El Lago Employment Lawyers

I am Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. My employment practice is limited to representation of management and high level executives. I am listed as a Best Lawyer in America 2009 in employment law (copyright 2008 by Woodward/White Inc. of Aiken, SC). I was selected as a Super Lawyer for 2004; 2007-09 by Law and Politics Magazine. I also handle commercial litigation in the areas of banking, energy and securities.

Ms. Melendez is committed to listening to each client's story, evaluating it, and proposing and executing practical steps to meet client goals. The cornerstone to a successful attorney-client relationship, in Ms. Melendez’s opinion, is creating clear lines of communication to help build trust between her and her clients. Ms. Melendez has always known she wanted to become a lawyer. At every key juncture in her life, when asked what she wanted to do with her future, she always responded that she wanted to become an attorney. However, as she neared the end of her undergraduate career at Texas A&M University,...

I was born and raised in San Diego, California. After moving to Washington State, I earned bachelor degrees in both Sociology and Religious Studies from Seattle Pacific University. In 2006, I obtained a J.D. from South Texas College of Law. I served as the Head Clerk of the 151st District Court of Harris County with The Honorable Caroline E. Baker from 1998 to 2005. My employment with the 151st District Court provided a valuable “behind the scenes” look at the practice of law. It was during this tenure, as clerk of the 151st, that I developed a passion for law...

My clients are business owners who are concerned that they are not complying with employment laws. I work with them to create policies, procedures, and manuals and provide training, investigations, and counseling regarding hiring, firing, and compliance with employment laws. I also work with business owners who want to start, buy, operate, or sell a business or a commercial real estate property.

Gabriel Assaad grew up in Rochester, New York. After graduating from McQuaid Jesuit High School, he attended the University of Florida and graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1996. Afterwards, he worked as a design engineer for a consulting firm in Rochester, NY. Mr. Assaad then decided he wanted to go to law school and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Vanderbilt University Law School.

After graduating from Vanderbilt Law School in 2001, Gabriel accepted a position with Dickstein Shapiro, LLP, a large Washington, DC law firm. At Dickstein Shapiro, he worked primarily on Patent Litigation and Patent Prosecution....

Don Foty, partner at Kennedy Hodges, LLP, was born in Houston and raised in a small town in central Texas. In high school, he received numerous awards for his performance in the school military program and graduated summa cum laude. After high school, Mr. Foty attended the University of Texas at Austin where he studied finance and business honors--a program reserved for the top students. While working on his undergraduate degree, he also worked for a Fortune 500 company. He graduated with his B.B.A. in 2003. After graduation, Mr. Foty attended law school at the University of Houston Law Center. While...

Gabriel Assaad, Of Counsel at Kennedy Hodges, LLP, was born Rochester, New York. He attended the University of Florida and graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1996. After graduation, he accepted a position with a consulting firm. He then decided he wanted to attend law school, so he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to attend Vanderbilt University. Mr. Assaad graduated from Vanderbilt University with his J.D. in 2001 and accepted a position as an associate attorney at Dickstein Shapiro, LLP, in Washington, DC, where he focused on Patent Litigation. In 2004, he joined Paulson & Nace, a personal injury law...

Joseph Tung brings nearly 20 years of business and legal experience to the table that began with investment banking and continued through an appellate judicial clerkship, a regional and national law firm, and a global oilfield services company. In 2009, Joseph started a full-service private practice offering general counsel services for a variety of businesses and investors. His practice areas included corporate, transactional, employment, litigation, intellectual property, mergers, acquisition, and real estate law. By 2016, Tung Law Firm, PLLC now represents a diverse range of clients in many industries ranging from information technology, construction, oil and...

Emma grew up in Houston, Texas. She later moved to San Marcos, Texas and received a Bachelor of Arts in English at Texas State University. In college, she discovered her passion for justice and advocacy. After graduating from college, Emma knew she wanted to return to her roots and practice law in Houston. Emma received her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. At UH, she gained valuable courtroom experience while interning for the Honorable Nancy K. Johnson of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. As an intern, she received exposure to high-profile trials...

When you call me, you have a serious legal issue that a court will soon be taking action on, and at a time like this you need a courtroom advocate who will get the job done. When your fate lies in another's hands, you want your advocate to have the facts, the law, and the confidence to get the best possible results under the circumstances.

Colby is a seventh generation Texas native who specializes in civil litigation and trial advocacy. A graduate of UT-Austin and the University of Houston Law Center, Colby began his career working on a team that obtained billions of dollars for stockholders who lost money to securities fraud committed by firms all over the United States – including an energy company called Enron.

Rivaling Colby’s passion for justice is his in-depth and intimate knowledge of the strategies and tactics of those attorneys he faces. He has spent many years in the trenches defending clients against wrongful injury lawsuits. He successfully defended his...

Alfred Benoit is the Owner and Principal Attorney of Benoit Law, PLLC. His practice focuses on civil litigation, employment issues, criminal law, and general business law. His mission is to help his clients find the best possible solution to their issue. Alfred has been successful in litigating many employment cases, criminal cases, and civil and business litigation matters.

Attorney Charles H. Peckham was born in Farmers Branch, Texas, and raised in Dallas and Denton. In 1988, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Three years later, in 1991, he would earn his law degree from the South Texas College of Law. A Board-Certified attorney in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is also an “AV” peer-reviewed attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and has a “Superb” AVVO rating of 10. Charles has authored many legal articles and seminar papers, and has been a speaker at many legal...