Brooke Bahlinger Caruso
Associate
Brooke Bahlinger Caruso is a skilled litigator who helps companies defend employment claims and protect their trade secrets and confidential information. She is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice, of which the firm’s national and Dallas office groups have been recognized by Best Lawyers as Tier 1 practices. The Texas Labor and Employment group has also received Chambers USA rankings. Brooke was also selected by SuperLawyers as a Rising Star in 2025.
Brooke represents a broad range of organizations across many industries, including healthcare and manufacturing clients. Brooke advises clients in all aspects of labor and employment matters, including pleadings and motion practice, discovery, mediation, settlement, trial and appeal. Brooke also has experience litigating and presenting complex matters to government agencies, including the EEOC, DOL and NLRB. Brooke also advises clients in mergers and acquisition matters. Brooke has particular proficiency in Title VII litigation and has represented employers in a wide variety of employment matters, including disability laws; discrimination, retaliation and harassment; wage and hour; executive agreements; breach of contract; OSHA and safety; terminations, hiring and layoffs, and severance agreements. She is emerging as a respected advisor in her field. Brooke’s clients emphasize her ability to understand business needs and provide insight at each stage of litigation. Clients also note her keen ability to prepare employees for depositions and trial, including C-suite employees.
Brooke has successfully defended companies against claims exceeding US$5 million and secured favorable results for clients across all phases of litigation, including summary judgment. Brooke has served as second chair in a weeklong trial representing a distributor and secured a successful outcome for the client.
She maintains an active trial docket while also providing necessary business counseling. Brooke is passionate about pro bono work and maintains a robust pro bono practice, including supporting the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program and working with clients on asylum cases.
Representative Experience
Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation
- Represented numerous companies in many instances of litigation and EEOC charges filed by former employees alleging race, disability, FMLA, age, religion, sex and national origin discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
- Prevailed on summary judgment in the defense of national origin and race discrimination claims for staffing business.
Workers’ Compensation
- Successfully defended a non-subscriber company in a 5-day jury trial against claims for negligence, loss of consortium and loss of household services.
- Conducted direct examination of several company witnesses
- Conducted cross examination of one plaintiff
Constitutional Claims
- Prevailed on summary judgment in the defense of five constitutional law claims for healthcare provider.
Unfair Competition/Trade Secrets/Restrictive Covenants
- Prosecuted and defended several temporary restraining order or temporary injunction proceedings, primarily focusing on trade secret misappropriation.
Traditional Labor
- Represented numerous companies in matters related to collective bargaining, union organizing campaigns, NLRB proceedings, and compliance with the National Labor Relations Act.
Strategic Consultations
- Conducted many confidential company investigations reporting directly to the C-suite, with matters including harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.
- Advised clients regarding new laws affecting their workplaces.
- Drafted several employment agreements and handbooks.
Awards and Recognition
- 2025 SuperLawyers Rising Star (Labor & Employment)
- Foley Receives 45 Practice-Area Rankings in 2024 Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
- State Practice Ranking
- Labor & Employment
- State Practice Ranking
- Foley Receives 29 National Tier 1 Practice-Area Rankings in 2023 U.S. News – Best Lawyers ‘Best Law Firms’ List
- National Tier 1
- Employment Law – Management
- Litigation – Labor & Employment
- Metropolitan Tier I (Dallas/Fort Worth)
- Employment Law – Management
- Litigation – Labor & Employment
- National Tier 1
Affiliations
- Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, 2020 Leadership Class
- Dallas Women Lawyers Association, Mentoring Circles
- STEER Mentoring Program
- Women’s Mentoring Circles Committee Member
Community Involvement
- Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program
- DAYL Leadership Class “Dallas Eviction Assistance and Resources” Project (2020-2021)
Presentations and Publications
- Co-Author, “Employer Tips as DOL Shifts Away From Liquidated Damages,” Law360 (August 15, 2025)
- Strafford Webinar, “Healthcare Workers and Vaccine Mandates: Navigating the Evolving Landscape, Implementing and Enforcing Compliance” (March 8, 2022)
- “Vaccine Mandate Roundtable for Health Care Providers: A Discussion on Open Compliance Issues Related to OSHA and CMS Vaccine and Testing Mandates,” (November 22, 2021)
- Co-author, “How Employers Can Navigate NLRB’s Pro-Employee Shift,” Law360 (October 18, 2023)
- Co-Author, “California Pay Transparency Bill Awaits Governor’s Signature,” Labor and Employment Law Perspectives (September 6, 2022)
- Author, “Virtual Form I-9 Document Examination: Here to Stay?,” Foley Dashboard Insights (August 29, 2022)
- Co-Author, “No Lag: Ensuring Labor and Employment Compliance in the Esports Industry,” Texas Lawyer (August, 2022)
- Co-Author, “Key Takeaways from AmericaMakes: 2022 RAPDI + TCT Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) Conference,” Dashboard Insights (May 27, 2022)
- Co-Author, “Mediation Preparation Fundamentals,” Lexis Practical Guidance (April 20, 2022)
- Co-Author, “No Lag: Ensuring Compliance with Labor and Employment Law in the Esports Industry,” Labor and Employment Law Perspectives (May 2, 2022)
- Author, “A Spin on Things: Pending Legislation Seeks to Render Restrictive Covenants Unenforceable if an Employer Takes Action under Mandatory Vaccine Policy,” Coronavirus Resource Center and Labor and Employment Law Perspectives (November 29, 2021)
- Co-Author, “OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard: A Step-By-Step Guide,” Coronavirus Resource Center and Labor and Employment Law Perspectives (November 8, 2021).
- Co-Author, “OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard: It’s Out!,” Coronavirus Resource Center: Back to Business, Labor and Employment Law Perspectives (November 4, 2021)
- Author, “Examining the Current State of Vaccine Mandates,” ERE Media (November 1, 2021)
- Author, “New California Law Requires Certain Employers to Offer Jobs to Previously Laid-Off Employees,” Foley’s Labor and Employment Law Perspectives (May 10, 2021)
- Co-Author, “Florida Enacts Covid-19 Business Liability Shield,” Foley’s Labor & Employment Law Perspectives (March 30, 2021)
- Co-Author, “DOL Finalizes New Rule on Independent Contractor Classification,” Foley’s Labor & Employment Law Perspectives (January 6, 2021)
- Co-Author, “A Shield for Employers: State COVID-19 Indemnity Laws,” Foley’s Coronavirus Resource Center: Back to Business (November 30, 2020)
- Author, “CROWN Acts Prohibit Discrimination Based on Natural Hairstyles,” Foley’s Employment Law Update, (July 13, 2020)
- Co-Author, “A Shield for Employers: State COVID-19 Indemnity Laws,” Foley’s Coronavirus Resource Center: Back to Business (June 22, 2020)
- Author, “Is Twitter Trending? The Company Decides on Permanent Remote Work,” Foley’s Labor & Employment Law Perspectives (May 18, 2020)
- Co-Author, “The Unemployment Benefit as Defined by the CARES Act,” Foley’s Coronavirus Resource Center (April 7, 2020)
- Author, “Overcoming the Surge: How Clark v. City of Seattle Highlights the Conflicts Between Federal, State, and Local Labor Laws,” Louisiana Law Review, 79 La. L. Rev. (2019)
Foley Advises HonorHealth in Acquisition of Steward Health Care Facilities
Massachusetts Joins the Pay Transparency Trend
A Snapshot Of The Evolving Restrictive Covenant Landscape
Foley Advises mdf commerce in Agreement to be Acquired by KKR
Washington, D.C.: Another Player in the Pay Transparency Trend
