Morales, Lawrence II

Lawrence Morales II

Lawrence Morales II is a seasoned trial attorney, who has obtained tens of millions of dollars in verdicts, judgments, and settlements on behalf of his clients. Lawrence is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization as a labor and employment law specialist and is an Adjunct Professor of Employment Law at Baylor Law School. Lawrence was also the 2021-2022 President of the San Antonio Bar Association (San Antonio's largest and oldest bar association) and serves on the Board of Directors for the State Bar of Texas.

Lawrence has successfully represented individuals and companies in complex employment law and business litigation matters involving non-compete agreements, breach of fiduciary duty, theft of trade secrets, fraud, unfair competition, hostile work environment, discrimination, retaliation, unpaid minimum wages and overtime, breach of contract, and the Family and Medical Leave Act.

In addition to his experience in the courtroom, Lawrence also counsels individuals and companies concerning issues involving employment and business matters. For example, Lawrence has substantial experience representing companies when their wage and hour practices are audited by the Department of Labor, and reviewing and negotiating severance agreements for employees. Moreover, Lawrence counsels employers involving policies and complex employment decisions.

Prior to attending law school, Lawrence was a financial analyst for Kimberly-Clark. He graduated at the top of his Baylor Law School class, and was an award-winning member of Baylor's Moot Court and Mock Trial Teams. Lawrence also served as an Executive Editor of The Baylor Law Review. After law school, Lawrence served as a law clerk to the Honorable Priscilla R. Owen of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
After completing his judicial clerkship, Lawrence practiced in the Labor and Employment Section of the international law firm of Haynes and Boone, LLP for six years in San Antonio, Texas.

Lawrence is a frequent author on employment law and litigation topics, and has been published in The Texas Bar Journal, The Advocate, The San Antonio Lawyer, and The Essentials of E-Discovery. Lawrence has also served on numerous boards and committees, including with the San Antonio Bar Association, the San Antonio Bar Foundation, the American Bar Association, the San Antonio Human Resources Management Association, and the San Antonio Young Lawyers Association. Lawrence also served as a Grievance Panel Chair for the State Bar of Texas.

Lawrence also frequently lectures on employment law and litigation topics, and has served on the teaching faculty of continuing legal education seminars presented by the American Bar Association, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and the State Bar of Texas, including programs on Advanced Civil Trial Law, Advanced Evidence and Discovery, Advanced Consumer and Commercial Law, Employment Law, Wage and Hour Law, Advanced Personal Injury Law, and Electronic Discovery.

Practice Areas

  • Labor Law
  • Employment Law
  • Business Litigation
  • Non-Competition Agreements

Education

  • Baylor University School of Law, Waco, Texas
    • J.D. - 2005
    • Honors: magna cum laude
    • Honors: Order of the Barristers
    • Honors: Baylor Moot Court Team
    • Honors: Baylor Mock Trial Team
  • University of Texas
    • B.B.A. - 2001
    • Honors: Texas Cowboys Service Organization
    • Major: Finance

Bar Admissions

  • Texas
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Texas

Past Positions

  • The Honorable Priscilla R. Owen, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Judicial Clerk
  • Haynes and Boone, LLP
  • Kimberly-Clark, Financial Analyst

Honors

  • Selected by the San Antonio Business Journal for its Outstanding Lawyers Edition
  • Selected for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers
  • Recognized in Scene in S.A.'s San Antonio's Best Lawyers Edition, Employment Litigation

Pro-Bono Activities

  • Lead SA, The North Chamber of Commerce’s Non-Profit Foundation, Board of Directors, 2010 to 2012

Published Works

  • Wrongful Termination? But I Thought Texas Was An At-Will State: 23 Lesser Known Exceptions to the At-Will Doctrine, The Advocate/State Bar of Texas Litigation Section, Winter, 2014
  • Essentials of E-Discovery, Chapter 2 (Litigation Holds), 2014
  • What You Tweet Can and Will Be Used Against You in a Court of Law, The Advocates/State Bar of Texas, Litigation Section, Winter, 2012
  • Evidence in a Bench Trial, Do the Rules Really Matter?, Texas Bar Journal, February, 2010
  • The Tax Consequences of Settling an Employment Claim, San Antonio Lawyers Magazine, July/August, 2011
  • Isn't That Convenient? Texas Motions to Transfer Venue Based on Convenience after Garza v. Garcia?, 58 Baylor L. Rev. 720, 2005

Certified Legal Specialties

  • Labor and Employment Law Specialist, Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Professional Associations

  • San Antonio Bar Association, Board of Directors, 2017 to 2019
  • American Bar Association, Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee, Fellow, 2012 to 2014
  • San Antonio Human Resource Management Association, Government Affairs Director, 2011 to 2013
  • American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Labor and Employment Law Committee, Vice-Chair, 2011 to 2014
  • San Antonio Young Lawyers Association, Board of Directors, 2007 to 2009

Representative Cases

  • Twigland Fashions, Ltd. v. Miller, Sexual Harassment Jury Verdict, Tex. App. Austin, no pet., S.W.3d, 2010 WL 850170
  • Patek v. Alfaro (In re Primera Energy, LLC), awarding $7.9 million to defrauded investors, 2017, Banr. W.D. Tex., 579 B.R. 75
  • Anderson v. Valdez, 2016, 5th Cir., 845 F.3d 580
  • Patek v. Alfaro (In re Primera Energy, LLC), 2016, Bankr. W.D. Tex., 560 B.R. 448
  • Argo Group US, Inc. v. Levinson, 2015, Tex.App. San Antonio, no pet., 468 S.W.3d 698
  • Azar v. Benson Motor Company of San Antonio, Inc., 2015, U.S. Dist. LEXIS 181481 (W.D. Tex. Mar. 19), Civil No. SA-14-CA-563
  • Casanova, et. al. v. Gold’s Texas Holdings Group, Inc., 2014, W.D. Tex. Nov. 19, No. SA:13-CV-1161-DAE, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 161844
  • Gomez v. Crescent Services, LLC, 2014, S.D. Tex., 25 F.Supp.3d 965
  • Nowell v. Coastal Bend Surgery Center, 2011, S.D. Tex. Feb. 2, Civil Action No. C-10-205, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10005

Current Employment Position(s)

  • Attorney