Stephen E. Irving
Stephen E. Irving is a Partner in Peckar & Abramson’s Houston office, Chair of the Occupational Safety and Health practice, and Co-Vice Chair of the Labor & Employment practice. He focuses his practice on labor and employment law, including occupational safety and health, labor relations, employment discrimination claims, wage-and-hour compliance and claims, the Davis-Bacon Act, immigration compliance and other Federal Contract compliance matters, noncompetition agreements, and employment policy drafting and review. He has practiced since 1995 and has been board-certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2007. Stephen’s experience includes successfully contesting OSHA citations, defending collective action wage-and-hour claims, employment discrimination, sexual and racial harassment, wrongful discharge, Payday Act claims, and enforcing non-compete agreements. He also has extensive experience advising clients on post‑loss risk management and post‑loss litigation.
Stephen E. Irving
Chair, Occupational Safety & Health
Co-Vice Chair, Labor & Employment
Partner
Houston, TX
P +1 713.568.1500
F +1 713.568.1490
“Coaches say the best offense is a good defense. I have found that the best courtroom strategy in employment matters is to have well drafted, legally-sufficient employment policies executed and implemented by expertly-trained managers.”
Bio
Stephen regularly works with clients facing government investigations, including OSHA, MSHA, EEOC, and the Wage-Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor. Stephen is also experienced in employment immigration matters such as temporary/non-immigrant worker visas and visas for employment-based lawful permanent residents (LPRs).
Stephen is an experienced advisor across the spectrum of employment law, training HR and management personnel in a variety of employment law topics, including the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Americans with Disabilities Act; Family and Medical Leave Act, sex, age, national origin, and race discrimination; sexual harassment; racial and other harassment; employee discipline and performance evaluation; HIPAA/private health information; wage and hour law; and other related matters.
Stephen’s experience also includes construction law and corporate/transactional law, including drafting, editing, and negotiating commercial construction contracts, commercial leases, and mergers and acquisitions.
Highlights
Admissions
• State of Texas
• State of Maryland
• United States District Courts for the Southern District of Texas
• United States District Courts for the Northern District of Texas
• United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Texas
• United States District Courts for the Western District of Texas
• United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Memberships
• Houston Bar Association (Labor & Employment Section, Litigation Section, Construction Law Section)
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM); HR Houston
• Texas Bar Association (Labor & Employment Section, Litigation Section, Construction Law Section)
Education & Courses
• Boston College, BA Speech Communications
• Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, JD
Awards & Recognitions
• Labor & Employment Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 2007 – present
• Texas Bar College
Publications & Presentations
• “We Have a Plan for That; Don’t We?? Construction Crisis Management,” Alabama Governor’s Safety and Health Conference, August 2026 (Speaker)
• “Assessing the Threat: Practical Approaches to Workplace Violence Risk Management,” Summer 2026 AGC Construction Safety and Health Conference, July 2026 (Speaker)
• “A Win For Clarity: What a Recent Federal Court Decision Means for Davis-Bacon Compliance,” P&A Client Alert, July 2026 (Author)
• “U.S. Department of Labor Seeks to Clarify Employee vs. Independent Contractor Status Under Federal Wage and Hour Laws,” P&A Client Alert, March 2026 (Co-Author)
• “Law & Order: Special Contractors’ Unit Legal Update,” AGC Houston HR & Safety Professionals Day, October 2025 (Speaker)
• “Navigating the Employment Law Landscape in 2025,” AGC Construction Workforce & HR Conference, October 2025 (Speaker)
• “Workplace Violence,” AGC Houston Safety Meeting, June 2025 (Speaker)
• “UPDATE: Navigating the Executive Order Ending Affirmative Action and DEI for Federal Contractors: Essential Steps for Compliance,” ConsensusDocs, April 2025 (Co-Author)
• “Episode #133: Unpacking Executive Order 14173 and its Implications for Federal Contractors,” NASBP Let’s Get Surety Podcast, March 2025 (Co-Presenter)
• “Navigating the Executive Order Ending Affirmative Action and DEI for Federal Contractors: Essential Steps for Compliance,” P&A Presidential Action Alert, February 2025 (Co-Author)
• “Immigration Audits and Raids: Employer Preparations to Mitigate Risks,” P&A Presidential Action Alert, February 2025 (Co-Author)
• “Hot Topics in Labor and Construction Law,” Houston Contractors Association, October 2024 (Speaker)
• “Workplace Violence Risk Assessment,” 2024 HR & Safety Professionals Day, October 2024 (Speaker)
• “Preserving Confidentiality: Strategies for Employers Amid the FTC Ban on Noncompetes,” Texas Lawyer’s Employment and Labor Law Special Section, July 2024 (Author)
• “EEOC Focuses on Eliminating Harassment, Recruitment and Hiring Barriers in the Construction Industry,” P&A Client Alert, July 2024 (Co-Author)
• “OSHA 2024,” Georgia Tech’s Safety Speaker Series Webinar - Professional Master’s in Occupational Safety and Health (PMOSH), March 2024 (Speaker)
• “United States Department of Labor Finalizes Independent Contractor Rule,” P&A Client Alert, January 2024 (Co-Author)
• “2023 Update on Labor & Employment Law for Texas Contractors,” a P&A and AGC of South Texas Lunch N Learn, May 2023 (Speaker)
• “Beat the Heat: Heat Stress Safety Tips for Homebuilders.” a P&A and Core Safety Group Webinar, March 2023 (Speaker)
• “Fall Protection in Residential Construction: Risks and Best Practices,” a P&A and Core Safety Group Webinar, November 2022 (Speaker)
• “Utilizing Technical Mediation and Other Alterative Dispute Resolution Measures to Resolve Complex Construction Disputes,” Risk Management in Underground Construction Course, February 2023 (Co-Presenter)
• “The Status of OSHA’s Impending Heat Stress Standard,” ConsensusDocs Newsletter, May 2022 (Author)
• “Can You Stump HCA Employment Lawyers?,” Houston Contractors Association (HCA) Q&A seminar, March 2022 (Speaker)
• “OSHA Regulations in 2022,” National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA) Webinar, February 2022 (Speaker)
• “OSHA: What to Expect in 2022,” Construction Executive, December 2021 (Author)
• “Remote Working, Vaccines and Employment Obligations,” DRI, December 2021 (Co-Author)
• “Remote Working, Vaccines and Employment Obligations Under the Americans with Disabilities Act,” P&A Client Alert, October 2021 (Co-Author)
News & Events
• Alabama Governor’s Safety and Health Conference – “We Have a Plan for That; Don’t We?? Construction Crisis Management”
• AGC Construction Safety and Health Conference – “Assessing the Threat: Practical Approaches to Workplace Violence Risk Management”
• AGC – Construction Workforce & HR Conference – “Navigating the Employment Law Landscape in 2025”
• AGC Houston June Safety Committee Meeting
