Attorney Advertising. This profile is independent editorial content produced by Awesome Attorneys and is not a paid placement. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice or creates an attorney-client relationship. See our Methodology and Publisher Disclosure below.

Kennedy Law Firm, LLP: A Houston Wage Attorney Board Certified in Trial Law, Not Just Employment

Galvin B. Kennedy has been appointed class counsel in more than 60 wage-and-hour class and collective actions nationwide, and holds Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification in Personal Injury Trial Law — a first-chair-trial credential the firm’s own materials note less than 3% of Texas attorneys achieve, though it is distinct from the Labor and Employment Law certification some other firms in this category hold.

At a Glance

Origin and Background

Galvin B. Kennedy graduated with honors from Northern Illinois University after captaining the university’s nationally ranked debate team, then earned his J.D. with honors from the University of Houston Law Center in 1996. Before law school, he worked at O’Quinn, Kerensky & Laminack, P.C., a well-known Houston plaintiffs’ firm, and taught English in Barcelona, Spain, where he built the Spanish fluency he now uses with Hispanic clients. He has held Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification in Personal Injury Trial Law since 2004 — Awesome Attorneys is noting explicitly that this is a trial-law certification, not the Labor and Employment Law certification specific to this practice area, since the firm’s own materials describe it as based on first-chair trial experience rather than employment-law subject matter testing.

Practice Concentration

Kennedy has been appointed class counsel in more than 60 wage-and-hour class and collective actions nationally, representing employees across industries from oilfield workers to nurses. See this Houston Employment & Labor directory for how this trial-focused wage practice compares to other firms in this category. The firm’s own materials emphasize that, unlike many wage-and-hour attorneys, Kennedy brings actual first-chair trial experience to cases that might otherwise be resolved only through negotiated settlement.

Track Record

Independently verifiable credentials include Kennedy’s continuous Super Lawyers selection for 2006 and 2009 through 2026, and his 2004 Personal Injury Trial Law board certification. The firm’s claim of appointment as class counsel in more than 60 wage-and-hour actions is presented here as the firm’s own published claim rather than an independently audited case count.

Client Voice

Awesome Attorneys did not identify a significant pattern of independent third-party reviews specific to wage-and-hour clients for this firm, which is disclosed here as a gap rather than omitted.

Beyond the Courtroom

Kennedy has presented continuing legal education seminars on FLSA overtime violations to organizations including the Mexican American Bar Association of Houston, extending his practice into bilingual legal education for Houston’s Hispanic community — connected directly to the Spanish-language skills he built while teaching in Spain.

Recognition for This Houston Employment & Labor Attorney

Kennedy holds Board Certification in Personal Injury Trial Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, not a Labor and Employment Law certification — a distinction Awesome Attorneys is noting explicitly rather than implying broader specialization than the credential supports. He has been named to Texas Super Lawyers nearly every year since 2006 and to The National Trial Lawyers’ “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” list since 2011.

Texas Legal Backdrop

The Fair Labor Standards Act, this firm’s primary practice area, is a federal law governing minimum wage and overtime with its own statute of limitations, generally two years and extended to three for willful violations. FLSA collective actions proceed through an opt-in mechanism, meaning affected workers must actively join the case rather than being automatically included as in a traditional state-court class action. None of this is legal advice; a specific wage dispute should be evaluated by a licensed attorney based on the actual facts involved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Kennedy Law Firm’s clearest, most checkable differentiator is Galvin Kennedy’s first-chair trial certification paired with a documented record of more than 60 wage-and-hour class-counsel appointments — genuine courtroom experience in a practice area where many attorneys settle without ever trying a case. The honest trade-off: his board certification is in Personal Injury Trial Law, not Labor and Employment Law specifically, so a client should understand the credential reflects trial skill broadly rather than subject-matter testing in employment law. For a wage-and-hour dispute that may actually need to go to trial rather than settle quietly, that trial-certified background is a genuine, checkable differentiator.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from Kennedy Law Firm, LLP’s official website (kennedyattorney.com), the State Bar of Texas’s public attorney lookup confirming license, office address, and board certification, and the firm’s Super Lawyers published attorney profile.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Kennedy Law Firm, LLP prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placement products to attorneys and firms, including this one, but sponsorship has no bearing on the editorial content, inclusion, or findings of this profile.