend a lot of money later to fix one of these problems.

Problems drafting property division orders

Dividing property in an agreed divorce can be even more of a problem because there are very few ways the Texas Family Code allows the parties to change the property division after the divorce is granted. The biggest problem dividing property is how the parties divide debts and property attached to debts. A divorce may not change a creditor’s rights so figuring out how to divide liability in the divorce and set up a system to pay the debts is not always an easy task. Improper drafting or a poorly constructed property division can lead to financially dangerous situations with little or no legal recourse. Poor drafting can also create problems dividing retirement plan benefits and other financial assets and cause problems with titles to homes and vehicles.

Agreed divorce process in Fort Worth, Texas

An agreed divorce in Fort Worth follows the same process and procedures as any other divorce in Texas. The divorce begins by filing a divorce petition and serving the respondent spouse. (The respondent may sign a waiver of service.) After waiting at least sixty days the parties may schedule a hearing to ask the judge to sign the divorce decree. One or both spouses will appear for a prove up hearing to present evidence to the judge and ask for the judge to grant the divorce. It is up to the parties or their divorce lawyers to draft these documents. If the divorce decree is defective the judge likely will not sign the decree; but the judge cannot offer legal advice how to fix the decree. If the judge signs the decree then the parties are divorced.

When neither party has a Fort Worth agreed divorce lawyer the court will schedule the prove up hearing on its pro se docket. The family courts in Tarrant County only hear so many pro se divorces daily and people wait months to get their day in court. If the judge cannot or will not sign the decree then you may have to fix the decree and then schedule a new hearing months out. Parties with divorce lawyers are free to schedule prove up hearings at the daily open docket once the sixty day waiting period to grant a divorce expires. This alone can be a good reason to pay for a flat fee uncontested divorce.

Bedford, Texas

Bedford, Texas is a suburb of Fort Worth in Tarrant County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas- metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is part of the mid-cities region between Dallas and Fort Worth. Bedford is completely surrounded by Hurst, Euless and Colleyville. Bedford is home to a number of employers including Texas Health Resources, Carter Bloodcare, Walmart, Warrantech and Daystar. 

Bedford, Texas History

Bedford’s history is similar to its neighbors, particularly Euless and Hurst. Anglo-American settlers first settled the DFW area in the 1840s. The first settlement built was Bird’s Fort in north Arlington just south of the easternmost part of Fort Worth and south Euless. However, this area in Tarrant County did not begin meaningful settlement until after the Civil War. In the 1870s settlers came to the area from Tennessee and settled in a community they called Bedford after the county where they originated in Tennessee. The fledgling town was a booming community through the 1880s and 1890s, overshadowing early settlements in present-day Hurst, Euless and Colleyville. It was the second largest town in Tarrant County, second to Fort Worth.

However, the town retracted in the early 1900s as rail lines between Dallas and Fort Worth were built to the south through Arlington and Grand Prairie. Through the first half of the twentieth century the town sustained itself through farms and dairies.

Bedford, Texas employment

After World War 2 things changed. The sleepy farm town became a new residential opportunity as military installations and aviation businesses moved into the central part of DFW, primarily in Grand Prairie and Arlington. Bedford gave easy access to these employers while being far enough away to provide a quiet life. The community incorporated in 1953 to avoid annexation by Hurst or Euless. The city expanded through the 1950s and developed a master plan for further development in 1961. This began a long term fight over zoning for businesses, apartment complexes and whether to build out a central business district.

The 1970s, driven partially by construction of DFW Airport, saw Bedford grow rapidly. It became a convenient suburban home for employees around the airport. Today the town is almost full with a diverse mix of residents and businesses. The town is known for its annual Bluesfest, the Old Bedford School built in 1915 and the Bedford Boys Ranch. The Boys Ranch used to be a home for wayward teens from 10-14.

Bedford Divorce Lawyers in Texas

Bedford divorce lawyers represent clients in Bedford, Arlington, Hurst, Euless, Dallas, Fort Worth and other parts of Tarrant County and Dallas County, Texas in divorces and other family law issues. Bedford, Texas, like its neighbors in the mid-cities, is a diverse community with families of all sizes and economics. People looking for divorce lawyers in Bedford look for a divorce attorney that fits their affordability and family needs. 

Divorces in Bedford, Texas

Bedford, Texas is a diverse community in every sense. People looking for divorces may be young couples living in apartments on the east side of Bedford, couples living in houses with children, or empty nest couples with sizable assets and retirement income concerns. Financially Bedford runs from low income to high income. Many divorces in Bedford are completely different from the next. The young couple without kids may only need an uncontested divorce; however, the established family may have a complicated divorce with unique child issues and financial assets to divide. You need a Bedford divorce lawyer who understands your needs and your family to tailor legal services to your goals.

Bedford divorce lawyers often have clients in nearby suburbs including Hurst, Euless, Arlington, Irving, Grapevine, Colleyville, Grand Prairie and North Richland Hills. Bedford divorce lawyers often represent clients in both Dallas and Tarrant counties due to the proximity to the county border.

The purpose of a divorce is not just to conclude the marriage; it is also the beginning of the next chapter of your life. The resolution to your divorce, no matter whether by an agreement, mediated agreement, or trial, should be to make a transition to a healthy and stable life after marriage. Too often people get into divorces and want to rehash all the problems in the marriage or focus on attacking each other. These divorces usually end in a lose-lose situation; although the parties may not feel the full effects of this battle until years down the road. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Bedford Uncontested Divorce Lawyers

Uncontested divorce lawyers in Bedford, Texas help clients in Bedford, Dallas, Fort Worth and other parts of Tarrant County, Texas. Uncontested divorce is a divorce in which the parties have agreed on the child and property issues in the divorce and do not want to spend the time and money litigating these issues. These divorces are often less stressful and less expensive than a contested divorce; however, uncontested divorces are not right for everybody. If the parties cannot reach a meaningful and fair agreement then the cost savings up front will likely be eaten many times over down the road dealing with the financial and child issues that arise.

Uncontested divorce lawyers in Bedford, Texas

Under the Texas Family Code there is no specific process for an uncontested divorce. An uncontested divorce in Texas follows the same procedures as every other divorce; however, the parties skip several optional steps because they reached an agreement and do not need those typically expensive steps. The uncontested divorce could follow every step and procedure in a contested divorce but the agreement makes those steps an unnecessary expense. The goal for most uncontested divorces in Tarrant County is to complete the divorce as quickly and easily as possible with a fair and reasonable agreement. By skipping many of the more costly steps, many uncontested divorces can finish close to the sixty day waiting period.

Uncontested divorce process in Tarrant County, Texas

An uncontested divorce in Texas begins by filing a petition with the Tarrant County family courts in Fort Worth. The divorce petition asks the court to grant a divorce, order property division and custody orders. Filing the petition begins the sixty day waiting period. The other spouse must either be served with a copy of the divorce petition or sign a waiver of service. During the sixty day waiting period the parties will finalize their agreement and draft the divorce decree. Once the waiting period expires the parties can go to court and ask the court to grant the divorce after a prove up hearing. A prove up hearing is a brief hearing in which the parties put on evidence to prove the basic facts supporting the divorce. Then the judge will sign the divorce decree.

In Tarrant County, like many other Texas counties, uncontested divorces without lawyers take a longer time. In Tarrant County the family court clerks assign a limited number of prove up hearings for unrepresented divorces each day. The backlog of these uncontested divorces results in people waiting weeks and sometimes months to see the judge. On the other hand, uncontested divorces lawyers do not have to wait this additional period. Once the sixty day waiting period expires and the parties are ready to go then your Bedford uncontested divorce lawyer can go to court without waiting for an assignment. This is a good reason to consider hiring an attorney for your agreed divorce.

Bedford uncontested divorce lawyers

Another good reason to hire Bedford uncontested divorce lawyers is to ensure your agreement is accurately described in the divorce decree. If the judge signs a divorce decree with improper custody or child support language then you could deal with the consequences for years. A bad custody situation can spoil a good co-parenting relationship. Similarly, poor property division language can create problems with creditors and cloud the title to homes or cars.

Arlington, Texas

Arlington, Texas is a large city in Tarrant County, Texas. Although it is a suburb of Fort Worth it is the third largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and one of the largest cities in the North Texas region. It is the seventh largest city in Texas. It is the home of a General Motors assembly plant, University of Texas at Arlington, AT&T Stadium, Six Flags Over Texas, Globe Life Park and Texas Health Resources. The city is surrounded by Fort Worth, Kennedale, Grand Prairie and Mansfield and completely surrounded Dalworthington Gardens and Pantego.

Arlington, Texas History

Arlington’s history dates back to the beginning of Anglo-American settlement in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The first significant settlement of the DFW area was at Bird’s Fort in south Euless near present-day north Arlington. Peace settled between the Republic of Texas and several Native American nations after a battle at Village Creek (around present-day Lake Arlington). The first community was established in the area called Marrow Bone Spring, around a trading post. Rich soil in the area enticed settlers to come and farm the land. In 1848, six years after founding Marrow Bone Spring, Colonel Johnson of the Texas Rangers (the Republic’s military, not the baseball team) decided to make a permanent settlement on land he received in what is now the central part of town. This settlement came to be Johnson Station.

Industry in Arlington, Texas

In 1876 the T&P Railway built a line running from Fort Worth to Dallas just north of Johnson Station. A new town developed along the rail line north of Johnson Station at present-day downtown. This latter community requested a post office under the name Johnson; but as there was already a nearby post office in Johnson Station. The postal service feared confused and declined the request. A second request as Hayter was approved in 1875 and changed in 1877. The name is a tribute to Robert E. Lee’s Arlington House in the east.

Arlington placed itself in direct competition with Johnson Station and largely won the day due to its rail line presence. Much of the Johnson Station businesses and residents moved to Arlington. Arlington continued to thrive as a cotton ginning and farming community like Johnson Station. It incorporated in 1884. The city developed city services through the early half of the twentieth century but growth took a turn in the 1950s. At the time Dallas and Fort Worth experienced a major post-war boom. It had ties to aeronautical industry and had significant rail presence to make manufacturing appealing.

Labor in Arlington, Texas

Mayor Vandergriff took advantage of this by luring General Motors to build a still-operating assembly plant. He also oversaw organized suburban growth, attracted entertainment and other commercial interests. Lake Arlington was constructed in 1957 to provide water and tourism to the city. Six Flags opened in 1961 and in 1972 the Washington Senators relocated and became the Texas Rangers. Much later in 2009 the Dallas Cowboys left Irving for AT&T Stadium. Today it is a large city with a diverse population and broad commercial base that spans education, entertainment, manufacturing and finance.

Arlington, TX Government

Arlington receives services from its city government as well as Tarrant County. Students attend several school districts. Arlington ISD is the primary school district for the city with parts of the city falling within Mansfield ISD, Grand Prairie ISD, Kennedale ISD and Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. The portion  in Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD is small and is presently limited to the Viridian development along highway 157.

Grapevine, Texas

Grapevine, Texas is a mid-sized suburb of Fort Worth primarily in Tarrant County with small portions in Denton County and Dallas County. Grapevine is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is near DFW Airport and surrounded by the cities of Coppell, Euless, Southlake, Flower Mound, Irving and Hurst. It’s business is diverse with significant sectors in tourism. 

Grapevine, Texas: Tarrant County History

The town’s history dates back to the early settlement of North Texas. In 1843 Texas Commissioners camped at Grape Vine Springs to broker a deal with local Native American tribes for safe settlement by Anglo-Americans. Shortly after settlers began arriving and formed a settlement early on known as Grape Vine. The name arises from the mustang grapes that grow naturally in the area. These grapes are intensely acidic and cannot be consumed like table grapes or made into typical wine like wine grapes. In 1845 a settlement near Grape Vine developed known as Dunnville which competed later for the official name of Grapevine.

Modern Grapevine TX History

The town developed primarily as a farming community although it had a small and developing downtown early in its history. Cotton was the main crop into the early twentieth century when it lost out to cantaloupe, which remained the chief crop in Grapevine until the 1970s. In 1860 Lucas Funeral begins business and remains in business on Main Street (in addition to other locations around DFW). Rail service arrives in 1881. In 1914 the post office formally accepts Grape Vine as the official name for the town but condenses it to Grapevine.  In 1934 an associate of Bonnie & Clyde kill two policemen near the intersection of Dove and Highway 114. The town incorporated in 1936.

Grapevine, Texas

The 1950s brings Grapevine Lake and some post-World War 2 growth as suburban sprawl pushes people further away from the city centers in Fort Worth and Dallas. However, rapid growth did not begin until the 1970s with construction of DFW Airport. In 1985 the town celebrates its first Main Street Days, celebrating the historic and preserved downtown Main Street strip. Although Grapevine today has an association with wine and wine grapes this identity is relatively new. Seeking to take advantage of the name Grapevine, vinters and wine dealers lobbied the city to permit wine sales. In 1994 the town approved wine sales and zoning for wine industry. This led to Delaney Vineyards to set up shop on highway 121. Today there are several wineries in Grapevine although not all grow wine grapes on their property.

Grapevine, TX Laws & Government

Grapevine is served by its city government and Tarrant County, Denton County and Dallas County, respectively. Students primarily attend the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD although small portions of the city fall into Carroll ISD, Lewisville ISD and Coppell ISD.

Tarrant County divorce lawyers represent clients in divorces in Fort Worth, Arlington, Bedford, Hurst, Grapevine, Keller and other parts of Tarrant County, Texas. All divorces filed in Tarrant County petition the Tarrant County Family Law District Courts in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Divorces in Tarrant County range from simple uncontested divorces to complex divorces with unique child issues or large, complicated assets and everything in between. Tarrant County divorce attorneys represent clients across the country in all types of divorces.

Divorce in Tarrant County, Texas

In larger counties, like Tarrant County, the state allows the district courts to assign specific district judges to hear only family law matters. The family law district judges in Tarrant County are generally former divorce lawyers in Tarrant County. This can be good and bad for people seeking a divorce in Tarrant County.

On one hand, the judges have a stronger understanding of the Texas Family Code than judges who were not divorce attorneys. This is helpful because the Texas Family Code has unique procedures and legal standards not found in other civil codes in Texas. On the other hand, they also often have strong opinions about the right away to handle divorces and other family law matters from their own experiences. A particular divorce might reach a different resolution in one Tarrant County court over another and may be entirely different from how any Dallas County family law judge might handle it. For this reason you should hire a divorce lawyer who understands not only the law but also the preferences of the judges in Tarrant County.

Hiring Tarrant County divorce lawyers

If your marriage is reaching its end you have likely decided to start researching divorce lawyers. People often begin researching divorce lawyers in Tarrant County online by who is closest, who is most affordable and who was referred by friends, family, or coworkers. These are all legitimate considerations. However, divorce lawyers in Tarrant County all appear before the same judges regardless of whether the divorce lawyer’s office is in Bedford, Fort Worth, or Keller. An important consideration right from the beginning should be whether a divorce attorney will understand the issues in your divorce and appears qualified to advocate for your rights on those issues.

Before hiring a divorce lawyer you should carefully consider the issues involved in your divorce. What property will the divorce divide? And what debts do you need to address? What schedules will affect time with the children? Also, what important issues about the children need to be a part of the divorce? What will be your financial situation after the divorce?

Then ask yourself: does this divorce lawyer have experience and expertise dealing with these issues? What is the divorce lawyer’s beliefs about how to deal with these issues?

Searching for Tarrant County divorce lawyers without understanding your goals for the divorce is like searching for a new car without any idea what kind of car you need. You might need a sedan with great gas mileage but if you let the car salesman put you in a pickup truck then you might have a great vehicle but not a great vehicle for your needs.

How Tarrant County divorce lawyers can help

It’s not enough to simply divide everything down the middle and slap on a generic possession schedule for the kids to knock out a divorce. Families across the board hold more debts than ever before and more families want more even time between the parents with the kids. These situations need greater creative responses than the Texas Family Code’s default provisions. Simply reaching the quickest divorce might conclude the marriage as quickly as possible; but what happens to the parties after the divorce? An unhappy marriage might turn into an unhappy life after the marriage.

Debts are not the only financial consideration post-divorce, either. The parties must also consider child support, costs of child care, flexibility to provide care for the kids when they are out of school and how spending time with the kids may affect job opportunities. Just like financial stress can weigh on a marriage, it can also weigh on the co-parenting relationship and parent-child relationship after the marriage.

North Richland Hills, Texas

North Richland Hills, Texas is a mid-sized suburb of Fort Worth located in Tarrant County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is part of the mid-cities region between Dallas and Fort Worth and the third largest city in Tarrant County. North Richland Hills neighbors Haltom City, Keller, Hurst, Southlake and Richland Hills, Texas.

North Richland Hills, TX: History of North Fort Worth and Mid-Cities

The area now known as North Richland Hills, Texas was first settled as part of the Peters Colony in North Texas. The land was far from downtown Fort Worth and developed as farmland for most of its history. In 1952 the owner of a large farm in now central North Richland Hills, Texas began subdividing his farm into residential developments. The new residential developments proved popular and quickly filled. The following year residents sought annexation by Richland Hills, Texas but failed.

The residents incorporated into North Richland Hills, Texas. The town continued to grow. Soon it was near the border of Smithfield, another local community on the north side of North Richland Hills. NRH annexed Smithfield in 1960. Growth continued in North Richland Hills due to its convenient location on highways 820 and 26 and quiet developments. By the 1980s it was also a popular destination for Tarrant County, Texas manufacturers looking for cheap space and convenient access to workers. Although some of the manufacturers eventually left NRH the town continues to host several manufacturing and commercial enterprises.

Colleyville, Texas

Colleyville, Texas is a city in northeast Tarrant County, Texas. It is a suburb of Fort Worth and part of the mid-cities suburbs. As such it is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the North Texas region. The town neighbors Southlake, Grapevine, Euless, Bedford, Hurst, North Richland Hills and Keller. If you are looking for a Fort Worth employment attorney, a Bedford divorce attorney or Fort Worth divorce attorney you should contact my office in Bedford to schedule a consultation.

Colleyville, Texas History near Fort Worth and Bedford

Colleyville began as a cloister of small communities rather than a single community. The area began settlement by Anglo-American settlers in the 1850s and became farmlands. Within the town’s present area were many communities including Spring Garden, Pleasant Run, Pleasant Glade, Red Rock and initially most prominently Bransford. A post office was established in Bransford but growth in other communities resulted in competition among the communities. Spring Glade grew into the 1870s when Bedford began overtaking Spring Glade within the local area. Red Rock eventually overtook Bransford causing the post office to move to Red Rock and establish it as the new Bransford. In 1880 Dr. Lilburn Howard Colley moved to Bransford and was influential in Bransford and forming relationships among the local communities.

Eventually all the communities came together as Bransford. In 1914 residents changed the town’s name to Colleyville to honor Dr. Colley. The town incorporated in 1956. The city has steadily grown, primarily as an affluent suburb. Although Colleyville has a growing population the rural character is still present.

Colleyville, TX Laws & Government

Colleyville obtains services through its city government and Tarrant County. Students in Colleyville are primarily served by the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD but portions of town reside in the Keller ISD, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, Southlake Carroll ISD and Birdville ISD.

Flower Mound, Texas

Flower Mound, Texas is an affluent suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex within Denton County and Tarrant County. It is a large surburb that with rapid growth since the 1990s and controlled development by the city government. Flower Mound is known for “The Mound” which gives the town its name as, unsurprisingly, a mound in which wildflowers grow each spring. Flower Mound neighbors Justin, Double Oak, Highland Village, Lewisville, Coppell, Grapevine, Northlake, Roanoke and Grapevine Lake.

Flower Mound, Texas History around Fort Worth

The area that became Flower Mound settled by non-native inhabitants since the 1840s. The mound that gave the city its name was a hay meadow and site for religious ceremonies through the nineteenth century. However, the residents did not incorporate into a city until 1961 to avoid annexation by Irving. Following the building of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport the city saw population growth. An effort to develop part of the town as a master planned community failed in the 1970s. With population growth accelerating in the late 1990s the town took careful efforts to regulate growth and ensure parks and other public services integrated with development.

Flower Mound is primarily residential although the town is growing commercial districts. Much of the business is fueled by easy access to DFW Airport and Interstate 35-W although government entities continue to be among the largest employers. Flower Mound is primarily a bedroom community with access to employers in Fort Worth, Dallas, Denton, Plano.

Flower Mound, TX Laws & Government

The town operates a city government that provides a majority of public services although some services are provided by Tarrant County and Denton County respectively. Students attend Lewisville ISD with parts of the city served by Argyle ISD and Northwest ISD. Private schools in and around Flower Mound are also available. North Central Texas College opened a community college branch in the heart of Flower Mound.

Hurst, Texas

Hurst, Texas is a suburb of Fort Worth, Texas in Tarrant County. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is among the mid-cities suburbs located between Dallas and Fort Worth. The town also is part of Hurst-Euless-Bedford which are often thought of as a unit of three suburbs due to their shared school district. It neighbors both Bedford and Euless as well as Richland Hills, Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, Grapevine and Colleyville.

Hurst, Texas Employment Opportunities

The town is home to Northeast Mall and the headquarters for Bell Helicopter Textron. It is also home to a Tarrant County College branch. In addition to the school district and Bell Helicopter, major employers in the town include Dillard’s, Macy’s, JC Penney, Target and Walmart. If you are looking for a Fort Worth employment attorney, Bedford divorce attorney, or Fort Worth divorce attorney you should contact my office to schedule a consultation.

Hurst, Texas Origins near Fort Worth

Hurst history relates back to the mid-nineteenth century peace established in what is now Euless between the Republic of Texas and local Native American tribes. In 1850 the first Anglo-American settler made his home in what is now Hurst in the southwest part of town. Present-day Hurst was not a popular destination for early settlers despite being close to the first settlement in the DFW area in Euless. Settlement expanded after the Civil War. First came the Arwine family who settled a farm in south Hurst near the present-day intersection of Brown Trail and Pipeline. The Arwine Cemetary has been preserved with over 300 tombstones.

The Arwines came from Indiana and encouraged other Indiana families they knew to settle in the present-day town. They followed and began developing a community known as Arwine. In 1870 the Hurst family came to the area and built a home in south Hurst near highway 10. A railway was desired running through his land between Dallas and Fort Worth. Hurst agreed to allow a rail line built through his property if they also built a depot on the site. The rail company agreed and named the depot after him. That is the official beginning of the town.

The community remained rural through the rest of the nineteenth century and throughout the first half of the twentieth century. It grew slowly and absorbed Arwine and other local communities. East-west rail lines through Arlington became more popular throughout this time period, leading to struggles in the community to farm and ranch profitability. Gravel business in the lowest portion of the area became more popular and remains active today.

Economic Growth in Hurst During the Twentieth Century

In 1951 Hurst began to change when Bell Helicopter built a large campus in south Hurst on highway 10. This brought more business and employees looking for local housing. The town incorporated the following year and through the 1950s sought to annex unincorporated lands on the north side of town. Hurst saw a later boom in the 1970s with construction of DFW Airport which brought significant business to the mid-cities area. This turned Hurst into a popular suburb along with the recent construction of Northeast Mall. Today the town remains somewhat industrial in its southern region with commercial and residential neighborhoods more common in the middle and north of the city.

Hurst, TX Legal System and Government

Hurst is served by its city government and Tarrant County. Students in the town primarily attend schools in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. Portions in the southwest attend. Birdville ISD. Some parts in the north attend Grapevine-Colleyville ISD.

Hurst Divorce Lawyers

Hurst divorce lawyers represent clients in Bedford, Arlington, Hurst, Euless, Dallas, Fort Worth and other parts of Tarrant County and Dallas, Texas in divorces and other family law issues. Hurst, Texas, like other suburbs in mid-cities, is a diverse community with families of all sizes and economics. People looking for divorce lawyers in Hurst look for a divorce attorney that fits their price and goals.

Hurst, Texas divorce attorneys

People in Hurst looking for divorces may be young couples living in apartments, couples living in houses with children, or empty nesters with assets and retirement income. Many divorces in Hurst, Texas are completely different from the next. The young couple may only need an uncontested divorce; however, the established family may have a complicated divorce. You need a Hurst divorce lawyer who understands your needs and your family to tailor legal services to your goals. Hurst divorce lawyers often have clients in nearby suburbs including Hurst, Euless, Arlington, Irving, Grapevine and North Richland Hills. Hurst divorce lawyers often represent clients across Dallas and Fort Worth due to the proximity to the county border.

How Hurst divorce lawyers can help you

Each divorce is a unique experience for the family. It should not be treated like a factory producing the same product over and over. The best approach for each divorce is a balance of negotiation and litigation based upon the people and property involved. This is true from the simplest uncontested divorce to the most contested, complex divorce. Often divorce works like a conveyor belt making the same product every time. This is not the best outcome for divorce clients in Hurst. That does not mean every divorce needs to be a messy fight; but the parties should work towards a divorce that fits the family, not fit the family to the divorce.

The purpose of a divorce is not just to conclude the marriage; it is also the beginning of the next life chapter. The resolution to your divorce should be to transition to a healthy and stable life after marriage. Too often people get into divorces to rehash all the problems in the marriage or focus on attacking each other. These divorces usually end in a lose-lose situation; although the parties may not feel the full effects of this battle until years down the road. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Euless, Texas

Euless, Texas is a suburb of Fort Worth, Texas on the east side of Tarrant County. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. Part of the city limits extends through DFW Airport but Euless also neighbors Grapevine, Irving, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Bedford, Colleyville and Hurst. The town is best known for its Arbor Daze festival in the spring which celebrates the urban tree canopy.

Euless, Texas History near Fort Worth

The town’s history dates back to the beginning of settlement in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In the early 1840s a simple log fort was built just south of present-day Euless known as Bird’s Fort (or Fort Bird). This fort sat at what used to be the south end of Euless Main Street at a crescent-shaped pond in northernmost Arlington although today the area has been reconstructed as part of the Viridian development on highway 157. The pond remains as part of the Viridian water features. What is today Euless was several smaller settlements in the area that developed through the mid and late nineteenth century. The first clearly established settlement was Estill’s Station which received a post office in 1857. This post office closed in 1868 and then reopened in 1881 until 1904 as Estelle.

The settlement saw its population move to other local communities like Euless and Irving. Estill’s Station was in what is now east Euless and DFW Airport. In the 1870s a settler named Euless came to the area and purchased land near what is now the middle of the town. He built a cotton gin and community center. A community grew up around his property and later named Euless in his honor. In the early twentieth century a community to the southeast of the town that came to be known as Tarrant became a popular settlement in the area when rail was laid in a Dallas-Fort Worth route with a depot in town.

However, the depot eventually closed in favor of southern routes through Arlington and Euless absorbed much of the population of the declining Tarrant. Tarrant and Estill’s Station eventually merged with the town. The city incorporated in 1951, unincorporated the following year over taxes and reincorporated in 1953.

Mosier Valley in Euless, Texas

Another area in present-day Euless that began as its own community is Mosier Valley. Mosier Valley lies on the south end of the town and into the east part of Fort Worth just south of the town. It was a black settlement within Euless ISD (eventually merging with Hurst and the town to form the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD.) In 1949 the the town superintendent ordered black students in the district bused to Fort Worth. Mosier Valley residents refused. The conflict nearly turned violent but subsided when a federal court ordered that students could attend school within their own district.

Modern Euless

Today Euless is primarily a bedroom community that serves both Dallas and Fort Worth due to its central location. The city retains some industrial and commercial activities in the city, often related to DFW Airport or businesses located just outside of the airport. The original airport in the region, Amon Carter Airport, sat south of what is now DFW Airport. This original airport led to economic growth in the town in the middle of the twentieth century. DFW Airport expanded the popularity of the town as a residential destination.

Mansfield, Texas

Mansfield, Texas is on the south side of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, primarily in the southeast corner of Tarrant County, Texas. Small parts of the town extend into Ellis County and Johnson County. The town is directly south of Arlington, Texas and west of the southern tip of Grand Prairie, Texas. It is part of the DFW metro area and the larger North Texas region.

Mansfield, TX: History of East Fort Worth and Arlington

Settlers from the east arrived in the area in the 1840s and the area became settled in the 1850s under the protection of Fort Worth (the actual fort, not the city). In the late 1850s R.S. Man and Julian Feild built a grain mill in the area. This mill was the first steam mill in Texas. Shortly after a post office was built near the mill. A community grew around the commercial area surrounding the mill. This community was known as “Mansfeild” as a combination of the names from the Man and Feild mill. Overtime misspellings as “Mansfield” became accepted and the community became known as Mansfield. The city incorporated in 1909.

Racial discrimination in Mansfield, Texas

In 1956 the segregated Mansfield ISD refused a federal court order that the schools desegregate. Conflict engulfed the town and eventually the students were sent to Fort Worth to avoid desegregation. This remained until 1965 when the federal government threatened to cut funding if it did not desegregate. The open refusal to follow a federal court order inspired the Arkansas governor in 1957 to do the same in the more well known confrontation.

Pantego, Texas

Pantego, Texas is a small affluent town in east Tarrant County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It neighbors Arlington and Dalworthington Gardens. The area now Pantego began settlement by Anglo-American settlers in the 1840s like most towns in Tarrant County. It was farmland and primarily purchased by Colonel Frederick Forney Foscue. Foscue was the town’s first land developer. His property was later subdivided to create the town. In 1883 he donated land to build a school named Pantego, later used for the community around the school and eventually the city. Historical tales say Col. Foscue had a Native American friend of the same name and wanted the school named after him as a tribute. Today it is primarily a residential town that serves as a bedroom community for neighboring Arlington and Fort Worth.

Forest Hill, Texas

Forest Hill, Texas is a small city in Tarrant County, Texas. It is a suburb of Fort Worth on its southeast side along Interstate 20. The town is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. The town began as a farming community around 1860. It was first known as Brambleton Station then later Forest Hill Village before becoming Forest Hill. Initially the town grew slowly but consistently. In 1946 the town incorporated. Through the mid-twentieth century the town began growing rapidly as growth spread in Tarrant County and people began looking for suburbs to move to near Fort Worth.

Saginaw, Texas in Tarrant County

Saginaw, Texas is a small town on the north side of Fort Worth in Tarrant County. It is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and part of the larger North Texas region. It is surrounded by Haslet, Azle, Fort Worth and Blue Mound. As part of Tarrant County it receives services from the county government. Lawsuits related to the town belong in the Tarrant County, Texas district and county courts. The city also provides a range of services to its residents and businesses. These include municipal courts, public works, parks, police, fire and other public services. 

Saginaw, TX History near Fort Worth

The town begin as a farming community in the mid nineteenth century. As rail lines to Fort Worth expanded, Saginaw became the last stop before Fort Worth, Texas for several rail lines. As a result the town developed business around servicing the rail lines, grain storage and milling. It continues to hold the title of the largest grain storage facility in the world. Today the town is a rapidly growing community due to suburban sprawl in the northern suburbs of Fort Worth and its easy access to freeways and downtown Fort Worth.

The Texas city shares many of the attributes of its neighbors for obvious reasons. It has the benefit of convenient access to freeways, open space as well as proximity to lake shore which makes an attractive location. As a result, many parts of the town enjoy new construction of homes ranging from middle class homes to substantial homes. Residents have easy access to the Fossil Creek area in north Fort Worth, Texas as well as development further north on the interstate. Growth slowed during the Great Recession in the late 2000s; however, it will surely pick up speed due to its attractive location.

Weatherford, Texas

Weatherford, Texas is the county seat of Parker County, Texas. It is directly west of Fort Worth and the DFW area. The town is part of the North Texas region. Interstate 20 runs through the south side of town. Settlers from the United States began arriving in the area now within Weatherford in the 1840s. For the first decade of the community’s existence it was the principal frontier settlement and a target for Native American raids. Parker County was established by the State of Texas and the city elected to call itself Weatherford after the state senator who coauthored the bill to create Parker County, Texas. The town incorporated in 1858. The town was a safe haven for Parker County residents from native raids into the 1870s. In the 1880s railroads began to extend to the community, furthering the agricultural business in the area. Oil followed as another major industry. The town is the Peach Capital of Texas although watermelon is a more common crop.

Southlake, Texas

Southlake, Texas is an affluent suburb of Fort Worth, Texas residing primarily in Tarrant County with a small portion in Denton County. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It neighbors Trophy Club, Grapevine, Colleyville, North Richland Hills, Keller and Westlake.

Southlake, TX History around Fort Worth

Southlake transformed from poor farmlands to affluent suburb through the mid to late twentieth century. The area was first settled by Anglo-American settlers in the 1840s like most of North Texas. It was a rural area. What exists today was once several small communities: White’s Chapel; Dove; Union Church and Jellico. These communities supported local farming; but the area is not great for farming and the area was poorer than other superior farmlands east of Grapevine. Residents of DFW considered the area collectively as “west of Grapevine” and treated Grapevine as the closest town of importance. This remained true until the construction of Grapevine Lake in the mid-twentieth century.

Suddenly this poor farmland became cheap lakeside and near-lake land. Affluent residents began buying into the area to take advantage of proximity to Grapevine Lake. However, growth did not accelerate to the rapid pace of later decades until construction of DFW Airport was complete. DFW Airport provided a boom of construction growth and jobs. Southlake’s cheap land became a valuable destination for affluent housing with convenient access to the west and north sides of DFW Airport and all the business brought in by the airport.

Today Southlake is mostly developed with affluent neighborhoods with over seventy percent of residents earning over $100k. It is also home to many athletes, particularly on local teams. Southlake also has its own commercial areas and Sabre Holdings near Grapevine Lake and the Solana Development is the largest employer in Southlake.

River Oaks, Texas

River Oaks, Texas is a small suburban town in Tarrant County, Texas. It is located on the western side of Fort Worth and is therefore part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is downstream from Lake Worth along the Trinity River.

River Oaks’ history is primarily as a bedroom community for Fort Worth and the nearby Joint Reserve Base. The first settlers from the United States arrived in 1849 to what is now River Oaks. Development began for farming followed by a school. It included a large tract of land owned by the Castleberry family among other residents. The area did not develop greatly until the post-World War 2 era when the Joint Reserve Base (then Carswell AFB) moved into west Tarrant County. The community incorporated as River Oaks Village in 1941 and changed to City of River Oaks in 1946.

From that point forward River Oaks developed as a popular bedroom community for base staff and employees of contractors. As base operations contracted and defense contractors received less work the city’s population contracted slightly in the 1980s. Today it remains a bedroom community for Fort Worth and the remaining JRB and manufacturing businesses like Lockheed Martin.

Westover Hills, Texas

Westover Hills, Texas is a small town in west Tarrant County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is a western suburb of Fort Worth and the wealthiest location in Texas per capita income. The town began as farmland like most of Tarrant County. It was mostly land owned by Amon G. Carter subdivided in the early twentieth century and incorporated as a town in 1931. Public services and residential development continued through the middle of the century. Today Westover Hills is a small but affluent suburb and one of the wealthiest towns in the country. The town obtains services through its city government and Tarrant County. Students attend Fort Worth ISD although many students attend local private schools.

Keller, Texas

Keller, Texas is a suburb of Fort Worth in Tarrant County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It neighbors Roanoke, Southlake, Colleyville, North Richland Hills, Watauga and Fort Worth.

Keller, Texas Origins near North Fort Worth

Keller’s history is associated with the wells and rail lines in the area. The area that is now Keller was first settled by Anglo-American settlers in the 1840s and 1850s. The first prominent settlement in the area was known as Double Springs located around the hill at highway 377 just north of Golden Triangle Blvd. In 1881 the T&P rail line was laid into Fort Worth through the area. That same year local landowner H.W. Black set out forty acres from the north side of his property for a town site known as Athol. This area was just south of Double Springs and eventually overtook it as the prominent community in the area. Athol sat at the old Keller area at highways 377 and 1709 that includes Old Town Keller and the residential neighborhood immediately east of 377.

The following year railroad engineer John C. Keller constructed a rail depot and the community changed its name in his honor. From that point the town became an important rail depot for the local farmers and settlements. Rail service would continue until the 1960s to the town. The town drilled an artesian well in 1886 and became the primary water supply when Double Springs filled with silt. Eventually the town plugged the springs. Their location was unknown until rediscovery in 1984. Samantha Springs now owns them and sells the water from their location on highway 377 just north of Old Town Keller. Today the town is an economically diverse community that is primarily residential with convenient shopping and some commercial zones.

Keller, TX Laws & Government

The town is served by its city government and Tarrant County. Keller provides police services to Westlake, Texas. Students attend Keller ISD and local private schools. Students may also attend the Westlake Academy in Westlake if they win a seat in the academy’s lottery system.

Lake Worth, Texas

Lake Worth, Texas is a small community in northwest Tarrant County, Texas. It is primarily a suburb of Fort Worth near  and adjacent to Lake Worth.

The town’s history began in the 1920s as a popular residential and recreational destination. In the 1920s the land sold to a developer who established Indian Oaks, a mixed residential and recreational community. Casino Beach was built on the northwest side of town just west of the highway 199 bridge. Casino Beach was a massive boardwalk recreational site that boasted a large rollercoaster. It was the largest boardwalk west of Atlantic City. Unfortunately the Great Depression wound down the recreational spending in the area and Lake Worth suffered financially.

In the late 1940s the town rebounded due to Carswell Air Force Base (now the Joint Reserve Base) and manufacturing. It incorporated in 1949 and the name changed from Indian Oaks to Lake Worth in the early 1950s. Today the town continues as a residential site convenient to the base and local manufacturing as well as easy access to downtown Fort Worth. Developers continue to look at Casino Beach and other locations for revitalized recreation on the lake.

Haslet, Texas

Haslet, Texas is a growing town in Denton County and Tarrant County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. The town is surrounded by Saginaw, Keller, Justin, Fort Worth, Texas and Newark and close to Alliance Airport. If you are looking for a Fort Worth employment lawyer or Fort Worth divorce lawyer you should contact my office to schedule a consultation. Cities like Haslet, Texas that span multiple counties can be problems for lawsuits.

Haslet, TX History around North Fort Worth

Haslet, Texas developed as a community in 1883 after the railroad extended through the area. The city earned its name from Haslet, Michigan by the railroad contractor who built the railroad out to the area, which was his hometown. A post office opened in 1887. The town incorporated in 1961. It is an intermodal hub with railroad, airline and interstate highway access. The town has seen considerable growth with substantial residential growth due to suburban sprawl. With growth along interstate 35-W and around Alliance Airport also has seen commercial growth. The railway lines running to the Alliance Airport area will continue to provide a range of jobs and businesses to Haslet.

Both residential and commercial growth into the future is expected into the future in both counties. Haslet, Texas will likely become a core focus of the north Fort Worth, Texas region due to its large neighborhoods, proximity to freeways and proximity to growing shopping areas. The once sleepy town boomed for the past decades with no signs of stopping, like it’s Tarrant County, Texas neighbors.

Kennedale, Texas

Kennedale, Texas is a small town in southeast Tarrant County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is a suburb of Fort Worth, Texas and Arlington, Texas. Settlement began in the area by Anglo-American settlers in the 1840s after peace was reached with local Native American tribes. It was primarily farmland until the late nineteenth century. In 1884 the town built a post office. The town receiving platting and named two years later. A local landowner donated land to the rail line in exchange for building a rail to the town. It incorporated in 1947. Public utilities were not widespread in the town until the 1960s. Today the town is both a residential community and home to several manufacturing and construction firms. Kennedale, Texas receives services from its city government and Tarrant County. Students attend Kennedale ISD and local private schools in and around Tarrant County. Kennedale, Texas legal claims generally go to the Tarrant County district and county courts as well as the federal courts in Fort Worth, Texas.

Haltom City, Texas

Haltom City, Texas is a mid-sized city in central Tarrant County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. The town is part of the mid-cities although it is also an inner suburb of Fort Worth. The town neighbors Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, Richland Hills and Watauga.

Haltom City, Texas History with Fort Worth

Haltom City is a relatively new city within Tarrant County although its history dates back to the beginning of Tarrant County. After peace arose in the DFW area in the mid-nineteenth century from Bird’s Fort in north Arlington Anglo-Americans settled in the area between Bird’s Fort and Camp Worth to the west (at the location of the courts in downtown Fort Worth). A town named Birdville developed northeast of Fort Worth and became the economic center for what is now eastern Tarrant County. When Tarrant County was created, Birdville became the county seat.

Through the mid and late nineteenth century a battle waged between Birdville and Fort Worth to control the county. Fort Worth eventually wins. The close proximity of the two towns led to Birdville’s slowing economic growth and influence over local farmlands. Some of the farmlands developed their own local communities while others drifted to Fort Worth and other existing communities.

In the early to mid twentieth century the communities around Birdville, like Haltom, outpaced Birdville. These towns began establishing themselves as incorporated cities. The area east of Birdville, known as Haltom, incorporated in 1955 as it developed into 1950s suburbs. This happened because it is in close proximity to downtown Fort Worth. Manufacturing firms came to what became Haltom City after incorporation. The city has remained an important manufacturing base in Tarrant County and a working class suburb. In 1990 Haltom City completed overtaking Birdville by annexing the remainder of Birdville (located near Beach and Broadway).

White Settlement, Texas

White Settlement, Texas is a small town in northwest Tarrant County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. White Settlement is a suburb of Fort Worth containing part of the Joint Reserve Base. White Settlement receives services from its city government and Tarrant County. Students in White Settlement attend White Settlement ISD.

White Settlement, Texas: History of Northwest Fort Worth

White Settlement’s history is tied to its proximity to once hostile Native American settlements in what is now Parker County and other parts west of Fort Worth. The area now known as White Settlement began settlement from settlers from the American states in the 1850s. They found the area already inhabited by Native American groups hostile to the new settlers. Settlement primarily came from small number of immigrants from Kentucky who established farms where African slaves were common. The area was subject to attacks by Native Americans in the area. It remained a frontier outpost into the latter part of the nineteenth century when the Native American hostility subsided. Then the town began to grow. Unfortunately, likely due to the existing conflict, the railroad bypassed White Settlement. It did not grow at the same pace as other communities in the area.

White Settlement incorporated in 1941 and saw accelerated growth in the 1940s due to construction of Carswell Air Force Base (now the Joint Reserve Base) and the jobs brought by the base and defense contractors in the area. Today White Settlement is primarily a residential city that expands suburban sprawl into northwest Tarrant County and beyond.

Controversy in Tarrant County over the White Settlement name

The name White Settlement is contentious for some. Various stories explaining the origin of the name all closely suggest the name was a convenient distinction from the Native American settlements in the area at the time the Kentucky settlers first arrived and no change to the name occurred. Some people suggest the name stuck to identify the town as an unwelcome place for African Americans. These claims are generally not substantiated with anything more than speculation. Considerable disagreement about this point exists in Tarrant County.

In 2005 the city council put to a citizen vote whether the change the name to West Settlement on the basis that the town’s name may be offensive and as a result repelling business from the city. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the proposal.

Westworth Village, Texas

Westworth Village, Texas is a small residential community west of Fort Worth in Tarrant County, Texas. It is only a few miles west of downtown Fort Worth, making it part of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is near the Joint Reserve Base and other bedroom communities historically attached to the base.

Westworth Village, Texas: History of West Fort Worth

Westworth Village, Texas includes land settled by United States settlers (and later Texan settlers). Principally the settlors constructed farms on the land. It has been a small community through its history. In 1941 with development of the Air Force base and manufacturing, community residents feared what may happen to their land. They elected to incorporate to maintain independent control over their community from the Air Force and other cities like Fort Worth, Texas. Initially residents considered the name White Settlement Village. There was already a White Settlement school elsewhere (this area became the City of White Settlement) so they adopted the name Westworth Village, Texas. In the 1950s residents elected to prohibit further commercialization of the city. A single store existed at the time and residents allowed it to remain. This decision ensured the city would remain a residential community rather than a part of Fort Worth’s urban core.

Through the twentieth century Westworth Village remained a bedroom community for Fort Worth, Texas and local defense manufacturers. As Carswell AFB was partially decommissioned to the Joint Reserve Base and defense manufacturing in the area slowed the population contracted slightly. Today the town remains a residential community with new developments.

Westlake, Texas

Westlake, Texas is a small, sparsely populated but affluent town in north Tarrant County and south Denton County. It is among Fort Worth’s northern suburbs making it a part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It has the highest per-capita revenue in traffic tickets for any town in Texas. If you are looking for a Fort Worth employment attorney or Fort Worth divorce lawyer you should contact my office to schedule a consultation.

Westlake, Texas: Origins of the North Fort Worth Area

Westlake has a farming history turned into a destination for many large businesses and affluent residents. The area that is now Westlake was first settled by Anglo-American settlers in the 1840s. The land remained farm and ranch land late into the twentieth century. In the mid-twentieth century Dallas attorney J. Glenn Turner acquired Circle T Ranch within the area (a large ranch along Highway 114). The area around Circle T Ranch and the ranch itself decided to incorporate in the mid-1950s. With the name Southlake already taken the residents chose Westlake. In 1973 a northern part of the town deannexed due to disagreement about how it should develop. This area became Trophy Club. In the 1980s IBM acquired land along Highway 114 and built the multi-building Solana development.

By the mid-1990s IBM left Solana and the buildings were leased to other businesses. In 1993 Ross Perot Jr. acquired Circle T Ranch and began developing the property. Disagreement within the city, partially built on the Circle T Ranch development, led to a move by the City Council to disband the city in 1997. Southlake and Fort Worth sought to annex parts of the former city. After long court battles the courts decided the disbanding violated Texas law and the city reincorporated.

Today the town has a number of businesses in the Solana and Circle T Ranch area including Deloitte, Fidelity Investments, Sabre, Marriott, First American, Wells Fargo and Pfizer. There are also housing areas within the town that include affluent neighborhoods that are home to many athletes and celebrities.

Watagua, Texas

Watauga, Texas is a suburban city located in Tarrant County, Texas and regarded as a suburb of Fort Worth on the north side of Fort Worth. Watauga is part of the midcities surburbs that span between Fort Worth and Dallas. It is also part of the Fort Worth northern suburbs. Watauga is surrounded by Fort Worth, Keller, Haltom City, Southlake and North Richland Hills. Watauga is primarily a suburban community although its industrial history is still visible in this still developing community.

Watauga, Texas History of North Fort Worth and Mid-Cities Suburbs

Settlers came to the area now incorporated as a town in the early 1880s along the Texas and Pacific Railway. At the time the area held primarily large farms and ranches. The railway brought a railroad station and post office by 1883. The population was a mere sixty-five people through the 1940s when the railroad station closed. The population grew in the 1960s as defense manufacturers moved into the area. From there the population grew from 1000 to over 20,000 today. Most of the manufacturing has departed from the town but some remains, such as the Owens Corning plant on 377.

Today the town is primarily a bedroom community with the largest employers consisting of the local government entities, retail stores (specifically Target), restaurants and churches. The majority of the city and its employers reside close to highway 377 which bisects the town and runs parallel to the operating railway.

Trophy Club, Texas

Trophy Club, Texas is a small but affluent suburb of Fort Worth in Tarrant County and Denton County. It is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region.

Trophy Club was originally part of Westlake, Texas until Westlake deannexed it in 1973 over disagreement with its development. The area that is now Trophy Club was farmland from the 1840s to the 1970s. Westlake incorporated this area in the 1950s. In the early 1970s recently retired golfer Ben Hogan was enticed to design a golf course in which a two story trophy home would be built to showcase Hogan’s trophies. A residential community would be built around the golf course. Westlake residents disagreed with the development and deannexed the area in 1973.

Both the golf course and residential neighborhoods saw construction shortly after. Financing never occurred for the trophy facility and Hogan disassociated with the development. Nevertheless the name Trophy Club remained. In 1985 the area incorporated as Trophy Club. Its residents resisted early plans to change the design to eliminate the golf course and the town remained in its normal design until the 2000s when construction began on additional residential neighborhoods and shopping areas.

Sansom Park, Texas in Tarrant County

Sansom Park, Texas is a small town in west central Tarrant County, Texas. It is a suburb of Fort Worth and sits adjacent to Fort Worth on its west side near Lake Worth. It is part of the DFW metroplex and the larger North Texas region.

Sansom Park began serious development in the 1910s-1920s by residents looking for more agriculturally available land and lower taxes from its neighbors, primarily Fort Worth, River Oaks and Saginaw.  This area was originally known as Broad View Acres. By the 1930s residents began organizing to develop an independent town to avoid potential annexation by neighboring towns. Annexation occurred through the twentieth century in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. By the late 1940s residents successfully organized and the community incorporated as Sansom Park Village in 1949.

In 2000 the town changed its name to City of Sansom Park, or more commonly known as Sansom Park. Today it is a small town enclosed by its neighbors with highway 1999 passing through it heading into downtown Fort Worth. It is primarily a blue collar suburb of Fort Worth.

Richland Hills, Texas

Richland Hills, Texas is a small town in central Tarrant County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is part of the mid-cities between Fort Worth and Dallas. Richland Hills is a suburb of Fort Worth neighboring Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, Hurst and Haltom City.

Richland Hills, TX: East Fort Worth History

Richland Hills is a relatively newer city in Tarrant County formed from pieces of an older city, Birdville. Before Anglo-American settlers arrived in what is now Tarrant County there was widespread Native American presence. Early Texas leaders sent out Texas Rangers to secure the land and establish a peaceful regime for settlers. The first installment was Bird’s Fort in what is now north Arlington (on Main Street near the Viridian development). Land west of the fort began settlement between Bird’s Fort and Camp Worth (located on the north side of present-day downtown Fort Worth). This community became Birdville.

When the Texas Legislature created Tarrant County in 1849 one of the first acts was to establish a county seat. In 1850 Birdville became the county seat but lost to Fort Worth in 1856 and again in 1880. As a result of losing the county seat Birdville failed to develop as Fort Worth would. Birdville included much of what is now Haltom City and Richland Hills although the city center was in present-day Haltom City near highway 377 and Broadway. (Birdville remained a city in this area until annexed by Haltom City in 1990.)

After losing control of the county seat this farmland in this area lost connection to the Birdville town center and became attached to other local cities. In the early half of the twentieth century farmlands in the present-day Richland Hills began to be developed as a suburb of Fort Worth and became Richland Hills. Although the town lost its identity to Birdville the history of Birdville is bound in the history of Richland Hills and its neighbors.

Dalworthington Gardens, Texas

Dalworthington Gardens, Texas is a small town in the southeast portion of Tarrant County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. Dalworthington Gardens lies completely within Tarrant County and surrounded entirely by Pantego and Arlington. 

Dalworthington Gardens, Texas History around Fort Worth, Texas

The town of Dalworthington Gardens is a town with an unusual history. Unlike many of its neighbors that grew up out of existing farming communities or due to placement of railroad stops, Dalworthington Gardens was a town created by the federal government as a social experiment during the New Deal.

As part of the National Industrial Recovery Act, a program was established to build subsistence homestead communities in which people could live near but not directly within industrial centers (like Fort Worth or Dallas) and work part-time in industrial employment while also partially surviving on the land through farming and livestock. This program was controversial and as a whole did not succeed in the long term.

President Roosevelt’s wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, worked to identify locations for this program. She identified the site of Dalworthington Gardens herself. The name Dalworthington Gardens is a portmanteau of Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington. All of these communities received names related to the local industrial city plus Garden.

Later development

The project began with reasonably small farming lots that could sustain a family in part (approximately an acre) and carefully screening applied to applicants to acquire the constructed homesteads.. Eventually the project reached completion. Residents took control of the community although it continued to suffer from bureaucratic problems under federal control. Residents developed a coop to build necessary home goods and in 1949 voted to incorporate as a town. It devolved from federal control. Today Dalworthington Gardens is a mixture of past and present with some lots continuing farming or livestock. Other plots redeveloped as a large million dollar homes. Some of the original homesteads remain.

Blue Mound, Texas

Blue Mound, Texas is a small town on the north side of Tarrant County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is immediately north of Saginaw, Texas, slightly north of highway 820 and west of Interstate 35-W. If you are looking for a Fort Worth employment lawyer or Fort Worth divorce lawyer you should contact my office to schedule a consultation.

Blue Mound, Texas History

The area now Blue Mound began as farmland and undeveloped land into the early twentieth century when business began developing the area. The first notable business arose in the 1920s related to the cattle industry. A single partner acquired the business. That investor purchased a large tract of land east of Saginaw at what is today Blue Mound Road and Western Center Blvd to construct an airplane factory. This became the Globe Aircraft Co. which manufactured the Swift aircraft. As operations grew more people came to settle in the area and a community developed. Initially the community named itself Saginaw Park and later renamed to Blue Mound.

Although the aircraft business went bankrupt in the mid-twentieth century the airfield and buildings remained. Bell Helicopter acquired the property and operated out of it for several years. The federal government acquired the land for military purposes. The federal government sold off part of the land while some remains in use by the local National Guard. Most of the aircraft buildings have been torn down although the original white and red checkered water tower remains visibly from Blue Mound Road. Today Blue Mound is mostly residential and serves as a bedroom community for Fort Worth and the other northern suburbs.

Blue Mound, TX Government

Blue Mound is served by its city government and Tarrant County. Students attend schools within the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD and local private schools.

Benbrook, Texas

Benbrook, Texas is a town in the southwest corner of Tarrant County, Texas. It is a suburb of Fort Worth and part of both the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. The town is near the Joint Reserve Center, formerly Carswell Air Force Base on the west side of Fort Worth, Texas. 

Benbrook, Texas History

Benbrook was settled in the mid-nineteenth century and has a history connected to Fort Worth. American settlers reached the area now Benbrook in the mid-eighteenth century as part of the Peters Colony. The town’s history is similar to other small towns in the DFW area that grew throughout the nineteenth century. However, its history is more closely connected to Fort Worth due to its location in relation to the larger city. Through the nineteenth century the town became a useful fork in the Chisholm Trail for those who did not want to travel through downtown Fort Worth. It also suffered from highway crime as an easy route between Fort Worth and Weatherford.

In World War I the city became a training site for the Canadian air force due to its favorable weather and close proximity to the rail system in Fort Worth. In 1947 the town incorporated and in the same year construction on the Benbrook Dam began, resulting in Benbrook Lake. This dam was important to all of Tarrant County. It ceased the wave of flooding in the 1940s that caused serious damage in Fort Worth and Richland Hills. Growth within the DFW area has led suburban sprawl to Benbrook although it has remained a small town feel although it is close to the urban center in Fort Worth.

Azle, Texas

Azle, Texas is a small town mostly in Tarrant County, Texas with small portions in Parker County. It is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is today considered a suburb of Fort Worth with direct access to downtown Fort Worth on state highway 199. Azle is a growing suburban community within the northwest Fort Worth area. It is also a main thoroughfare to the rural northwest area of  north Texas.

Azle, Texas History

The area now known as Azle went through a number of names as it developed in the late nineteenth century. The area saw its first Anglo-American settlers in the 1840s. One settler was Dr. James Azle Stewart who acquired a large parcel of land. The community was first Elizabeth Town, then Mooresville. In 1881 land was donated for a post office and named O’Bar after the man who donated the land. Dr. Stewart proceeded to donate a larger piece of land to establish a townsite and asked that the town change its name to Azle in 1883.

Agriculture played a key role in the town’s economy despite frequent Native American attacks as it was a frontier community under attack into the 1870s. Dairy farming became an important industry through the end of the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth. Farming declined in the middle of the twentieth century as land became more valuable for manufacturing and housing developments, which has remained true through today.

Azle, TX Government

Azle receives services through its city government and the respective county governments in Tarrant County and Parker County. Students attend schools in the Azle ISD. People seeking access  to the courts in Azle, Texas will go to the Tarrant County and Parker County courts, as applicable for the parts of town in each county. Check the county border before filing a lawsuit. Filing in the wrong county can result in problems.