Biography
Soña has over 20 years of experience assisting clients in all aspects of labor and employment issues. She is particularly adept at helping clients avoid litigation and negotiating early settlement of cases, but will aggressively defend companies in trial and arbitration.
Soña regularly defends companies in discrimination/retaliation administrative charges and lawsuits, workers’ compensation retaliation lawsuits, governmental investigation and audits, unemployment hearings, wage and hour disputes, and trade secret and non-compete litigation.
She has experience in preparing and negotiating various types of employment agreements including, executive, employment, non-competition, independent contractor, and severance agreements for privately held and public companies. Soña also prepares handbooks and policies for multi-state employers in highly regulated industries, and conducts in-house employment training for human resources departments, managers and supervisors, and employees. She has regularly assisted multiple large clients in handling employment issues resulting from mergers and acquisitions, including large-scale reductions-in-force and reorganizations.
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Representative Experience
- Serves as outside employment counsel for multi-state manufacturing client, multi-state retail client, multi-state fast-food franchisee, and multi-state construction client
- Assisted Fortune 100 Company in extensive employment issues related to merger of company
- Obtained summary judgment in the Western District of Texas, affirmed by the Fifth Circuit, in favor of national retailer in suit brought by former employee alleging sexual harassment, sex discrimination and retaliation
- Obtained temporary restraining order and agreed injunction in state district court regarding former employee for breach of confidentiality agreement
- Obtained judgment from Fifth Circuit in favor of employer in suit brought by former female warden alleging claims of age, sex and race discrimination, retaliation and hostile work environment
- Obtained jury verdict in Western District of Texas in favor of employer in suit brought by two former employees alleging sex discrimination, harassment and retaliation
- Obtained summary judgment in Western District of Texas in favor of national clothing retailer in suit brought by former employee alleging race discrimination and retaliation under Title VII
- Obtained summary judgment in Western District of Texas in favor of employer in suit brought by former employee alleging national origin discrimination, retaliation, hostile work environment, Sabine Pilot claims, and violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act
- Obtained summary judgment in Southern District of Texas in favor of national education center in suit brought by former employee alleging age discrimination, retaliation and hostile work environment
- Obtained summary judgment in Western District of Texas in favor of national health services company in medical malpractice case on basis of striking medical causation expert; decision affirmed by the Fifth Circuit
Education
- J.D. St. Mary’s University School of Law
- B.A. St. Mary’s University
Memberships
- American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section
- Federal Bar Association, San Antonio Chapter
- Texas Bar Association, Employment Law Section
- San Antonio Bar Association, Federal Courts Committee
- Texas Bar Foundation, Member
- YWCA of San Antonio, Board Member (2012-present), Vice President (2016-present)
Achievements
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation – Labor and Employment (2019-Present)
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Employment Law Management (2022-Present)
- Best Lawyers® 2025 San Antonio, TX, Litigation – Labor and Employment, Lawyer of the Year
- The Best Lawyers in Employment Litigation: Defense by San Antonio Scene Magazine (2018)
- Named Outstanding Lawyer by the San Antonio Business Journal (2017)
- Named among the Rising Stars by Texas Monthly (2010, 2011, 2013)
Speaking Engagements
- Labor and Employment Pitfalls to Avoid in 2018, Association of Corporate Counsel, South/Central Texas (April 2018)
- Employers & Opioids: A Prescription for Risk, Society for Human Resources Management (November 2017)
- Navigating ADA and FMLA Leave Issues, Lower Rio Grande Valley SHRM (June 2017)
- No Pot, No Tats, No Cigs, No Gig, Brazos Valley SHRM (March 2017)
- Labor Employment Law Update, Texas Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration and Education, San Antonio (November 2016)
- No Pot, No Tats, No Cigs, No Gig, San Antonio CPA Society, San Antonio (October 2016)
- Navigating ADA and FMLA Leave Issues, Texas Association of Young Educators Conference, Dallas (September 2016)
- Navigating Human Resources Issues –Insights for In-House, San Antonio Human Resources Management Conference (August 2016)
- Navigating Complex Human Resources Issues, Association of Corporate Counsel, South/Central Texas (August 2016)
- You’re Not My Boss: Regulating Employee Conduct, Rio Grande Valley SHRM (September 2015)
- The Four-Headed Hydra- An Examination of the Legal Intersection Between GINA, ADA, HIPAA and Other Leave-Related Laws, Ogletree Deakins Seminar, San Antonio, Texas (November 2011)
- When is Enough, Enough? Dealing with Leaves and Accommodations, SAHRMA and SAMA Employment Law Conference –San Antonio (August 2011)
- Social Media Policies –Why We Need Them and What They Should Include, Ogletree Deakins and Rio Grande Valley SHRM – McAllen (2011)
- Discipline and Discharge, Rio Grande Valley Human Resources Consortium Seminar (2010)
- Managing Time Off While Staying in Compliance with the New ADA and FMLA Requirements, Ogletree Deakins and Rio Grande Valley SHRM Seminar, McAllen (November 2009)
Legal Insight
Press Release