Laura De Santos Bio

Laura De Santos is a partner in the Houston and Austin offices of Gordon & Rees. She has extensive experience representing corporate clients in state and federal courts in Texas and throughout the United States. In addition to her trial experience, she defends her employers in arbitration and administrative proceedings, as well as all forms of alternative dispute resolution, including mediations. Ms. De Santos represents employers on matters involving discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and retaliation brought under state and federal statutes, including for example Title VII, FMLA, ADA, FLSA, ADEA, USERRA, and the state Workers Compensation Act. She provides employee and management training on a variety of issues, including equal employment and anti-harassment policies, hiring policies and practices, and implementing and applying progressive discipline policies. Ms. De Santos also enjoys working closely with clients to provide advice and counsel on applying personnel policies, harassment investigations, wage and hour audits and representing employers before administrative agencies, such as the TWC, EEOC, and DOL. Ms. De Santos has also represented pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers and has tried numerous cases of serious injury to verdict. She has handled numerous matters involving consumer products that include lamps, ladders, over-the-counter medications, and paint products, as well as insecticide and pesticide products. She has also been involved in automotive cases on allegations of faulty repairs or maintenance claims. She has been involved in all aspects of tort litigation management and handling, including discovery, document management, settlement evaluation and negotiation, and expert witness development. She has participated in the briefing and presentation of dispositive motions and appeals, including a number that have had important impact on the issues of removal jurisdiction, federal preemption, and the reliability of expert opinion. Ms. De Santos’s experience also includes assisting clients with media relations. She is fluent in Spanish and is a member of the Employment Law Group and Drug and Medical Device group at Gordon & Rees.