Stephanie is a litigation partner at Thompson & Horton, where she represents both governmental entities and private companies in high-stakes civil rights, employment, and constitutional law disputes across state and federal court. Her practice centers on claims involving discrimination, retaliation, harassment, excessive force, and violations of free speech, due process, and equal protection rights.
Stephanie’s practice extends well beyond the courtroom. Stephanie counsels clients on day-to-day employment matters, guides HR teams through leave and accommodation requests, supports internal and external investigations, and represents clients in administrative proceedings before various state and federal agencies. She also advises governing boards on complaint-related legal issues, counsels clients on public information and open meetings compliance, and leads trainings on Title VII, ADA, FLSA, FMLA, Title IX, and related topics.
Before joining Thompson & Horton, Stephanie’s practice spanned labor and employment law, commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense, and qui tam litigation under the False Claims Act. She earned her law degree from South Texas College of Law Houston, where she was a varsity moot court advocate, won several brief-writing and best speaker awards, and was a member of the South Texas Law Review. She also interned for United States District Judge David Hittner of the Southern District of Texas.
Education
- J.D., magna cum laude, South Texas College of Law Houston, 2009
- B.A., summa cum laude, University of Saint Thomas, 2006
Licensing & Court Admissions
- Licensed in the state of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Memberships & Recognition
- Education Law Association
- Texas Association of School Boards – Council of School Attorneys
- Texas Super Lawyers, Schools & Education, 2022
- Texas Rising Star, Schools & Education, 2020–2022
- Texas Rising Star, Employment Litigation (Defense), 2019
- Texas Rising Star, Employment Litigation (Plaintiff), 2017–2018
- State Bar of Texas: School Law, Labor & Employment, and Litigation Sections
- Member, Houston Bar Association Habitat for Humanity Committee
Selected Client Representations
- Obtained a federal jury verdict in favor of a school district in a Title IX case involving allegations of student-on-student sexual assault
- Successfully defended a school district and its employee against claims of excessive student discipline and disability discrimination in T.O. v. Fort Bend Independent School District, 2 F.4th 407 (5th Cir. 2021), cert. denied, 142 S. Ct. 2811 (2022)
- Obtained summary judgment in favor of school district on former student’s free speech and due process claims brought under the First and Fourteenth Amendments, and also obtained summary judgment on behalf on school district employees based on qualified immunity
- Obtained dismissal of breach of contract and declaratory judgment claims brought by former student relating to his student records and disciplinary history
- Obtained summary judgment in favor of large community college system on student’s ADA failure-to-accommodate claim
- Obtained summary judgment in favor of community college on former employee’s Title VII race discrimination and retaliation claims
- Obtained summary judgment in favor of school district on student’s Title IX claims arising from an alleged student-on-student sexual assault
- Successfully defended the dismissal of constitutional and wrongful death claims asserted against school district police officers on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- Argued to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Title IX appeal after successfully obtaining summary judgment on behalf of school district
- Successfully represented both community college and school district police departments in administrative hearings relating to former police officers’ discharge designations, resulting in denial of police officers’ F5 appeals
Representative Speeches & Presentations
- “Tinkering Around in a Post-Mahanoy World: An Update on Student Free Speech Cases”, COSA School Law Seminar (April 2023)
- “How is this Reasonable? Answers to Common Leave and Accommodation Questions in the Never-Ending COVID Era,” Region 4 ESC Critical Legal Issues Seminar (September 2022)
- “The New(ish) Era of Title IX: The K-12 Title IX Coordinator,” Splendora ISD (July 2022)
- “We’re All in this [Lawsuit] Together? How the New Sexual Harassment Laws in Texas Drastically Expand Liability for Both Employers and Employees,” Thompson & Horton Webinar (February 2022)
- “Free Speech: When Does Free Speech Become Hate Speech?” co-presenter with Chris Gilbert, Legal Issues for Texas School Administrators, University of St. Thomas