Fired and think it was illegal in Plano?
Texas is an at-will state, which means most firings are legal — but not all. If you were let go because of discrimination, retaliation, refusing to break the law, or taking protected leave, you may have a claim. The hard part is knowing which side of that line you're on, and that's what a good employment lawyer sorts out fast. Below are the Plano-area firms that show up most consistently across independent rating services for wrongful-termination cases.
Most Plano employment lawyers who represent fired workers take strong cases on contingency — a percentage of any recovery, often around a third — or bill hourly for advice and severance review, sometimes a hybrid. The first consultation is usually free and is where the lawyer tells you, honestly, whether your firing crosses from “unfair” into “illegal.” Many terminations feel wrong without being unlawful, and a candid lawyer will say so rather than run up fees on a weak claim.
Deadlines are short. A discrimination or retaliation charge usually must be filed with the EEOC or the Texas Workforce Commission's Civil Rights Division within 300 days, and you generally must go through that agency before suing. Move quickly. The firms below represent employees, not employers.
How we picked these firms: We cross-referenced Super Lawyers, Avvo, Justia and Expertise.com, then looked for peer recognition, published results, and consistent client review patterns. A firm had to appear across at least two independent sources to make the list. We do not accept payment for placement and we do not write sponsored reviews. Where a firm's size or founding year isn't publicly confirmed, we leave it out rather than guess. More on our methodology →
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation
Board-certified employment-law attorney Robert J. Wiley leads a dedicated employee-side firm serving the Dallas–Plano area, handling wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, and wage claims for Texas workers.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, wage claims
An employee-side firm representing workers across the Dallas–Fort Worth metro in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, hostile-work-environment, retaliation, and unpaid-overtime claims.
Practice focus: Employment law, wrongful termination
A Plano-area employment firm representing employees in wrongful-termination and workplace disputes, listed among the area's employment practices on independent directories.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation
An employee-side employment firm serving the Plano and greater Dallas area, frequently recommended on directory and review platforms for wrongful-termination matters.
Practice focus: Employment, wrongful termination, contracts
A North Texas firm serving the Plano–Allen area that handles employment matters including wrongful termination and employment-contract disputes.
Practice focus: Employment law, wrongful termination
A Plano employment practice representing employees in wrongful-termination and related workplace claims, listed across independent attorney directories for the area.
Practice focus: Employment, business, wrongful termination
A North Texas firm serving the Plano–Frisco area whose employment attorneys handle wrongful-termination and workplace disputes alongside business matters.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, employment
A Plano employment firm that handles wrongful-termination claims for area employees, with a practice focused on workplace rights.
Tell us about your situation and we'll help you reach vetted wrongful termination attorneys in Plano. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Request Free Consultation →Texas at-will employment means an employer can fire you for almost any reason, or no reason — but there are real exceptions. A firing is illegal when it's based on a protected characteristic (race, sex, age 40+, religion, national origin, disability, pregnancy), when it's retaliation for protected activity (reporting discrimination, filing a workers' comp claim, whistleblowing), when it violates the federal FMLA for protected medical or family leave, or under the Texas Sabine Pilot rule, which protects you from being fired solely for refusing to commit an illegal act.
A wrongful-termination lawyer looks at the timing, what was said, how others were treated, and your records to see whether your firing fits one of these exceptions. They also review any severance agreement before you sign — once you sign a release, you usually give up the right to sue.
Deadlines are short and easy to miss. A discrimination or retaliation charge generally must be filed with the EEOC or the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division within 300 days of the firing, and you usually must complete that agency process before filing suit. On cost, strong wrongful-termination cases are often taken on contingency — commonly around a third of any recovery, so no up-front fee. Severance review and advice are sometimes billed hourly. The first consultation is usually free, and it's where the lawyer assesses how strong your claim is.
Pick a firm that represents employees, not management, and that handles wrongful termination and discrimination regularly. Ask how many of these cases they've resolved recently, whether they take cases like yours on contingency, and how they'd evaluate your specific facts — the timing of the firing, comparators, and any documents you have. If you were handed a severance agreement, have a lawyer review it before the signing deadline; the few hours it costs can be worth far more than what you'd give up by signing blind.
The first consultation is usually free — use it to test the claim and the lawyer. Ask: Do you represent employees or management? Based on my facts, does my firing cross from unfair into illegal, and why? How many cases like mine have you resolved recently? Will you take it on contingency, or is it hourly? What are my deadlines? If I was offered severance, can you review it before I sign? What is a realistic range of outcomes? A good employment lawyer will tell you honestly if your case is weak rather than take a fee on a claim that won't go anywhere.
What you do in the first weeks matters. Don't sign a severance or release agreement before a lawyer reviews it — signing usually waives your right to sue, and terms are sometimes negotiable. Preserve your evidence: save emails, texts, reviews, and any documents while you still have access, but don't take anything confidential you're not entitled to. Don't vent on social media. File any EEOC or Texas Workforce Commission charge within the deadline — generally 300 days. And apply for unemployment; being fired doesn't automatically disqualify you. Move quickly, because the strongest cases are built while the evidence and the timeline are still fresh.
Usually, yes — Texas is at-will, so most firings are legal even without a stated reason. It becomes illegal only when the real reason is discrimination, retaliation, an FMLA violation, or refusing to commit an illegal act.
Look at the real reason and the timing. If you were let go shortly after reporting harassment, filing a workers' comp claim, requesting protected leave, or because of a protected characteristic, you may have a claim. A free consultation can sort it out.
Discrimination and retaliation charges generally must be filed with the EEOC or Texas Workforce Commission within 300 days. Other claims have their own deadlines, so talk to a lawyer quickly.
Strong cases are often handled on contingency, commonly around a third of any recovery, so there's no up-front fee. Severance review and advice may be hourly. The first consultation is usually free.
Have a lawyer review it first. Signing usually waives your right to sue, so it's worth understanding what you're giving up — and whether the terms can be negotiated — before the deadline.
Depending on the claim, you may recover lost wages, emotional-distress damages, reinstatement or front pay, and in some cases punitive damages and attorney fees.
It's a narrow Texas rule that makes it illegal to fire an employee solely for refusing to commit an illegal act. If that's why you were let go, you may have a claim despite at-will employment.
No. Texas law prohibits firing or retaliating against an employee for filing a workers' compensation claim in good faith. That retaliation can be its own wrongful-termination claim.
One last thing. Choosing a lawyer is personal. Read recent reviews, then talk to two or three firms before you decide. Ask each how many cases like yours they have handled in the last three years — the answer tells you a lot. — The LawFirmSquare team