Jesika Silva Blanco
Senior Associate
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
Related services and key industries
Biography
Jesika Silva Blanco joined the Houston office in September 2015. Jesika is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for Labor and Employment Law. Jesika represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law with an emphasis on discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour litigation. Jesika's practice also focuses on counseling employers on day-to-day legal issues, including employee policies, compliance with employment statutes, and conducting sensitive employee investigations.
Professional experience
Collapse allJD, with honors, The University of Texas School of Law, 2015
BA, Sociology, Harvard College, 2012
While in law school, Jesika served as a Teaching Quizmaster for the Legal Research & Writing Program for two years and was a member of the Texas Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy.
- Texas State Bar
- Successfully obtained summary judgment for a major oil and gas company involving ERISA claims.
- Successfully obtained multiple summary judgments for an educational institution involving claims of race discrimination and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
- Successfully obtained summary judgment for a global building materials company involving claims of age discrimination and retaliation under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
- Successfully obtained summary judgment for a retail client in an arbitration involving claims of pregnancy discrimination under the Louisiana Employment Discrimination Law and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
- Successfully excluded a proffered expert in a consolidated matter involving three collective action Fair Labor Standards Act cases.
- Successfully obtained dismissal of foreign parent company in a lawsuit against its subsidiary involving Title VII discrimination claims.
- Successfully obtained several favorable settlements in lawsuits involving claims of discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
- Represented employers before federal and state agencies, such as the EEOC and the Texas Workforce Commission, including investigating and drafting position statements in response to EEOC Charges.
- Handled numerous internal investigations involving alleged violations of company policies and various federal statutes, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and whistleblower provisions under the Securities and Exchange Commission.
- Texas Rising Star, Employment & Labor, Thomson Reuters, 2023 and 2024
- Co-author, "US Supreme Court broadens interpretation of the ministerial exception for religious employers," July 2020
Presenter, "Hot Topics in Wage and Hour Law" -- American Petroleum Labor Lawyers Association Conference, November 2023
Presenter, "Hot Topics in Wage and Hour Law" -- American Petroleum Labor Lawyers Association Conference, November 2022
Presenter, "Hot Topics in Wage and Hour Law" -- American Petroleum Labor Lawyers Association Conference, November 2022
Presenter, "Ex Parte Communications: Who Can You Talk To?" - Montgomery County Law Day, May 2022
Presenter, "Biometric data: Promises and pitfalls" - Webinar, March 2022
Presenter, "Wage and Hour Law From Obama to Trump: Where Do We Stand Now" - Live CLE, January 2020
Presenter, "The Changing Landscape of Independent Contractor Versus Employee Laws" - Webinar, February 2019
- State Bar of Texas
- Texas Board of Legal Specialization for Labor and Employment Law
- Hispanic Bar Association of Houston
Houston Young Lawyers Association
- Spanish