Attorney Holly Williams and other members of the Texas Employment Lawyers Association (TELA) recently visited state legislators in Austin to lobby for a bill aimed at helping victims of sexual harassment. The bill, which is still under review, would eliminate damage caps whenever a harassment lawsuit makes it to trial.
“Sexual harassment in the workplace tends to have an outsized impact on single mothers,” Holly said. “These women are particularly vulnerable and often don’t speak up because they are supporting a family, and they don’t want to do anything to jeopardize their position.” The current law was modeled after a federal statute and adopts limits established in 1991, that do not adequately compensate survivors for their damages.
TELA is quickly establishing itself as the go-to organization for employment lawyers in Texas. Members from all over the state met with their senators and representatives. Holly visited the offices of Representatives Tom Craddick and Vikki Goodwin (a classmate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs), as well as State Senator Kevin Sparks to discuss the bill’s future.
The next day, TELA members attended a continuing legal education seminar at the Driskill Hotel on topics such as focus groups and cross examinations. The group also had the opportunity to hear from Eric Schnapper, who spent 25 years as an assistant counsel to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and is now a member of the faculty at University of Washington School of Law.
You can learn more about TELA by visiting its website here.