Speaker Biography – IAN SCHARFMAN

The Scharfman Law Firm, PLLC

3120 Southwest Freeway, Suite 450

Houston, TX 77098

(713) 255-2267

www.scharfmanlawfirm.com

ian@scharfmanlawfirm.com

IAN SCHARFMAN is the principal attorney in The Scharfman Law Firm, PLLC. Mr. Scharfman is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He practices employment law in federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate levels, where there are published opinions regarding cases he has handled. He handles various types of employment law matters, including those involving discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, wage and hour disputes, whistleblower, non-compete matters, and employment contracts. He represents clients at administrative and agency proceedings as well. Mr. Scharfman has also authored and presented papers on employment law topics at seminars and continuing legal education courses as well as having been a featured speaker on employment law on the Houston Bar Association’s Legal Lines television show and a guest on a radio talk show regarding employment law matters. He is licensed to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of Texas and all state courts in Texas.

Mr. Scharfman is rated by Martindale-Hubbell as “AV Preeminent” which is the highest rating provided by the publication based on a peer review process for legal ability and ethical standards. He has been named a Texas “Super Lawyer,” which recognition is a Thomson Reuters service, in 2003-2005, 2008-2022; as one of the“The Best Lawyers in America” by Best Lawyers (in America), which is by Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, in 2012-2023; named a “Top Lawyer” by Houstonia Magazine 2016-2017, 2019-2020; and one of Houston’s “Top Lawyers” by H Texas Magazine in 2005-2007, 2011, 2013-2016.

Mr. Scharfman is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Houston Bar Association, as well as their respective Employment Law Sections. He currently serves on the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Labor and Employment Law Exam Commission. He is a Past Chair of the Houston Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section Council as well as having served as a Council-member and in other Officer capacities. He is a past Director of the Houston Young Lawyers Association in addition to having served as Chair and in other Officer capacities of the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation. Mr. Scharfman is honored as a Life Fellow of both the Texas Bar Foundation and the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation, having also served on the District 4 Nominating Committee of the Texas Bar Foundation.

He is active on other Boards and committees of non-profit entities; including having served as the Chair of the Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League-Southwest Region for 2015, and having served as a National Commissioner for ADL and Chair of ADL’s National Religious Freedom Task Force and Nominating Committee, in addition to serving on other Regional and National ADL committees. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Public Affairs Committee of the Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston. Mr. Scharfman drafted and filed ADL’s Amicus brief in the Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission case with the U.S. Supreme Court. He has also served in other leadership positions in this and other organizations.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Political Science from Emory University and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Houston Law Center.