Lakshmi Ramakrishnan
About Lakshmi Ramakrishnan
Lakshmi Ramakrishnan serves as the Manager of the Employment Team at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, where she has worked since 2014. With a background in law and extensive experience in legal representation for low-income workers, she focuses on workplace disputes and unemployment appeals.
Work at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Lakshmi Ramakrishnan has served as the Manager of the Employment Team at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid since 2014. In this role, she provides legal representation and advice to low-income agricultural workers and other employees involved in workplace disputes. Her responsibilities include handling unemployment appeals before the Texas Workforce Commission and assisting employees with filing charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). She also supports clients through EEOC-led investigations, negotiations, and mediations.
Previous Legal Experience
Prior to her current position, Ramakrishnan worked as a Pro-Bono Attorney at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid for seven months in 2011 and 2012. She also held the position of Associate/Of Counsel at Kennard Law P.C. from 2013 to 2014 in the Houston, Texas area. Earlier in her career, she worked as a Staff Attorney for the Farmworker Team at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid from 2002 to 2006, where she focused on legal issues affecting agricultural workers.
Education and Expertise
Lakshmi Ramakrishnan earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from The University of Texas School of Law, where she studied from 1999 to 2002. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Politics from Oberlin College, which she attended from 1995 to 1999. Her educational background provides her with a strong foundation in legal principles and political issues, enhancing her effectiveness in her current role.
Legal Skills and Responsibilities
Ramakrishnan engages in various legal activities, including propounding and responding to written discovery and taking and defending depositions during lawsuits. She drafts pleadings, motions, and briefs as part of her legal representation duties. Her work includes representing employees in lawsuits against employers for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Agricultural Worker Protection Act (AWPA).
International Experience
Before her extensive work in the United States, Ramakrishnan gained international experience as a Solicitor in the Equal Pay Team at Thompsons Scotland in 2009. She also worked as a Paralegal at the same firm in 2008. This experience provided her with a diverse perspective on legal issues, particularly in the context of employment law.