Representing employees, executives, and independent contractors in Texas compensation and contract disputes.

I’m Kerry O’Brien, a former Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Attorney General of Texas and a former hearing officer for the Texas Workforce Commission. I also previously served as a city prosecutor and assistant city attorney for a group of cities around Austin.

Since I opened the O’Brien Law Firm in 2008, I have been taking great pride and pleasure in representing employees, executives, and independent contractors who need the leverage of a strong and experienced lawyer in their Texas employment compensation and contract disputes. Our firm is dedicated to helping our clients recover unpaid commissions, bonuses, executive compensation, equity, and overtime. I continuously study ways to get my clients their best results for all of these types of disputes, to be the specialist in this area of the law in Texas.

I have been Board Certified in Labor & Employment Law through the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2016. That means that I have demonstrated expert-level knowledge and substantial courtroom experience in the employment law arena. In 2023 and 2024, Thomson Reuters selected me as a Texas Super Lawyer. I have also been a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation Fellow since 2018, for which only ⅓ of 1% of Texas lawyers receive an invitation each year.

For many years, I was the featured instructor on Employment Law for the annual People’s Law School, sponsored by the Austin Bar Association. I have spoken to many lawyer and public groups on employment law issues through the years, and enjoy educating employees, executives, and independent contractors on their legal rights and obligations so that they can make the best decisions to improve their professional lives.

I am a 2002 graduate of The University of Texas School of Law, one of the top 20 law schools in the nation, where I was active in mock trial competitions that taught me how to win cases at trial before I even began practicing law in the real world. I also have a Bachelor’s degree in Music Theory with a concentration in classical guitar from UT Austin’s Butler School of Music. These days, I still perform and record as a musician.

To stay connected with my great colleagues around my city and state, I’m also a member of the State Bar of Texas Employment Law Section, the Texas Employment Lawyers Association, and the Austin Bar Association’s Labor & Employment and Solo/Small Firm Sections. I’m licensed to practice in all Texas state trial and appeals courts, all four Texas federal court districts, and the 5th Circuit federal court of appeals.

My law firm is also a monthly financial supporter of CRU, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, the Semper Fi Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Austin Mobile Loaves & Fishes Community First Austin homing initiative, the Seedling Foundation, and WorldVision. Using the firm’s successes for its clients to help great organizations in the community and the world is one way to make good things come from difficult situations. That’s a goal with every client that we help.