Fired in San Antonio? Texas is at-will — but at-will doesn't mean lawless.
Texas is an at-will state, which most San Antonio employers interpret as a license to fire anyone for any reason. They are wrong. Federal and state law prohibit firing based on protected status, retaliation, or refusing to break the law — and most San Antonio terminations that look 'for cause' are really pretext for something illegal. The right lawyer separates the legitimate from the actionable.
These ten San Antonio firms represent employees in wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, and severance cases. Several attorneys on this list are Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — a designation fewer than 1% of Texas lawyers hold.
How we picked these 10: We reviewed published rankings (Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Texas Board of Legal Specialization where applicable, Florida Bar Board Certifications where applicable, Avvo), bar association recognition, and patterns in independent directory listings (Justia, FindLaw, Expertise). Firms that appeared consistently across at least two independent sources made the list. We do not accept payment for placement. We do not write sponsored reviews. More on our methodology →
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation
Michael Galo has practiced San Antonio employment law for 25+ years on the employee side. Strong trial reputation across the Western District of Texas. Best for cases that need to be tried, not just settled.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, sexual harassment, FMLA, discrimination
70+ years of combined experience among the firm's attorneys. Handles wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, and FMLA violations. Bilingual representation is a routine part of the practice — useful in San Antonio's labor market.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, executive employment disputes, discrimination
Jeffrey Goldberg is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Practice is entirely on the employee side, with a focus on executive-level wrongful termination and severance negotiation.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, wage/hour
Robert J. Wiley is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law. Texas-wide firm with a San Antonio office that handles wrongful termination, discrimination, and overtime cases on contingency.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, unpaid wages, harassment, discrimination
Employee-side San Antonio firm covering the full range of workplace claims. Strong on FLSA wage cases stacked with wrongful termination claims — a common pattern in restaurant and retail terminations.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation
Newer San Antonio employment boutique. Smaller caseload typically means more attorney attention per matter — useful when your case turns on facts a paralegal would miss.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, sexual harassment, age discrimination, FMLA, disability discrimination
Jason Spencer and Travis Anderson handle cases personally — no handoff to an associate. Bilingual representation. Strong on Sabine Pilot whistleblower claims and FMLA retaliation.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination
Adam Poncio has practiced employment law in San Antonio for nearly 30 years and holds two Texas Board Certifications. Long track record of trial verdicts in employment cases — useful leverage in settlement.
Practice focus: Executive wrongful termination, equal pay, partnership disputes, class actions
National employee-rights firm that takes San Antonio executive cases. Best for high-stakes wrongful termination — partners, doctors, Fortune 500 executives — where the back pay and stock alone justify high-cost representation.
Practice focus: Wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, FMLA
San Antonio employment lawyer focused exclusively on representing employees. Handles wrongful termination cases from EEOC charge through trial, with particular strength in retaliation and whistleblower matters.
Tell us about your matter and we'll match you with vetted Wrongful Termination attorneys in San Antonio. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Request Free Consultation →EEOC / Texas Workforce Commission charge: 180 days under TWC, 300 days under EEOC. Agency investigation: 6-12 months. Right-to-sue letter, then 90 days to file in federal court. Settlement (when it happens): 6-18 months from filing. Trial: 18-30 months.
Most San Antonio wrongful termination cases run on contingency: 33-40% of the recovery if you win. A few firms take hybrid fees (modest retainer plus reduced contingency) for stronger cases where back-pay alone justifies the work. Severance review is typically billed at $300-$500/hour or a flat $500-$1,500 fee.
Local federal courthouse: John H. Wood Jr. U.S. Courthouse. Most Title VII and ADEA cases land in the Western District of Texas. The San Antonio division has a busy but plaintiff-fair docket compared to the rest of the Western District.
Texas Commission on Human Rights Act parallels Title VII. TCHRA applies to employers with 15+ employees, like Title VII. Filing with the Texas Workforce Commission preserves both state and federal claims. Your lawyer should dual-file.
Sabine Pilot whistleblower claim. Texas recognizes one major exception to at-will: firing an employee for refusing to perform an illegal act. San Antonio courts apply this narrowly, so your lawyer needs to plead it with specifics.
Severance review is its own service. If you've been offered severance, do not sign without a lawyer. San Antonio severance agreements routinely waive discrimination claims worth far more than the severance check.
The right pick isn't the firm with the most billboards. It's the one whose specific experience matches your specific facts. Three filters to apply, in order:
Filter 1: Is your case in their sweet spot? A boutique that wins 80% of its straightforward cases may not be the right pick for a complex matter. A national firm with thousands of cases may not give a routine matter the attention it needs. Read each firm's "Practice focus" line above and match it to your facts.
Filter 2: Who, by name, will handle your case? The intake call may be with a senior partner; the day-to-day work may go to an associate or paralegal. Ask in writing who will be assigned, and how often you can expect updates. The answer tells you almost everything about how the firm is structured.
Filter 3: How do they explain the realistic range of outcomes? A good lawyer gives you a range and the assumptions behind it. A bad one promises the high end. The bad-promise pattern is a real-time red flag, regardless of advertising spend.
Most San Antonio Wrongful Termination firms are competent. A few are not. The patterns that should make you walk away:
Guaranteed outcomes. No ethical attorney can guarantee a result. If a firm promises a specific recovery, dismissal, or settlement amount on the first call, walk away.
The disappearing partner. You meet a senior partner at intake; then you never speak to them again. Ask in writing who your day-to-day attorney will be.
Pressure to sign immediately. Reputable firms give you the retainer or fee agreement in writing, time to read it, and the option to take it home. High-pressure intake is almost always a sign of a volume mill.
No verifiable track record. Specific verdicts, settlements, peer rankings, or bar association recognition are evidence. "We've helped thousands of clients" is marketing copy.
Vague fee terms. Every legitimate San Antonio lawyer gives you a written engagement letter with the fee, what's covered, what triggers extra charges, and what happens if you fire them. Get it before you sign.
Most of the firms on this list offer a free initial consultation. Use it. Bring a list of questions and write down the answers. Compare across at least two firms before you sign.
Tell us about your situation. We'll match you with the right Wrongful Termination attorney in San Antonio. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Yes. Your employer can fire you for almost any reason or no reason at all. But they cannot fire you for an illegal reason — your race, sex, age over 40, religion, national origin, disability, pregnancy, or for engaging in protected activity like filing a workers' comp claim.
Through pretext evidence: shifting explanations from the employer, comparator employees treated differently, suspicious timing, and direct evidence (emails, texts, witnessed statements). Your San Antonio lawyer will help reconstruct the paper trail.
Most anti-discrimination laws cover employees only. But misclassification claims are common in San Antonio — many 'contractors' are really employees under the IRS economic-reality test. A good lawyer will assess both angles.
180 days to file with the Texas Workforce Commission, 300 days with the EEOC. After receiving a right-to-sue letter, 90 days to file in federal court. Strict deadlines.
Back pay, front pay, emotional-distress damages, punitive damages (for malice or reckless indifference), and attorney's fees. Title VII caps compensatory and punitive damages by employer size ($50K-$300K). Some state-law claims have no cap.
Most cases settle before trial. If yours doesn't, yes — you'll testify. Your San Antonio lawyer will prepare you extensively.
Almost always contingency — you pay nothing unless you win. Severance review is typically a flat $500-$1,500 fee.
Not without a lawyer reviewing it first. San Antonio severance offers commonly include releases that waive far more than the cash on offer.
One last thing. Choosing a lawyer is personal. Read the reviews. Call two or three firms before you sign. Ask each one: How many cases like mine have you taken to verdict or won at settlement in the last three years? The answer tells you everything. — The LawFirmSquare team