R. Scott Cook

Mr. Cook’s practice focuses on the representation of individuals in employment disputes.  He has represented individuals in a wide range of employment matters, including in litigating claims for breach of an employment contract, discrimination, overtime violations, first amendment violations, whistleblower retaliation, and FMLA violations.  Mr. Cook has also defended individual employees in trade secret matters, non-compete disputes, and employment contract matters.  He regularly advises employees on their rights in the workplace and how to handle a wide variety of unfair treatment that occurs in the workplace.

R. Scott Cook represents clients throughout Texas in all stages of litigation in both federal and state courts.  His practice regularly leads him to the courtroom, where he has gained notable first chair trial experience in trying cases to a jury.  He has also practiced in the appellate courts, and currently has a matter being considered by the Supreme Court of Texas that was recently argued by Mr. Cook to that Court.  Through working with clients and by achieving positive results, Mr. Cook has developed strong relationships with his past and present clients.  Thus, he continues to welcome and enjoy the challenge of representing individuals against more powerful interests.

Mr. Cook earned a Bachelor of Arts in History with Distinction from the University of Virginia in 1999.  Following graduation from UVA, Mr. Cook served with Americorps in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas where he worked for Texas Rural Legal Aid’s Migrant Farmworker Division.  In 2003, Mr. Cook graduated from the University of Texas School of Law with Honors.  During law school, Mr. Cook was a member and Associate Editor of the Texas Law Review, which published his student Note in 2003.

Following law school, Mr. Cook clerked for the Honorable Howell Cobb, District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division.  After his clerkship, Mr. Cook worked for a well-known boutique litigation firm in Houston, TX where he litigated employment cases for plaintiffs and defendants.  Mr. Cook moved to Austin in 2006 where he developed his own practice, which included working as a briefing attorney for a nationally-known asbestos litigation firm.  In that same year, Mr. Cook opened the Law Office of R. Scott Cook.  In the fall of 2008, Mr. Cook expanded his office and changed the name of his firm to The Cook Law Firm, in anticipation of increased work with his father, Russell L. Cook, Jr.

Mr. Cook lives in Austin, TX where he enjoys fishing, politics, outdoor activities in and around Austin, and spending time with his wife and their dogs.

EDUCATION:

University of Texas School of Law (J.D., with Honors, 2003)
University of Virginia (B.A., with Distinction, 1999)

HONORS AND DISTINCTIONS:

Law Clerk to the Honorable Howell Cobb, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (2003-2004)
Texas Law Review (Associate Editor 2002-2003; Member 2001-2003)

PUBLICATIONS:

Note, Farm Children as a Major Identifiable Subgroup under the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, 81 Texas Law Rev. 1121 (2003)
Discovery Issues in Employment Litigation, co-authored with Joseph Y. Ahmad, for the Labor and Employment Section of the Federal Bar Association, July 2005
Co-editor of the Tenth Edition of Texas Rules of Form

MEMBERSHIPS AND ORGANIZATIONS:

State Bar of Texas
Austin Bar Association
Austin Young Lawyers Association
Texas Trial Lawyers Association
American Association for Justice
National Employment Lawyers Association
Texas Employment Lawyers Association
American Constitution Society
Federal Bar Association

SELECTED REPORTED CASES:

Travis Central Appraisal District v. Norman, 274 S.W.3d 902 (Tex. App. Austin 2008) (pet filed)
Lee v. U.S. Sec. Associates, Inc., No. A-07-CA-395-AWA, 2008 WL 958219 (W.D.Tex. 2008)
Cocannouer v. Cadence Contract Servs., LLC, No. A-08-CA-099-LY, 2009 WL 1140499 (W.D. Tex. 2009)

ADMISSIONS:

U.S. District Courts for the Western District of Texas
U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Texas
U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of Texas