Litigator Joel S. Allen defends employers against claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Title VII, state discrimination laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and state tort law. In recent years Joel first-chaired two trials where the defense won both verdicts and he was second chair in a collective action trial, where he helped secure a decertification of the class after one week.
More recently, Joel secured four summary judgments on the executive exemption as applied to retail store managers in the US Courts of Appeal for the Third, Fifth, and Tenth Circuits. He also defends wage and hour collective actions, particularly those brought in Alabama, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
More generally, Joel defends clients faced with wage and hour claims, US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) complaints, and harassment allegations. He also helps employers enforce employment, noncompete, and confidentiality agreements.
In his wage and hour practice, Joel defends claims that include misclassification of managers and independent contractors; compensable time claims, including failure to pay for meal breaks; and donning and doffing.
Clients seek Joel's counsel in connection with OSHA complaints and investigations. For example, he advised a national chain restaurant being investigated in an accidental death, and a petrochemical company in connection with a US Chemical Safety Board and OSHA investigation of a refinery explosion.
Joel frequently speaks before professional associations such as the University of Houston’s Continuing Education program and The Credit Law Institute, and is a member of several US bar associations.
Listed, Texas Super Lawyer, Texas Monthly (2003, 2012–2014)