Stephanie Gaston
Partner, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Description of field of expertise
Stephanie C. Gaston is a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. She has more than 11 years of experience representing employers in all facets of employment law, including litigation, arbitrations, injunctive relief, administrative proceedings, counseling, and trainings throughout the United States.
She is a specialist in the field of Labor and Employment Law and has chaired a multitude of lawsuits on behalf of employers in state and federal courts (including class and FLSA collective actions), arbitrations, and agency proceedings at the EEOC, DOL, OFCCP and TWC, among others. Stephanie also regularly works with clients on complex employment matters such as wage and hour (FLSA and state law equivalents), discrimination and harassment (Title VII, Section 1981), retaliation, leaves of absence (ADA, FMLA), employee terminations, accommodations (ADA– both Title I and Title III), affirmative action plans (AAP), pay equity, trade secrets, non-competition and non-solicitation covenants, whistleblowers and reorganizations/reductions in force (WARN Act). Additionally, Stephanie often conducts complex, sensitive, and significant workplace investigations on behalf of her clients. Stephanie is a frequent lecturer/presenter on numerous employment law topics, including FMLA, ADA, FLSA, harassment, diversity, conducting investigations and social media. She spends a lot of time on calls and video conferences meeting with executives, HR teams and managers to problem solve and/or figure out how to comply with changing legal requirements relevant to their industry and regions of operations.
After graduating summa cum laude from University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas with a degree in Political Science, Stephanie earned her law degree from Baylor Law School. Throughout Stephanie’s career, she has received numerous awards including Top 50 Women Lawyers in Houston (2017, 2019), Top 15 Women in Business in Houston, Lawyers of Color’s Second Annual Hot List by Lawyers of Color, Inc., 2014 and she was recognized as a Labor and Employment Star, Benchmark Litigation Labor and Employment Guide, 2021.
What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?
I love labor and employment law. In this specialty, in my opinion, you get the best of both worlds: you get the opportunity to be involved in the transaction side of things by drafting and negotiate agreements, advising on policies and partnering with the business team to make decisions, but you also get to advocate through litigation when things go wrong. One skill that I have found is useful in L&E law is being able to think on your feet and problem solve quickly. When clients call with L&E issues, they are looking for a legal answer, and your recommendation – they need more than just “what the law says,” they need a partner in making the best practical decision for their company. I find my field highly rewarding, but you have to be available, prepared, and comfortable with talking with others and working together to find solutions in order to be successful.