I come from a middle class background. My parents divorced when I was young and I watched my mother raise four children by herself working double shifts at a grocery store and local police station in the Chicago suburbs.  In 1980, when I was ten years old, she moved our family from Chicago to Houston where she started a small business in the Rice Village neighborhood of Houston selling fruit baskets and floral arrangements.  During summers and the Christmas rush, she woke me up at the crack of dawn to help her get the orders ready and, when I was old enough, make deliveries of the gift baskets and flowers all over the Houston area.  Our whole family participated in the business.

She inspired a work ethic that I still carry with me today.  Based on that ethic and sense of independence, I put myself through college on a debate team scholarship and by working just about every odd job out there (painting houses, janitor, call center, scholastic tutor, waiter, English teacher, news reporter, etc.). I excelled at public speaking at national competitions as the captain of Northern Illinois University's debate team and decided to attend law school.  I had the distinct privilege of working for one of the most venerable Plaintiff's lawyers in the country, the late John O'Quinn.  I witnessed firsthand how attorneys armed with a law license and passion can help small clients stand up to large corporate and governmental entities with virtually unlimited resources.
 
This David vs. Goliath structure of our legal system played perfectly into my modest upbringings and naturally-competitive streak. After working as an associate attorney for a medium-sized law firm representing people in employment matters, deceptive trade practice cases, securities fraud claims, defective product cases and various personal injury matters, I opened the Kennedy Law Firm in 2000.  One year later, after representing more than 300 clients, my best friend from law school, David Hodges, and I created our current law firm, Kennedy Hodges, LLP.

Our mission: to level the playing field for workers against their employers by using our legal expertise, financial resources and creative strategies to deliver outstanding results.  And that is exactly what we've done.

Case Results: 

• Successfully represented a class of hundreds of janitors in 13 states. Their overtime pay was diluted through a mathematical formula that gave the impression that overtime was paid, when in fact all janitors were paid straight time for overtime hours. The case was certified as a collective action by a federal judge. Defendant paid 100% of the overtime owed, an equal amount as liquidated damages (penalties), and virtually all of the Plaintiff's attorneys' fees incurred.

• Successfully represented a large class of employees who worked at multiple call centers for an international telecommunications company. The case was certified as a collective action by a federal judge. Notice of rights to join the suit was sent out to over 100 employees, many of whom became part of the lawsuit and recovered all of the back pay, liquidated damages (penalties) and attorneys' fees from their employer.

• Successfully represented dozens of waiters and kitchen staff who worked at upscale chain of South American cuisine restaurants in Houston. The employer was cheating its employees out of overtime by having them work at multiple locations in the same week and issuing multiple pay checks. The law required the defendant to add all hours worked for the same company to determine if more than 40 hours were worked in the same week. Each plaintiff recovered his or her overtime pay, liquidated damages (penalties) and attorneys' fees from the defendant.

• Successfully represented multiple paralegals against prominent Houston law firms. Clients claimed they were misclassified as exempt under the professional exemption and administrative exemption. The law firm employers ended up paying all the back overtime pay, liquidated damages (penalties) and a substantial portion of attorneys' fees.

• Successfully represented large class of employees at a metal factory who were misclassified as independent contractors. After an investigation, the defendant admitted the employees were misclassified and they owed the money, but claimed the practice was limited to Houston only. After additional discovery and obtaining class certification from a federal judge, we unveiled documents showing the employer was denying overtime pay to hundreds of employees in more than 10 states.

• Successfully represented dozens of factory workers. They were paid on a piece-rate basis without consideration for the overtime requirements. We reached a settlement that awarded more than double what the Department of Labor obtained for employees who pursued their claim with the department.

Professional Accolades:

• Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law since 2004. Fewer than 3% of attorneys in Texas are Board Certified in this practice area.
• Member, Million Dollar Advocate Forum.
• Named a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.
• AV Rated by Martindale Hubble (Highest rating from Martindale Hubble, a national law directory that rates lawyers' competence and ethical standards based on reviews from other lawyers in the community who are familiar with his work and reputation)
• H Texas Magazine: Best Lawyers of Houston (2005 2006).
• Featured on NBC, CBS, FOX, Univision, Houston Chronicle, Telemundo, and news talk radio shows.

Miscellaneous:

• I taught English in Barcelona, Spain, where I honed my Spanish speaking skills that I use with many of clients today.
• I completed the Rome, Italy marathon in four hours in 2009. I also compete in regional and national triathlons on a regular basis.