Finger selecting and showing a man from a crowd. Photo: Ioannis Pantzi/Shutterstock.com

A Latino attorney from Austin alleged that a nationwide family law firm fired him before he made partner to ensure its partnership ranks remained all white. The firm denies the allegations.

"There is not a single minority, non-white, partner," alleged plaintiff Raul Sandoval's petition. "Plaintiff would have changed that make-up of the leadership of the firm, so defendant prevented that from happening by concocting a reason to terminate him."

Cordell & Cordell markets itself as a "fathers' rights" firm representing men in divorces and child custody cases, according to its website. The site lists 37 offices, including five Texas offices and locations in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and other states. The firm employs at least 275 lawyers, according to the original petition in Sandoval v. Cordell & Cordell, which the law firm removed on Monday to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin.

Sandoval's attorney, James Tawney, said his client hopes the lawsuit will prevent other associates from facing injustice at Cordell & Cordell.

"Our client was a high-producing and loyal attorney of several years for Cordell & Cordell, one of the largest family law firms in the nation. As a reward for his dedication and service to their firm, Cordell & Cordell created baseless allegations to terminate him rather than offering him advancement," said Tawney, a partner in Flores, Tawney & Acosta in El Paso. "We believe the evidence will show that Cordell & Cordell made this decision based on unlawful discrimination."

Cordell & Cordell said that Sandoval's claims are without merit, according to an email by the firm's attorney, Julie Tower, an associate with Jackson Lewis in Austin.

"Cordell & Cordell P.C. is an equal opportunity employer that prohibits any and all forms of discrimination in its workplace. We firmly deny Mr. Sandoval's allegations," said the firm's statement.

Originally filed in Travis County District Court, Sandoval alleged in his Aug. 22 petition that Cordell & Cordell hired him in 2012 as an associate. When he was fired six years later, he was a senior lead litigator, just one step away from partnership. He was expecting to make it because he had earned high accolades, including recognition as a top attorney, top regional performer, and top biller at the firm.

Despite his awards, he claimed that white attorneys earned promotions faster than him.

Sandoval alleged that in June 2018, two executive managing partners called him into a meeting to discuss supposed client issues. They said someone who was not a client submitted client surveys to the law firm's client care department regarding clients that Sandoval represented. They gave Sandoval scarce details about the surveys or names of clients. The firm didn't include him in the investigation into the matter.

Sandoval, who is now a family law solo practitioner in Austin, alleged it was a pretext for a baseless termination meant to bar his partnership within the next couple of years.

According to the petition, Sandoval's punishment was more severe than those of other attorneys in the past. One white female partner was caught urinating in trash cans and she only received a demotion. A white male partner faced several sexual harassment allegations, but remained in his position. Firm leaders have made discriminatory comments about other nonwhite employees, Sandoval claimed.

In a Nov. 23 answer, Cordell & Cordell denied all of Sandoval's allegations. The firm also alleged that Sandoval didn't take reasonable steps to mitigate his damages. Cordell & Cordell took prompt, effective remedial action to end objectionable conduct once it knew about the conduct, although the firm also denied that conduct, the answer said.