Robert W. Schmidt
Robert (“Bob”) W. Schmidt is a passionate fighter for employee rights. Bob has successfully represented Texas employees for over 20 years. Bob represents people who have been sexually harassed, discriminated and retaliated against, and wrongfully terminated. Whether working to resolve employment disputes before a lawsuit or fighting in court, Bob is knowledgeable, skillful and cares deeply about his clients who have been wrongfully terminated or who are still employed and facing difficult employment situations.
Bob Schmidt is an experienced employment lawyer who began his legal career at a prestigious, large civil litigation law firm in Dallas, and for the last twenty years has been representing employees in Austin and across Texas fighting for justice in employment law cases. Bob has successfully tried employment law cases in state and federal court on behalf of his clients. He formed his own firm in 2022 and now has a selective practice where he zealously advocates for employees of all sorts, from corporate executives, public employees, and people simply trying to make a living.
Bob has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” (Thompson Reuters) in employee-side employment litigation in Texas since 2014. He is rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell and was named as one of Austin’s best employment law attorneys in Austin Monthly Magazine. He frequently speaks on employment law at legal education seminars and for other groups. He was selected to be a member of the Board of Directors of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), the largest nationwide professional organization of employment lawyers advocating for employee rights. Bob put himself through law school and earned his law degree from the University of Texas in Austin, as well as undergraduate degrees with high honors from UT Austin and from Oklahoma City University.
Bob is a former chair of the Austin Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section. He is a former board member of the Texas Employment Lawyers Association (TELA) and currently serves as the co-chair of the group’s Legislative Committee. He is a graduate of Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyer College, which is a selective, extensive trial advocacy training program for attorneys representing people instead of corporations. Bob is a member of the Texas State Bar and Austin Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Sections and LGBT Law Sections, the United States District Court for Western, Eastern and Northern Districts of Texas, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Bob grew up in a small town but moved to Austin for law school and now considers himself a true “Austinite.” Bob is married and he and his husband love Barton Springs, the Vortex Theatre, Taqueria Los Altos, their dog Toby, art, travel and music. Bob is empathetic, compassionate and committed to fight for his clients’ legal rights.
Email info@robertwschmidt.com or call (512) 537-6754 for more information.
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National Employment Lawyers Association
Board of Directors Member
(2022 through present)Texas Super Lawyer
Thompson Reuters
(2014 – present)Austin Bar Association
Labor and Employment Law Section
Chair (2015-2016)
Officer (2012-2015)Texas Employment Lawyers Association
State Board of Directors
(2012 - 2019)Martindale-Hubbell
AV RatingAustin Monthly
“Austin’s Top Attorneys, Labor & Employment”
2022Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College
Graduate 2009Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association
MemberState Bar of Texas
Labor and Employment and LGBT Sections
Member -
Top 50 Jury Verdicts in Texas 2022, All Practice Areas
Nikolova v. University of Texas at Austin
April 2023State Bar of Texas
Employment Law 101/Advanced Employment Law Seminar
January 2023National Employment Lawyers Association Houston Chapter
Public Employee Issues
November 2022Houston Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section
“Two Years After Bostock: What Has Changed for LGBTQ+ Plaintiffs in Employment Cases”
June 2022Dallas/Fort Worth Employment Lawyers Association
“Roundtable Discussion on Damages in Employment Law Cases”
June 2022University of Texas Annual Labor & Employment Law Conference
“2022 Update on Selected Topics in Texas Public Sector Employment Law”
May 2022Disability Rights Texas
“Workplace Discrimination – Deconstructing a Highly Successful Jury Trial Verdict”
April 2022Austin American Statesman
“Jury awards $3 million to UT engineering professor in pregnancy, sex discrimination suit”
March 15, 2022Austin Bar Association
“Sex and Religion: What Every Employment Lawyer Needs to Know About The Recent Landmark SCOTUS Decisions”
August 2020State Bar of Texas, Webcast CLE
“LGBT Employees in the Workplace: What You Need to Know Now About the Landmark 2020 SCOTUS Decisions”
July 2020State Bar of Texas, LGBT Law Section Seminar
“LGBTQ Legal Issues in Changing Times: What Every Texas Practitioner Needs to Know”
December 2019Texas Employment Lawyers’ Association
“Employee Preservation of Evidence”
April 2019Austin Bar Association, Labor & Employment Section
“Sexual Harassment and LGBT Protections in the #MeToo Era”
April 2019Texas Employment Lawyers’ Association
“Sexual Harassment in the #MeToo Era”
April 2019Austin Bar Association, Labor & Employment Section
“Proving Up Damages In Employment Law Cases”
February 2018State Bar of Texas, Annual Convention, Labor & Employment Section
“Secrets Revealed: An Employment Lawyer Discusses Case Selection and Why He’s Suing Your Client”
June 2017Texas Bar Journal
“Termination Motivation–Proving Discrimination and Retaliation in Employment Law Cases”
March 2017State Bar Of Texas, Advanced Government Law Seminar
“Here’s What You Did And Here’s Why I’m Going To Sue You”
July 2016Austin Bar Association, Labor & Employment Section
“Electronic Discovery and Privacy Issues”
March 2016Del Bosque v. Starr Cnty.
630 F. App'x 300
(5th Cir. 2015)Austin Bar Association, Labor & Employment Section
“Pitfalls in Settlements”
February 2015Austin Bar Association, LGBT Section
“A Look at Local, State and Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Laws”
October 2014Austin Capital Area Plaintiffs’ Employment Lawyers Association
“What’s It Worth?”
October 2013Job Seekers Network, Hill Country Bible Church, Austin
"Employment Law In 'The Real World'"
August 2013Texas Employment Lawyers' Association, Statewide CLE
“Litigation Practicum: Using Psychodrama in Litigation”
April 2013Central Texas Compensation and Benefits Association
"Are We Going To Be Sued? A Plaintiff Employment Lawyer Tells All!"
January 2013Austin Bar Association, LGBT Rights Section
"LGBT Employment Law Issues"
June 2012Verdict Search, Top Texas Verdicts of 2011, Discrimination
Collier v. Texas Tech University
May 2012Austin Bar Association, Labor & Employment Section
"Electronic Discovery Issues in Employment Litigation"
February 2012Texas Employment Lawyers' Association
“Strategies for Defeating Non-Compete Agreements”
October 2011University of Texas School of Law, Labor and Employment Law Conference
“An Eye for an Eye: How to Prepare and Try a Retaliation Case”
May 2011Lorman Education Services, Employment Law From A to Z
“At-Will Employment: The Rules and the Exceptions, Employment Discrimination and Retaliation, Can’t We All Just Get Along?”
April 2011OUTLaw, University of Texas School of Law LGBT Advocacy Conference
”Employment Discrimination Affecting LGTB Employees”
April 2011Austin Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section
“Discovery Issues in Employment Litigation”
January 2011Austin Human Resources Management Association
“Squaring Off In the Ring, Plaintiff vs. Defense”
August 2010Charles v. Grief
522 F.3d 508
(5th Cir. 2008) -
Robert W. Schmidt Law Firm
2022 through presentCrews Law Firm
2007– 2022Howard and Kobelan
2002 – 2006State of Texas
Texas Ethics Commission, Office of Attorney General, Texas Legislative Council
1993 – 2002Locke Purnell Rain Harrell
(now Locke Lord), Dallas, Texas, Associate
1989 – 1992 -
University of Texas, Austin
J.D. 1989
B.F.A. in Studio Art with Highest Honors, 2000Oklahoma City University
B.A. with Honors in Mass Communications
May 1986