Alison Sulentic is a seasoned human resources attorney, mediator and coach, with 25 years’ experience working in major law firms, corporations and universities. Alison helps clients to:

  • design effective employment policies and employee benefit plans
  • improve employee performance and workplace dynamics; and
  • resolve workplace conflicts.

She is an insightful and effective advisor to leaders of organizations that operate in culturally diverse environments.

Alison is the founder of The Sulentic Law Firm, PLLC, a Houston law firm providing services to the human resources community. With many years’ experience as an attorney with the renowned international law firm, Baker Botts L.L.P., Alison’s practice has always centered on legal issues relating to employee benefits and human resources. She also served as the associate general counsel for human resources with the in-house legal department of Transocean, Inc., a large international energy corporation. Proficient in French, Alison is globally experienced and culturally sensitive.

As a law professor at Duquesne University School of Law from 1995-2007 (tenured 2003), Alison taught a broad range of core legal classes, including commercial law, employee benefits and health care corporate law. A prolific author and presenter, her numerous scholarly and professional articles focus on the ethical and legal decisions facing attorneys and managers responsible for the development and implementation of workplace effectiveness. She is deeply experienced in handling the problems faced by non-profit organizations and religiously affiliated corporations such as schools, universities, and health care systems.

Education
  • Harvard Law School, J.D. cum laude, 1989
  • University of the Witwatersrand, M.A. (History), 1987
  • Harvard University, A.B. (Social Studies) magna cum laude, 1984
Bar Admissions & Affiliations
  • State Bar of Texas
  • American Bar Association (Tax Section; Labor and Employment Section)
  • Houston Bar Association
  • Society for Human Resource Management
  • SouthWest Benefits Association
Presentations & Publications

Workplace Management and Legal Compliance:

  • Anatomy of a Lawsuit, Manoussou Mediation & Alternative Dispute Resolution (2014)
  • Data Security and Privacy, Masters Series Houston (2011)
  • Legal Issues Related to Web-Based Technologies: An Update, Baylor College of Medicine Conference on the Use of Emerging Technologies to Support Health Messages (2011)
  • Board Governance Issues for Nonprofit Organizations: Form 990 Challenges, 2011 Texas Ministry Conference (2011)
  • Legal Compliance Update – 2011, Worldwide Employee Benefits Network – Houston Chapter, Featured Luncheon Speaker (2011)
  • Do Not Cast Me Aside in Old Age: Supporting Employees Who Care for Aging Parents, Labor and Employment Relations Association 60th Annual Meeting (2008)

Employee Benefits / Executive Compensation:

  • Wellness Programs, SouthWest Benefits Association 22nd Annual Employee Benefits Conference (2011)
  • ERISA’s Safe Harbor Exemption for 403(b) Plans: A Primer, Texas Tax Lawyer (2011)
  • Collectively Bargained Plans, in Section 409A Handbook (Regina Olshan and Erica Schohn, eds.) (2010) (with F. Finston)
  • Data Privacy and Security: Lessons from HIPAA, United Way Nonprofit Leadership Series (2010)
  • HIPAA Privacy and Security Compliance after HITECH, Houston Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Program (2010)
  • Section 403(b): The Path to Compliance, 2009 United Way Nonprofit Law Institute (2009)
  • How 409A Affects You, State Bar of Texas Advanced Tax Continuing Legal Education Program (2009)
  • Practical Shepherding: Keeping Watch Over Your 403(b) Plan, Co-Op: A Publication of Church Supplies & Services 3 (2008)
  • Section 403(b): What’s On Your End-of-the-Year To Do List?, ERISA Industry Group – Houston (2008)
  • Can Systems Analysis Help Us to Understand C.O.B.R.A.?, 39 John Marshall L. Rev. 753 (2006)

Coaching and Professional Development:

  • Banishing Boggarts from the Practice of Law, The Law Street Journal Blog (2010) [Read the Article]
  • Grading Lawyers: A New Associate’s Guide to Performance Appraisals, Juris 16 (2007)
  • Directors and Officers of Nonprofit Organizations, Exempt Organizations: A Legal Guide, National Business Institute (2007)
  • Adventures in PowerPoint, The Law Teacher 1 (1999); reprinted in Teaching the Law School Curriculum (Steven Friedland and Gerald Hess, eds., 2004, 2010)