Ed Sullivan is an experienced Houston employment attorney who is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He represents companies, executives, and employees in labor and employment disputes, and is known for his quick wit, diligent advocacy, and plain-spokenness.
--Argued and won before the U.S. Supreme Court in Hewitt v. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., an important case under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. He previously argued and won the same case before 18 judges of the en banc U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
--Obtained several favorable verdicts at trial for both companies and employees, including one of the largest verdicts recorded in a single-plaintiff retaliation trial in the Southern District of Texas -- over $3 million, more than 30 times the ex-employee’s annual pay.
--Defended well-known companies in cutting-edge discrimination class action cases that garnered national attention.
--Awarded the University of Houston Law Center's "Private Practice Achievement Award" in 2023 at its 46th Annual Law Gala and Auction.
Ed was born in Alice, Texas. He attended high school in San Antonio, graduating second in his class from Antonian College Preparatory in 1989. He then attended the University of Texas at Austin, graduating early with a double major in Government and History and a minor in English.
After college, he moved to Washington D.C. to work for U.S. Congressman Dick Armey as a Legislative Analyst. He toiled away reading legislation and then writing summaries of it for Members of Congress, most of whom neither read the actual legislation nor his summaries.
He soon grew weary of our nation’s capital, particularly its high rent and lack of available parking. He drove back to Texas to attend law school at the University of Houston Law Center. During law school, he dedicated most of his time putting his verbal and social talents to use on the school’s mock trial team, which he later coached for ten years.
After law school, he joined the Texas Attorney General’s office in Austin and represented the state before every federal district court in Texas, and handled dozens of appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcia A. Crone, now a District Judge, hired him as her Law Clerk within the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, where he worked from 2000-2002. After assisting Judge Crone with hundreds of cases, he liked labor and employment cases the most, primarily because of the passionate parties, intriguing facts, and challenging legal intricacies.
In 2002, he joined Seyfarth Shaw LLP, one of the nation’s most respected labor and employment law firms, which assigned him to work on some of its most complex cases. In 2005, the firm made him the youngest partner in the then 600+ attorney firm.
In 2010, he co-founded Oberti Sullivan LLP to set the standard for employment lawyers in Houston. He only takes on matters he believes in and works diligently every day to get the best result possible for his clients.
In his spare time, he is a top player of Diplomacy and blogs about this challenging strategy game.
Pictured below is famous sketch artist Todd Crespi's depiction of Ed's October 12, 2022, Supreme Court argument.
