Preface (cont.)

• Author: Laura M. Franze
• Pages: 18-18

Texas employmenT law F-18

PrE fa cE (cont.)

The nine years since the first publication of Texas Employment Law have reinforced the theme of change I

discussed above in 1998. Employment lawsuits continue to be among the most commonly filed civil actions in

both Texas federal and state courts and at the governmental agency level. In-house counsel of large employers

have repeatedly identified labor and employment matters as the most frequent source of lawsuits filed against

them. These cases range from individual lawsuits to large scale class, “mass,” and collective actions. We have

seen dramatic increases in certain areas, including trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, invasion of privacy,

promotion cases, and employee benefits related lawsuits. In addition, the stunning increase in wage and hour

litigation has been noticed by even the casual observer. We are also seeing litigation in areas unknown to prac-

titioners in 1998, like Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower actions. As labor and employment lawyers, however, we

don’t just litigate, we also advise and counsel our clients. The areas of their concern keep expanding every year

and I hope this book will continue to provide practitioners with a ready source of information on employment

law in the State of Texas.

— Laura M. Franze

October 22, 2007

Dallas, Texas