Dallas-based boutique law firm Brown Fox has added litigator Jennette “Jenny” DePonte as partner, the firm announced this week.
DePonte, who was a principal at Jackson Lewis for just over four years, focuses her practice on labor and employment disputes. Brown Fox boasts her expertise in Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance and investigations and defending against alleged violations. She also handles non-subscriber claims, workplace injury and death matters and civil rights litigation in state and federal courts, according to the firm.
“We are very excited to bring Jenny’s wealth of experience to Brown Fox,” Managing Partner Russ Brown said. “We’ve added even more talent to our excellent labor and employment team, and our ability to counsel and defend clients in OSHA-related matters has skyrocketed.”
DePonte is also a former partner of McCathern, where she worked about 15 years. She’s served as an assistant attorney general in Texas and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For the Texas Attorney General, she represented state law enforcement agencies and officials facing employment and civil rights disputes, according to her firm bio.
DePonte obtained her law degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston.
“I am excited about joining and collaborating with a firm that embraces and upholds my personal value system in the work environment,” DePonte said.
The following is a Q&A between The Texas Lawbook and DePonte.
Why is Brown Fox best for your practice now?
The platform of Brown Fox offers my clients a wider breadth of services, while giving me the opportunity to contribute my knowledge and skills in employment law, counseling, and litigation to the firm. More importantly, we share the same core values, and I am excited to contribute to the firm’s continued growth.
What kinds of cases are keeping you most busy right now?
As an employment attorney, I handle everything from pre-suit through appeal. Some of my busiest “cases,” are pre-suit matters, which involve OSHA investigations of catastrophic injuries, and will likely evolve into cases.
What trends are you seeing now in the areas of employment law and litigation?
It is an exciting time to be an employment litigator as the law is evolving rapidly in the non-compete arena, the reach of government agencies, and arbitration agreements as it relates to transportation workers.
Can you tell us about a couple or a few of your biggest cases that you’re either handling now or have handled in the past?
For every client, their case is the biggest case. I offer a hands-on approach with each client to guide them through the pre-suit and litigation process in the most efficient manner to address their needs and goals.
How did you decide to go into labor and employment law?
In law school I clerked for David Schein, an employment and business attorney who was a solo practitioner. He involved and entrusted me in all aspects of his practice. As a solo practitioner, he handled an array of employment matters ranging from discrimination claims under Title VII and the Texas Labor Code to non-compete cases. Employment litigation is fast paced and highly charged with emotions. Whether you are representing employers or employees, you are advising people on matters that impact their livelihood. Therefore, the stakes are high on both sides of the bar. Therefore, the ability to use my legal skills to counsel and help employers and employees is both challenging and rewarding.