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I Do Not Handle Discrimination Cases. Here Is Who Does.

Where to Go in Texas for Discrimination, Wrongful Termination, and Severance Help

I handle unpaid overtime and unpaid wage cases under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and I handle nothing else. If you found this site by searching for an employment lawyer and your problem is discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, or a severance agreement, I am not the right lawyer for you. The agencies, attorneys, and referral services below handle those matters. I checked every deadline and phone number below against a current public source on October 13, 2026, and each entry links to its source.

Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation for a discrimination complaint

Two agencies take discrimination complaints from Texas workers, and you do not need a lawyer to file with either one.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces the federal laws against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, and genetic information, and against retaliation for complaining about discrimination. You start by submitting an online inquiry through the EEOC Public Portal at publicportal.eeoc.gov, and the agency then interviews you before a charge is filed. You can also call the EEOC at 1-800-669-4000 (TTY 1-800-669-6820, ASL video phone 1-844-234-5122). The general deadline is 180 calendar days from the day the discrimination took place. The deadline extends to 300 days when a state or local agency enforces a law that prohibits discrimination on the same basis. Texas has such an agency, the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division, which enforces the state discrimination law and works under an annual workshare agreement with the EEOC, so the 300-day deadline applies to most charges in Texas. The Equal Pay Act is the exception: you do not need to file a charge with the EEOC before suing under that law, and the deadline to file a charge or a lawsuit is two years from the last discriminatory paycheck, or three years if the violation was willful.

The Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division enforces the Texas law against employment discrimination, which covers private employers with 15 or more employees. You submit a complaint through the Division's online Employment Discrimination Inquiry Submission System at apps.twc.texas.gov/EDISS, and you can reach the Division toll free at 888-452-4778. Under Texas law a complaint must be filed no later than the 180th day after the discriminatory act, except that a complaint alleging sexual harassment may be filed up to the 300th day. The Division dismisses an untimely complaint. Because the two agencies share work, a complaint filed with one can be cross-filed with the other, and you should say so when you file. If you are close to a deadline, file first and look for a lawyer second.

Wrongful termination and severance review

Texas is an employment-at-will state, which means that, absent an agreement to the contrary, either side may end the employment relationship at any time, for any reason or no reason, unless the reason is one the law forbids. A firing is unlawful when it was motivated by discrimination, by retaliation for a protected complaint, or by another reason a statute prohibits, and only an employment lawyer who reviews your facts can tell you whether yours was. You should also have a lawyer review a severance agreement before you sign it, because signing usually releases every claim you have against the employer.

Attorneys I refer discrimination and wrongful termination matters to

I receive nothing for any referral on this page, and I have no arrangement with any attorney or organization listed here.

Finding an employment lawyer in Texas

Lawyer referral services

  • State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral and Information Service (statewide): (800) 252-9690, texasbar.com/lris. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The referred lawyer provides up to a 30-minute consultation for no more than $20.
  • Texas Lawyer Referral Service (statewide, certified by the State Bar of Texas): txlrs.org. One phone number per city is listed on the site; the Longview and Tyler number is 903-488-4400. The referral is free, and the lawyers set their own fees.
  • Houston Lawyer Referral Service (Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend, Brazoria, and Galveston counties): (713) 237-9429, hlrs.org. Certified by the State Bar of Texas.
  • Dallas Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (Dallas area, including Plano and Collin County): 214-220-7400, dallasbar.org. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The attorney provides a 30-minute consultation for a $20 fee.
  • Tarrant County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (Tarrant County): referrals through TCBA Law Help; the bar's phone is 817-338-4092.
  • San Antonio Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (San Antonio): online request at salawhelp.org; the bar's phone is 210-227-8822. Fees are discussed directly with the lawyer.
  • Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas (Austin and Central Texas): (512) 472-8303 or (866) 303-8303, austinlrs.com. The first consultation is free for up to 30 minutes.
  • El Paso Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (El Paso County): (915) 532-7052, as listed in the TexasLawHelp directory at texaslawhelp.org.
  • Fort Bend County Bar Association (Fort Bend County): attorney directory search at fortbendbar.org.
  • Corpus Christi: the Corpus Christi Bar Association ended its own referral service on January 1, 2023 and now directs the public to the State Bar of Texas service listed first above.

Employment lawyer directories

  • Texas Employment Lawyers Association, Find a Lawyer directory: mytela.org. TELA is the voluntary bar association of Texas attorneys who represent people rather than companies. You can search its directory by city.
  • Texas State Law Library, list of Texas bar associations and their referral services: guides.sll.texas.gov.

Free legal aid by region (income limits apply)

  • Houston Volunteer Lawyers (Houston area): online questionnaire at legalhelphouston.org; Houston Bar Association LegalLine questions at 713-228-0735.
  • Lone Star Legal Aid (East Texas and the Gulf Coast; find your office by county on the site): 1-800-733-8394, lonestarlegal.org. Online intake is available at any hour.
  • Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (North and West Texas): 1-888-529-5277, legalaidtx.org.
  • Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (68 counties in central and southwest Texas): (956) 996-8752, trla.org.
  • Texas Legal Services Center (income-eligible Texans, including employment matters): apply at tlsc.org/help. All services are free.

Who I am not the right lawyer for

Unemployment appeals

If the Texas Workforce Commission denied your unemployment benefits, you must appeal in writing within 14 calendar days from the date the Commission mailed the Determination Notice, and the notice states the deadline. You can appeal online through Unemployment Benefits Services, by mail to the Appeal Tribunal, by fax to 512-475-1135, or in person at a Workforce Solutions office, but not by email or by phone. I do not handle unemployment appeals, and the instructions are at twc.texas.gov.

Workers' compensation

If you were hurt on the job, you must report the injury to your employer within 30 days from the date you were hurt or the date you learned the injury was work related, or you may lose benefits. You must also send a completed DWC Form-041 to the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation, within one year of the injury to protect your rights. The Division answers claim questions at 800-252-7031, option 1, and its injured employee pages are at tdi.texas.gov. I do not handle workers' compensation claims.

Non-compete and severance agreement disputes

If your former employer is enforcing a non-compete, or you need a severance agreement negotiated or reviewed, the attorneys and referral services above handle that work, and I do not.

If your problem is unpaid overtime or unpaid wages, use the contact page or call me at (512) 799-2048.

Doug Welmaker, Welmaker Law, PLLC, Longview, Texas. Texas Bar No. 00788641. Admitted in federal courts across Texas and in other states. This page is general legal information for workers, not legal advice about your situation, and reading it does not make you my client.