Employment lawyer serving Bastrop workers
If you were fired for reporting a problem, passed over because of your age or race, or pressured to stay quiet about harassment, you have rights under Texas and federal law. Employers count on workers not knowing those rights. An employment lawyer in Bastrop, TX can level the field and hold your employer accountable for what happened. Key Trial Lawyers represents employees across Bastrop County from our office in downtown Bastrop, and we build every case to win in front of a jury if the employer will not do right on its own.
Bastrop’s job market looks nothing like it did a decade ago. The SpaceX Starlink manufacturing facility now employs roughly 800 to 1,000 people and keeps expanding past 1 million square feet. The Boring Company runs its research and design headquarters on FM 1209. The Bastrop 552 film studio campus under construction on the riverfront is projected to bring nearly 1,000 more jobs. Add H-E-B, Bastrop ISD, county government, tourism built around Bastrop State Park and the historic downtown, and a construction boom serving new subdivisions, and you have thousands of local workers whose paychecks depend on employers following the law.
Growth this fast puts pressure on workplaces. New facilities staff up fast, managers get promoted before they are trained, and that is when wage violations, discrimination, and retaliation surface. Our office at 812 Chestnut St #102 is a few blocks from the Bastrop County Courthouse on Pecan Street. If you believe your employer broke the law, call (512) 861-1280 for a free, confidential consultation with an attorney.
Why Bastrop workers choose our firm
Going up against an employer feels lopsided. They have lawyers on retainer, HR files they control, and a paper trail written from their side of the story. The attorney you choose determines whether that imbalance holds or gets corrected.
We prepare every case for a courtroom
Employers and their defense counsel know which plaintiff firms fold before trial. Key Trial Lawyers builds each employment case as if a Bastrop County jury will hear it. That posture changes settlement talks. When the other side knows you are willing to try the case, the conversation about what your claim is worth gets serious.
You talk to your attorney, not a call center
Employment cases turn on details: what your supervisor said, when the write-ups started, who else was treated differently. Those details get lost when your case is passed between case managers. At Key Trial Lawyers, the attorney handling your claim is the person who answers your questions, from the first consultation through resolution.
A selective caseload means real attention
We turn down more cases than we take. That is deliberate. Employment claims demand time: reviewing personnel files, deposing decision makers, and lining up witnesses who saw what really happened. A firm juggling hundreds of files cannot do that work. We can, because we limit how many we accept.
Employment law claims we handle in Bastrop
Our firm represents workers across the full range of employment disputes, from hourly employees in retail and hospitality to salaried professionals in manufacturing, aerospace, and construction. Learn more about our statewide employment law practice on our employment law page.
Wrongful termination
Texas is an at-will employment state, which means an employer can fire you for a good reason, a bad reason, or no reason at all. What they cannot do is fire you for an illegal reason. Termination based on race, sex, age, disability, religion, national origin, or pregnancy is unlawful. So is firing you for reporting discrimination, filing a workers’ compensation claim, refusing to commit an illegal act, or taking protected medical leave. If your firing followed close on the heels of a complaint or a protected activity, that timing matters, and we know how to prove it.
Workplace discrimination and employee rights
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Chapter 21 of the Texas Labor Code, often called the TCHRA, protect employee rights by prohibiting job decisions based on protected characteristics. Discrimination rarely announces itself. It shows up as the promotion that always goes to someone else, the layoff list that skews older, or the discipline that lands harder on workers of one race. As Bastrop’s employers grow from small crews into facilities with hundreds of workers, these patterns become more common and easier to document. We gather the comparator evidence, statistics, and testimony that turn a suspicion into a case.
Sexual harassment and a hostile work environment
No one should have to trade their dignity for a paycheck. Sexual harassment claims cover both quid pro quo demands from supervisors and a hostile work environment created by coworkers, managers, or even customers. Texas strengthened these protections in 2021: the state’s sexual harassment law now applies to employers with as few as one employee, and it requires employers to take immediate and appropriate corrective action. That change matters in a town like Bastrop, where many people work for small shops, restaurants, and contractors that federal law does not reach.
Retaliation
Retaliation claims are among the most common employment cases in Texas, and often the strongest. If you complained about discrimination, reported safety violations, participated in an investigation, or filed a wage claim, and your employer responded with termination, demotion, a cut in hours, or a sudden string of write-ups, that response may itself be illegal even if your original complaint does not succeed. Employers rarely admit retaliation. We prove it through timing, shifting explanations, and how coworkers who stayed quiet were treated.
Wage and hour violations and fair pay
The Fair Labor Standards Act requires most employers to pay overtime at time and a half for hours over 40 per week, and the Texas Payday Law requires employers to pay earned wages on time and in full. Fair pay violations we see in growing markets like Bastrop include unpaid overtime for hourly workers, misclassifying employees as independent contractors on construction sites, off-the-clock work before and after shifts, and final paychecks that never arrive. Bastrop’s construction boom generates a steady stream of these disputes.
Can your employer fire you for filing a discrimination complaint in Texas? No. Retaliation for filing a charge with the EEOC or the Texas Workforce Commission is illegal under both federal and state law, even if the underlying discrimination claim is never proven. A retaliatory firing can support its own lawsuit and its own damages.
Does Texas sexual harassment law cover small businesses in Bastrop? Yes. Since September 2021, the Texas Labor Code’s sexual harassment provisions apply to employers with as few as one employee. A worker at a small downtown Bastrop shop or restaurant has the same right to a harassment-free workplace as an employee at a major facility.
Deadlines that can end your case before it starts
Employment law deadlines are short and unforgiving. Before you can sue for discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, you generally must file a charge with the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division or the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Under Texas law, that charge is due within 180 days of the discriminatory act. Under federal law, the window extends to 300 days in Texas because the state has its own agency.
Miss the deadline and your claim can be gone no matter how strong the facts are. The clock usually starts when the decision is communicated to you, not when you figure out it was illegal. If you were fired, demoted, or harassed at work in Bastrop, talk to an employment lawyer before the calendar decides your case for you.
How long do you have to file a discrimination charge if you work in Bastrop, Texas? You have 180 days from the discriminatory act to file with the Texas Workforce Commission, or 300 days to file with the EEOC. Filing the charge is a required first step before most discrimination lawsuits can be filed in court.
How we build employment cases
Strong employment cases are built on documents and timelines. We start by preserving everything: your offer letter, handbook, performance reviews, pay stubs, text messages, and emails. We send preservation demands so the employer cannot quietly delete records. Then we reconstruct the timeline, because in employment law, sequence is often the whole story. A glowing review in March followed by termination two weeks after a June complaint tells a jury something no HR memo can erase.
From there, we file the administrative charge, manage the TWC or EEOC process, and prepare the case for litigation. In discovery, we depose the decision makers and pull the personnel files of comparators, the coworkers who did the same things you did but were treated better. If the employer offers fair value, we say so. If they do not, we are built to try the case.
Some workplace problems are not employment claims at all. If you were physically hurt on the job, especially in construction or manufacturing, our Bastrop personal injury attorneys can evaluate whether you have an injury claim against your employer or a third party. And if your dispute involves a business you own, a contract, or an insurance carrier, our Bastrop civil litigation attorneys handle those fights.
Where employment cases are heard in Bastrop County
State law employment claims filed in Bastrop County proceed in the county’s district courts: the 21st and 335th Judicial District Courts, which serve Bastrop, Burleson, Lee, and Washington counties, and the 423rd and 465th Judicial District Courts, which serve Bastrop County alone. The courthouse sits at 804 Pecan Street in downtown Bastrop, a short walk from our Chestnut Street office. Claims brought under federal statutes like Title VII or the FLSA may proceed in federal court instead, and we advise you on which forum gives your case the best footing.
Deadlines vary by claim type. Discrimination and harassment claims run through the 180-day and 300-day charge windows described above. Texas Payday Law wage claims must be filed with the Texas Workforce Commission within 180 days of the date the wages were due. FLSA claims generally carry a two-year statute of limitations, extended to three years for willful violations. An attorney can map the deadlines that apply to your specific situation.
Serving clients throughout Bastrop and surrounding communities
We represent workers throughout Bastrop, from the historic downtown to Tahitian Village, Hunters Crossing, The Colony, Pecan Park, and Riverside Grove. Our Bastrop team also represents clients in Cedar Creek, Elgin, Smithville, Manor, and Del Valle. Wherever you work along the SH 71 or SH 95 corridors, an attorney from our downtown Bastrop office is close by.
What it costs to hire us
Most employment cases we accept are handled on a contingency fee basis. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover money for you, whether through settlement, judgment, or verdict. The consultation is free, and we will give you a straight answer about whether you have a case worth pursuing. Many employment statutes also let us recover attorney fees from the employer when you win, which strengthens your position at the table.
Call (512) 861-1280 to speak directly with an employment attorney about your situation. What you tell us stays confidential, and your employer will not learn you called.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to file an employment discrimination claim in Bastrop?
You must file a charge with the Texas Workforce Commission within 180 days of the discriminatory act, or with the EEOC within 300 days. These charge deadlines come before any lawsuit and are strictly enforced, so contact an employment lawyer as soon as possible after the termination, demotion, or harassment occurs.
Is suing my employer worth it?
It depends on what happened and what you can prove. A strong retaliation, discrimination, or wage claim can recover lost pay, other damages, and in many cases attorney fees from the employer. We give you an honest read at the free consultation, including the risks, so you can decide with clear eyes rather than guesswork.
Do small Bastrop businesses have to follow sexual harassment laws?
Yes. Since 2021, Texas sexual harassment law applies to employers with as few as one employee, so small downtown Bastrop shops, restaurants, and contractors are covered. Employers must take immediate and appropriate corrective action when they know or should know harassment is occurring.
Where would my employment lawsuit be filed in Bastrop County?
State law employment claims in Bastrop County are heard in the district courts: the 21st, 335th, 423rd, or 465th Judicial District Courts at the courthouse on Pecan Street in downtown Bastrop. Federal claims, such as those under Title VII or the FLSA, may be filed in federal court instead.
How much does an employment lawyer cost at Key Trial Lawyers?
Nothing upfront in most cases. We handle most employment matters on contingency, meaning you pay attorney fees only if we recover money for you. Consultations are free and confidential, and many employment laws let us pursue attorney fees from the employer on top of your recovery.
Contact a Bastrop employment attorney today
Employment cases are won and lost on evidence that fades fast. Coworkers change jobs, emails get purged, and the 180-day charge clock keeps running whether you have hired a lawyer or not. If something illegal happened to you at work, the smartest move is to get an attorney’s read on it now, while your options are still open.
Key Trial Lawyers offers free, confidential consultations from our downtown Bastrop office on Chestnut Street. We will listen to what happened, tell you whether the law was broken, and explain exactly what pursuing a claim would look like. No pressure, and no obligation.
Call (512) 861-1280 or reach out through our contact page. You will speak with an attorney, not an intake service, and your employer will never know you called unless you decide to move forward.
