Ved D. Chitale

Ved D. Chitale

Senior Counsel

Employment Attorney - Ved Chitale

Ved Chitale is a Houston-based attorney, Board-Certified in Labor & Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He regularly advises clients on matters involving discrimination, trade secrets, non-competes, non-solicits, unfair labor practice charges, FMLA, benefits policies, employment manuals and policies, wage and hour laws, employment contracts, worker’s compensation, WARN Act, OSHA, and more.

He routinely reviews and drafts employment manuals, employee wage and hour classification policies, employment contracts, severance agreements and bonus agreements in a manner that best protects his clients’ interests. Vedhas represented companies against charges or cases brought by government agencies such as the EEOC, the Department of Labor, NLRB, OSHA, and has substantial experience defending wage and hour collective and class actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Class Action Fairness Act.

A problem solver by nature, Ved anticipates issues prior to litigation and mitigates their impact. When litigation is imminent, he is quick to focus on the key issues to implement the best solution for his clients, whether that is settlement, dispositive motion practice, or trial. He has litigated numerous wage and hour cases under the Fair Labor Standards Act in federal court, many non-compete and non-solicit cases in state and federal court, and dozens of employment discrimination cases under the Texas Labor Code and Title VII in state and federal court. Ved also represents executives in various matters inducing compensation, noncompetes, severance, and advises companies on labor and employment matters in business acquisitions and sales.

Ved is fluent in Hindi and Marathi

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Areas of Practice

  • Employment Litigation
  • Employment Counseling and Transactions

Education

  • University of Houston Law Center, Houston, Texas
    • J.D. – 2016
    • Mock Trial Team
    • UHLC Honor Court
  • Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
    • B.B.A. – 2009

Bar and Court Admissions

  • Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court, Colorado
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

Professional Recognition

Labor & Employment Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • State Bar of Texas
  • Houston Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section
  • South Asian Bar Association
  • Associated General Contractors, Houston Chapter

Representative Experience

  • Negotiated favorable severances on behalf of executives and departing employees
  • Advises companies on executive compensation, executive non-competes, phantom stock agreements, and more in the mergers and acquisitions context
  • Won summary judgment on behalf of a popular local restaurant in a failure to pay minimum wage collective action involving mandatory service charges paid by customers to the restaurant that plaintiffs asserted were tips
  • Won Temporary Injunction in favor of construction company allowing the client to compete freely in the construction industry in Texas
  • Won summary judgment on behalf of several Defendants in a breach of contract/tortious interference case
  • Won several final judgments on Rule 52 Motions in ERISA disability benefits cases in the Southern District of Texas
  • Won full and final dismissal by Plaintiff of Fair labor Standards class and collective action on behalf of construction company in the Southern District of Texas – client paid nothing to Plaintiff
  • Defeated proposed nationwide Title VII sex discrimination and sex harassment class action in Southern District of Texas District Court on behalf of one of the country’s largest agricultural equipment dealerships
  • Won summary judgment motion in the Western District of Texas District Court in an ADEA case on behalf of major airline company
  • Defeated Plaintiffs’ Motion for Temporary Restraining Order in multimillion dollar trade secrets case.
  • Obtained full dismissal of citation by the Department of Labor and OSHA against a construction industry client
  • Settled a class action filed by plaintiff under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by reducing damages exposure from the nine figures to six figures
  • Settled a pregnancy discrimination case by reducing damages to less than one third of initial demand
  • Settled I-9 Audit by Department of Homeland Security
  • Settled several Department of Labor Investigations for clients accused of violating the FLSA
  • Settled several discrimination and retaliation claims at the agency investigations stage and in federal and state courts
  • Settled several individual and representative Fair labor Standards Act claims
  • Defending clients in overtime/minimum wage cases, including large collective and class actions
  • Defending clients against discrimination and retaliation claims, including Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA
  • Prosecuting and defending clients in non-compete and non-solicit claims
  • Prosecuting and defending clients in secret trade misappropriation claims
  • Advising clients on various employment law matters including wage and hour laws, employment handbooks, EEO policies, restrictive covenants, labor law, internal investigations, human resources best practices, and more
  • Drafting employment policies, handbooks, benefits plans, executive agreements, severance agreements, contracts for employment, and leave policies
  • Conducting investigations and internal audits to ensure compliance with wage and hour law, immigration law (I-9), EEO laws, Title VII anti-discrimination and retaliation laws, and independent contractor status under the FLSA

Speeches & Publications