Practice Areas: Employment & Labor, Employment Litigation, Civil Rights; view more
Licensed in Texas since: 2002
Education: The University of Texas School of Law
Call today:
737-248-1321
Ellwanger Henderson
11149 Research BlvdSuite 100
Austin, TX 78759 Visit website
Details
Attorney Jay D. Ellwanger is a partner at Ellwanger Henderson LLLP in Austin, Texas. Mr. Ellwanger focuses his practice on employment law matters involving discrimination, harassment, and wage and hour violations as well as civil rights matters involving police misconduct. He serves a wide client base throughout the the nation.
Mr. Ellwanger has been licensed to practice law since 2001 and has more than 22 years of experience. Before establishing his own law practice, he practiced commercial, employment and intellectual property law at two private Texas-based firms. He founded his practice with the goal of defending clients whose civil rights have been violated and reducing discrimination on both an individual and classwide basis.
Outside of his practice, Mr. Ellwanger is as an adjunct professor at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law. He is also involved in his local community and formerly served as board chair for Urban Roots and the We Raise Foundation. He is a former barrister of the Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court and received the “Austin Under 40” award from the Young Men’s Business League Austin and the Young Women’s Alliance.
Mr. Ellwanger received a bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin and earned his law degree from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law. While attending law school, he was chair of the university’s Board of Advocates and belonged to the Texas International Law Journal. He was the national champion of the Tournament of Champions mock trial competition, was selected to the Order of Barristers, and was named the top advocate of his class.
Multiple Locations To Serve You:
Austin:
11149 Research Blvd.
Suite 100
Austin, TX 78759
Dallas:
400 South Zang Boulevard
Suite 600
Dallas, TX 75208
Practice areas
Employment & Labor: Employee, Employment Litigation: Plaintiff, Civil RightsFocus areas
Americans with Disabilities Act, Disability, Discrimination, Employment Discrimination, Employment Law - Employee, Police Misconduct, Race Discrimination, Retaliation, Sexual Harassment, Wage & Hour Laws, Whistleblower, Wrongful Termination
- 50% Employment & Labor: Employee
- 30% Employment Litigation: Plaintiff
- 20% Civil Rights
First Admitted: 2001
Professional Webpage: https://www.ellwangerhenderson.com/attorney/ellwanger-jay-d/
- Board of Wheat Ridge Ministries, Chair, 2016-2017
- Chair of the Board of Urban Roots, 2011-2016
- Taylor, et al v. Turner Industries, et al; in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division and the Middle District of Louisiana, Baton Rouge Division. Represented over 250 individual plaintiffs in one of the nation’s largest mass action employment discrimination cases. Secured $4.05 million verdict in “bellwether” trial of first 10 individual plaintiffs, which was the largest employment discrimination jury verdict in the State of Texas in 2012. EEOC found in our client’s favor and joined the suit. The parties amicably resolved their differences in 2013.
- Beaty v. Hilshire Brands; in the United State District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division. Secured a $4 million settlement on behalf of 76 African-American former employees of the Sara Lee bakery in Paris, Texas. The suit alleged violations of civil rights, that black employees suffered intimidation, racial taunts such as being called the ‘N’ word, and graffiti, and were steered into hazardous areas of the plant, exposing them to toxic materials. EEOC found in our client’s favor and joined the suit. The settlement was the largest hostile work environment settlement in the history of the EEOC’s Dallas office.
- Mitchell, et al v. Allied Aviation Services, Inc., et al; In the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. Resolved a matter on behalf of eleven employees of an airline refueling company at DFW Airport alleging a hostile work environment and related violations of the Civil Rights Act. EEOC found in our client’s favor and joined the suit. The settlement at the time was the largest in the history of the EEOC’s Dallas office.
- In 2008, they resolved a matter on behalf of a group of plaintiffs in a significant racial discrimination claim filed by the EEOC alleging a hostile work environment and related violations of the Civil Rights Act by Allied Aviation, a refueling company at DFW International Airport. The $1.885 million settlement was, at the time, the largest race and national origin discrimination case ever resolved by the Dallas District Office of the EEOC, and garnered national and international media attention.
- In 2012, they served as trial counsel to over 250 individual plaintiffs in one of the nation’s largest employment discrimination cases, Taylor, et al. v. Turner Industries. The case resulted in a $4.05 million verdict in the “bellwether” trial of the first ten individual plaintiffs– the largest employment discrimination jury verdict in Texas in 2012.
- In 2015, they again worked with the EEOC to secure a $4 million resolution of a lawsuit against Hillshire Brands to settle a race discrimination case involving scores of black workers at a former Sara Lee bakery in Paris, Texas. This again set the standard as the biggest racial discrimination settlement ever resolved by the Dallas District Office of the EEOC.
- After filing a lawsuit against musician Marilyn Manson, Ashley Morgan Smithline opened up about her claims of sexual, physical and psychological abuse in an exclusive interview on "The View" on Wednesday., Ashley Morgan Smithline opens up about alleged Marilyn Manson abuse on 'The View', 2021
- DeSoto Family Suing Police After Alleged Violence
- Texas Rising Star 2003-2007
- Super Lawyer, 2007 - 2018
- Recipient of the 2009 Austin Under 40 Award in the legal category
- The University of Texas at Austin, B.A., Major: English, Honors: with Special Honors, 1998
- Panelist at the West Legalworks Seminar entitled Electronic Discovery after the New Federal Rules: Strategies for Coping with the Latest Challenges and Intricacies, addressing the topic of "Forensics 101: When Does Your Case Warrant the Full 'CSI' Treatment?", 2007
- He recently co-authored with Andrew DiNovo, Prof. Tracy Walters McCormack, and Meredith Fitzpatrick the article "Ten Patent Litigation Questions for Texas District Court Judges," which was published by the State Bar of Texas IP Litigation Committee in January 2009.
These comments were made by fellow attorneys during the annual nomination process.
“Jay is responsible for some of the biggest verdicts and settlements in the entire state for employment discrimination cases.”
“Excellent and dedicated civil rights attorney”
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2013 - 2024
- Rising Stars: 2007 - 2013