Oberti Sullivan LLP

Who the firm represents

Based in Houston, Oberti Sullivan LLP handles labor and employment matters for employers, executives, and employees. Its employer clients include small businesses and Fortune 100 companies. The individual side of the work includes executive disputes and claims brought by employees.

The firm describes itself as small and says its attorneys perform the legal work themselves. Mark Oberti and Ed Sullivan run the firm, and the website also identifies Ahad Khan as an attorney. In my opinion, the mix of company and individual representation is one of the most useful facts about the firm's work.

Employment disputes can change course as the facts develop. A workplace complaint may lead to an internal investigation, an agency proceeding, a demand, or court litigation. The firm's stated work includes Department of Labor audits and investigations as well as lawsuits in state and federal courts.

Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims

Protected-status cases

The discrimination work covers claims based on race, sex, age, and disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The firm also handles sexual harassment matters. These cases can involve hiring decisions, discipline, workplace treatment, requests for accommodation, and termination, depending on the facts of a given dispute.

Discrimination claims usually depend on a detailed employment record. Common materials include personnel files, policies, performance reviews, messages, witness accounts, and records of complaints. Dates matter because they help connect workplace events with the decisions under review.

Employers often need to identify who made a decision and what information that person used. Employees and executives may need to document how managers responded to reports or accommodation requests. Courts and agencies then assess the stated reason for an employment action against the available record.

Whistleblower and protected-activity disputes

Oberti Sullivan handles retaliation and whistleblower claims. Its website specifically identifies retaliation matters under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Act. Those subjects place financial and corporate reporting issues within the firm's employment docket.

Retaliation cases often turn on a sequence of events. The record may address what the worker reported, who received the report, what decision followed, and when each event occurred. Internal reports, compliance files, emails, and employment records can shape that analysis.

A whistleblower matter may also raise questions about the worker's role and access to company information. The employer's stated reason for an action can receive close attention. Clear document handling is central because the same records may appear in an internal inquiry, an agency proceeding, or a lawsuit.

Pay disputes and workplace restrictions

Wage and hour work

The firm's wage practice includes Fair Labor Standards Act claims for unpaid overtime and minimum wage. It also handles collective actions. These matters can concern pay records, recorded hours, job duties, payroll methods, and the way an employer classified a worker.

Wage cases commonly begin with a review of timekeeping and payroll data. Written policies may matter, but day-to-day work can matter as well. Managers, payroll personnel, and workers may each hold records or knowledge that bears on the claim.

Collective actions add questions about whether other workers had similar duties or pay practices. Courts may examine the proposed group and the evidence linking its members. The firm's work for employers and employees places it on both sides of the wage and hour process.

Bonuses, executive matters, and non-competes

Oberti Sullivan also handles unpaid bonus disputes, high-level executive matters, and non-compete litigation. Bonus cases may require close reading of compensation plans, offer terms, performance conditions, and payment records. Executive disputes can involve several employment terms within the same matter.

Non-compete cases often focus on the written restriction and the work at issue. The parties may dispute the restricted activity, geographic reach, time period, confidential information, or client relationships. Early court decisions can affect what work a person may perform while the case remains pending.

The Department of Labor audit and investigation work adds a regulatory side to the firm's pay practice. An audit can require payroll data, worker classifications, time records, and explanations of company practices. Careful responses help define the record that the agency will assess.

Trial, motion, and appellate experience

The firm practices in state and federal courts at both trial and appellate levels. That scope covers different stages of employment litigation. Trial courts manage evidence, motions, hearings, and trials, while appellate courts review rulings through the existing record and written briefs.

Mark Oberti's website biography states that he has obtained over 50 summary judgments for employers. A summary judgment motion asks a court to decide a claim without a trial when the governing standard permits a decision on the record. Such motions require close use of testimony, documents, and the applicable law.

Appellate work calls for a different form of case analysis. The lawyers must work with the trial record, preserve the relevant issues, and explain claimed legal errors in written arguments. The firm's stated appellate practice confirms that its court work can continue after a trial-level ruling.

Attorney credentials and backgrounds

Mark J. Oberti

Mark J. Oberti holds board certification in Labor and Employment Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. His work covers matters for employers as well as executives and employees. The summary judgment record reported on his biography relates specifically to employer representation.

Oberti earned his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1994. He graduated cum laude and belonged to the Order of the Coif. He earned his B.A. from Wayne State University in 1990 and served three years in the U.S. Army before college.

Ed Sullivan and Ahad Khan

Ed Sullivan also holds board certification in Labor and Employment Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He previously practiced as a partner at a national employment law firm. Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters service, has recognized Sullivan in Texas.

The shared board certification of Oberti and Sullivan is a verified credential tied directly to the firm's stated field. Their backgrounds accompany a practice that includes company counseling disputes, individual claims, agency matters, and court litigation. The website also names Ahad Khan as one of the firm's attorneys.