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Soña Ramirez

Member
fax +1 210.258.2741

A board-certified employment lawyer, Soña Ramirez has represented companies in all aspects of employment law for over 15 years. Soña manages litigation for a number of national and Texas-based employers in a wide-range of industries that include manufacturing, construction, retail, health care, restaurants and oil and gas.

Her experience includes defending companies in discrimination/retaliation administrative charges and lawsuits, worker’s compensation retaliation lawsuits, governmental investigation and audits, unemployment hearings, wage and hour matters, and trade secret and non-compete litigation. Because of her extensive experience, she is particularly adept at helping clients avoid litigation and negotiating early settlement of cases. Soña, however, will vigorously defend companies through trial and arbitration.

Soña provides quick, strategic and practical advice to boards of directors, in-house counsel and human resource professionals regarding a wide-variety of employment and compliance issues that includes:

  • Unemployment compensation
  • Leaves of absence, the Family Medical Leave Act, and Americans with Disabilities Act
  • Wage and hour compliance
  • Garnishments
  • Employee discipline and termination

Soña also prepares and negotiates executive agreements, employment agreements, non-competition agreements, independents contractor agreements, and severance agreements for privately-held and public companies. She prepares handbooks and policies for multi-state employers in highly-regulated industries, and conducts in-house employment training for HR departments, managers and supervisors and employees. Finally, Soña has regularly assisted multiple large clients in handling employment issues resulting from mergers and acquisitions, including large-scale reductions-in-force and reorganizations.

Prior to joining Clark Hill Strasburger, Soña served as Briefing Attorney to Chief Justice Phil Hardberger and Justice Phyllis Speedlin with the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio.

Education

J.D., St. Mary's University School of Law, San Antonio, Texas, 2002, St. Mary’s Law Journal, Editorial Board, Articles Editor, 2001-2002; Staff Writer, 2000-2001
B.A., St Marys University, San Antonio, Texas, 1998

Recognitions

Named among Best Lawyers in America – Litigation – Labor and Employment (2019-2023)

Named among the Best Lawyers in Employment Litigation: Defense by San Antonio Scene Magazine (2018)

Named Outstanding Lawyer by the San Antonio Business Journal (2017)

Named among the Rising Stars by Texas Monthly (2010, 2011, 2013)

Memberships

American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section

Federal Bar Association, San Antonio Chapter

Texas Bar Association, Employment Law Section

San Antonio Bar Association, Federal Courts Committee

Texas Bar Foundation, Member

YWCA of San Antonio, Board Member (2012-present), Vice President (2016-present)

State Bar Licenses

Texas

Court Admissions

U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Ct., S.D. of Texas
U.S. District Ct., W.D. of Texas
U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
The complicated web of employee leave, FleetOwner (January 2019)
Should Employers Cover Bike-Share and Electric-Scooter Rentals?, SHRM (January 2019)
What to Do When No-Call/No-Show Employees Reappear, SHRM (September 2018)
Ensure FMLA Medical Certifications Are Complete and Authentic, SHRM (May 2018)
  • Serve as outside employment counsel for multi-state manufacturing client, multi-state retail client, multi-state fast-food franchisee, and multi-state construction client.
  • Assist Fortune 100 Company in extensive employment issues related to merger of company.
  • Obtained summary judgment in the Western District of Texas, affirmed by the Fifth Circuit, in favor of national retailer in suit brought by former employee alleging sexual harassment, sex discrimination and retaliation.
  • Obtained temporary restraining order and agreed injunction in state district court regarding former employee for breach of confidentiality agreement.
  • Obtained judgment from Fifth Circuit in favor of employer in suit brought by former female warden alleging claims of age, sex and race discrimination, retaliation and hostile work environment.
  • Obtained jury verdict in Western District of Texas in favor of employer in suit brought by two former employees alleging sex discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
  • Obtained summary judgment in Western District of Texas in favor of national clothing retailer in suit brought by former employee alleging race discrimination and retaliation under Title VII.
  • Obtained summary judgment in Western District of Texas in favor of employer in suit brought by former employee alleging national origin discrimination, retaliation, hostile work environment, Sabine Pilot claims, and violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act.
  • Obtained summary judgment in Southern District of Texas in favor of national education center in suit brought by former employee alleging age discrimination, retaliation and hostile work environment.
  • Obtained summary judgment in Western District of Texas in favor of national health services company in medical malpractice case on basis of striking medical causation expert; decision affirmed by the Fifth Circuit.

Presentations

  • Avoid #MeToo Becoming #YouToo, Strasburger’s Employment Law Breakfast Series (March 2018)
  • Labor and Employment Pitfalls to Avoid in 2018, Association of Corporate Counsel, South/Central Texas (April 2018)
  • Employers & Opioids: A Prescription for Risk, Society for Human Resources Management (November 2017)
  • Snap(chat), Crackle and Pop: Social Media in the Workplace, Strasburger’s Employment Law Breakfast Series (September 2017)
  • Navigating ADA and FMLA Leave Issues, Lower Rio Grande Valley SHRM (June 2017)
  • The Four Horsemen of the Employment Industry, Strasburger’s Employment Law Breakfast Series (April 2017)
  • No Pot, No Tats, No Cigs, No Gig, Brazos Valley SHRM (March 2017)
  • President Trump’s First Year and Legislative Update – Strasburger’s Employment Law Breakfast Series (January 2017)
  • Labor Employment Law Update, Texas Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration and Education, San Antonio (November 2016)
  • No Pot, No Tats, No Cigs, No Gig, San Antonio CPA Society, San Antonio (October 2016)
  • Texas Two Steppin – Trade Secrets and Non-Competes, Strasburger Employment Law Series, San Antonio and Austin (September 2016)
  • Navigating ADA and FMLA Leave Issues, Texas Association of Young Educators Conference, Dallas (September 2016)
  • Navigating Human Resources Issues – Insights for In-House, San Antonio Human Resources Management Conference (August 2016)
  • Navigating Complex Human Resources Issues, Association of Corporate Counsel, South/Central Texas (August 2016)
  • DOL Changes on the Horizon – How Will They Impact You in 2016?, Strasburger’s Employment Law Series (June 2016)
  • You’re Not My Boss: Regulating Employee Conduct, Rio Grande Valley SHRM (September 2015)
  • The Four-Headed Hydra- An Examination of the Legal Intersection Between GINA, ADA, HIPAA and Other Leave-Related Laws, Ogletree Deakins Seminar, San Antonio, Texas (November 2011)
  • When is Enough, Enough? Dealing with Leaves and Accommodations, SAHRMA and SAMA Employment Law Conference – San Antonio (August 2011)
  • Social Media Policies – Why We Need Them and What They Should Include, Ogletree Deakins and Rio Grande Valley SHRM – McAllen (2011)
  • Discipline and Discharge, Rio Grande Valley Human Resources Consortium Seminar (2010)
  • Managing Time Off While Staying in Compliance with the New ADA and FMLA Requirements, Ogletree Deakins and Rio Grande Valley SHRM Seminar, McAllen (November 2009)

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