Jay Aldis

Texas

Gray Reed & McGraw LLP
1300 Post Oak Blvd
Suite 2000
Houston, TX 77056

Tel: 713.986.7175

Email: jaldis@grayreed.com
Web: www.grayreed.com

Jay Aldis is a trial lawyer with nearly 30 years of experience guiding employers of all sizes through complex disputes that arise in the workplace. He has helped clients across the country resolve hundreds of difficult cases at trial, in arbitration, on summary judgment and through settlement negotiations, including claims involving all types of discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, wage and hour/overtime disputes, occupational health and safety issues, and whistleblower suits. Jay is also one of the most sought-after lawyers to obtain injunctive relief and damages in high-stakes cases involving former employees who violate confidentiality, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.

Defending employers accused of civil rights violations is another significant aspect of Jay’s practice. He has handled dozens of disputes with issues ranging from due process and equal protection to false arrest, excessive force and First Amendment matters. He has also defended numerous religious organizations against sexual abuse claims.

On the administrative side of his practice, Jay represents employers before federal, state and regional government agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation and the Texas Workforce Commission.

Jay has deep experience protecting clients at the appellate court level as well, including several arguments before the Texas Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Employers also rely on Jay to provide guidance on high-risk employment actions, employment agreements, policies and procedures, employee complaints, workplace misconduct, internal investigations and COVID-19 issues. In addition, he provides training to managers and HR professionals on maintaining regulatory compliance, proactive resolution of workplace conflicts and much more.

Before entering private practice, Jay served as a Deputy Division Chief in the Harris County Attorney’s Office, where he litigated and tried numerous civil rights and employment cases.

Jay is Board Certified in Labor & Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. In 2020, Jay was recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year” for Labor & Employment Litigation in Houston by The Best Lawyers in America. This distinction is awarded to individual lawyers with the highest overall peer feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one lawyer is recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year” for each specialty and location.

Proper management of the workforce is essential for our clients’ success. Our attorneys recognize the importance of this and the importance of proactively working with our clients to effectively and efficiently manage their workforces. We represent employers in all aspects of the myriad issues that confront management on a daily basis.

Our proactive employment attorneys counsel employers on all employment laws and regulations, including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, and state fair employment practices laws. They also help our clients effectively manage their workforces through drafting, implementation, negotiation and management of employment contracts and executive compensation agreements. Our attorneys are also regularly called upon to draft, revise and advise employers about policies and handbooks to comply with the numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations that govern the workplace.

When litigation cannot be avoided, our employment attorneys are skilled trial lawyers, and they defend our clients in a cost-effective manner. They develop an aggressive strategy to defend each lawsuit and develop cost and risk determinations at each step of the litigation so that our clients can make the best decision for their business.

We represent clients in a number of other employment-related areas that affect our clients’ businesses, including counseling our clients and defending them in litigation involving employee benefits, ERISA and related matters.

Gray Reed is a full-service Texas law firm in Dallas and Houston. Since 1985, our firm philosophy has been to provide high-quality legal services in a streamlined manner, to provide sophisticated and complex legal advice that is reasonably priced, and to provide big-firm results with small-firm efficiency. We are dedicated to achieving success for our clients, as they define success — whether that is winning a critical lawsuit, closing a key deal, consulting to save taxes, or just giving good business advice.

Everything we do is designed to achieve success for our clients quickly and efficiently. We seek to define success at the outset of the engagement. We get to know our clients, our clients’​ business and the nature of the engagement so we can identify the optimal result(s) for our clients. But achieving an end result without regard to how long it takes or how much it costs would be irresponsible, and we believe these considerations are also paramount when we define what success will be on the front end with our clients.

The vast majority of our business is from repeat clients and word of mouth referrals. We thrive when our clients are pleased with the end result, how we got there, how long it took and how much it cost. Success for our clients means success for us. Because we align our goals with our clients’​ goals, we both win.