Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Ms. Pennington is the Managing Partner of the Houston office. She previously served on the firm’s Policy Committee and for six years served as the Coordinator of the Houston Labor and Employment practice.

Ms. Pennington was named to Best Lawyers in America in 2008. She has been recognized as a “Texas Super Lawyer,” as one of the “Top 50 Female Lawyers in Texas,” as well as one of the “Top 100 Lawyers in Houston” by Law & Politics and Texas Monthly magazine. She has also been named one of the “Best Lawyers in Houston” by H Texas magazine.

Ms. Pennington has tried numerous cases in state and federal courts and has handled appeals to state appellate courts, the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. The focus of her practice has been representing management in employment cases involving wrongful termination, sexual harassment and employee wrongdoing, employee benefits and discrimination (age, race, sex and disability). She also has significant experience in OSHA matters, wage and hour laws, collective bargaining, matters before the NLRB and covenant not to compete litigation.

Ms. Pennington’s cases included a multimillion-dollar jury trial for a large computer corporation, involving allegations of race and sex discrimination. In two other cases, she won judgments in an age discrimination case and a disabilities discrimination case, with an award of lawyers' fees and sanctions against the plaintiffs. Ms. Pennington also successfully handled the appeal of a class action involving claims of more than $1 billion against a major heavy equipment manufacturer.

Ms. Pennington is a frequent speaker and writer on a number of litigation and employment topics.

Ms. Pennington is a member of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of the United Way and is a member of the Texas and Houston Bar Foundations, where she previously served on the Board of Directors and as Vice-Chair of the Houston Bar Foundation. She has received the HBA President's Award for outstanding service as Chair of the Adopt-a-School Committee. She has also served as Chair of the HBA’s Membership Committee and on the Board of Directors for the HBA's Lawyer Referral Service. Ms. Pennington is also a past member of the Corporate Counsel Board for the Alley Theatre and the Leukemia Society's Board of Directors.

Ms. Pennington is a member of the American, Texas and Houston Bar Associations, and serves on the Employee Rights and Responsibilities Subcommittee of the ABA’s Labor Section.

Areas of Practice

• Employment Counseling and Compliance
• Employment Litigation
• Employment Class Actions
• Appellate Litigation
• Energy
• Healthcare

Bar Admissions

• Texas, 1984
• U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1984
• U.S. Federal Courts, 1984
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1992
• U.S. District Court Western District of Texas, 1984
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas, 1984
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, 1984
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, 1984

Professional Associations and Memberships

• American Bar Association, Litigation, Employee Rights and Responsibilities Sections (Member)
• Houston Bar Association (Member)
• Texas Bar Association (Member)
• State Bar of Texas (Member)
• Houston Lawyer Referral Service, 1997 - Present (Board of Directors)

Honors and Awards

• HBA President's Award, Outstanding Committee Chair, 1995 - 1996
• Best Lawyers in America
• Texas Super Lawyer
• Top 100 Lawyers in Houston, Law & Politics and Texas Monthly
• Best Lawyers in Houston, Best Lawyers in Houston

Classes and Seminars

• Speaker: Are Arbitration Agreements Enforceable?, South Texas Employment Law Institute, 1998
• Speaker: Litigation Strategies for the Employment Trial, South Texas Employment Law Institute, 1997
• Speaker: Compulsory Arbitration in Employment Disputes, University of Houston Employment Law Institute, 1997
• Speaker: Sexual Harassment Ruling Favors Diligent Employers, Dallas Bar Association, 1996
• Speaker: OSHA Compliance Update, National Business Institute, 1996
• Speaker: Employee Health Insurance: Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep, Dallas Bar Association, 1995
• Speaker: Defending Wrongful Discharge Claims Under Texas Law, National Business Institute, 1995
• Strong Sexual Harassment Policy Can Reduce Liability, Board of Directors, Houston Lawyer Referral Service, 1997

Education

• The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas, 1983
  J.D.
  Honors: The Order of Barristers
  Honors: ATLA, Mock Trial Team
• The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 1981
  B.A.
  Honors: magna cum laude

Fraternities/Sororities

• Phi Beta Kappa

Published Works

• Sample Trial Brief, Legal Writing Handbook for Practicing Attorneys, University of Texas, 1984
• Determining What Types of Hearsay Disparage a Declarant's Social Interest: An Innovation for Texas Evidence Law, 48 Texas Bar Journal 1058, 1985
• In the News: Evidence Law Update, Winning Evidence Techniques in Texas Trials Seminar, 1988
• The Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989-The New Rules for Enforcement and Compliance, 8 Corporate Counsel Review, October, 1989
• Violence in the Workplace: An Employer Minefield, Texas Lawyer, 1995
• Workplace Violence: Newest Employment Problem of the 90's, 24 Houston Bar Journal 40, 1995
• Strong Sexual Harassment Policy Can Reduce Liability, Houston Bar Journal, 1993

Address

1000 Louisiana
Suite 2000
Houston, TX 77002-5009

Phones

(713) 646-1303

Faxes

(713) 751-1717

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.bakerlaw.com