Profile

Julie is an experienced litigation attorney in Chamberlain’s Houston office. She has substantial experience defending employers nationwide in wage and hour class and collective action lawsuits, including matters involving allegations of misclassification of employees and failure to pay overtime. She has also defeated class certification and has obtained decertification of collective actions in overtime and other wage-related cases.

Julie has successfully defended employers in all aspects of employment litigation, including disputes over breach of contract, trade secret misappropriation, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and retaliation. In many cases, she has obtained complete dismissal for clients on summary judgment.

She has also secured victories for clients on appeal in state and federal courts and has extensive appellate experience having represented clients before the Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth United States Circuit Courts of Appeals and several state appellate courts.

In addition to handling state and federal cases, Julie represents clients in investigations by administrative agencies, including the EEOC, the Texas Workforce Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Department of Labor.

Julie is passionate about helping clients navigate complex issues and achieve their employment-related compliance and business objectives. She is a trusted advisor to local and national firm clients and routinely provides day-to-day employment advice to executives, managers, and human resources professionals on a full range of topics, including hiring and termination practices, workplace complaints and internal investigations, FMLA and ADA leave and accommodation, classifying and paying workers in compliance with wage laws, employment contracts, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, employment handbooks and policies, as well as other employment matters that employers face on a regular basis.

Prior to joining Chamberlain, Julie clerked for Justice Phil Johnson of the Texas Supreme Court.

SIGNIFICANT MATTERS

• Represented a national retailer in dispute with National Labor Relations Board regarding legality of a class waiver provision in its company arbitration clause. After unfavorable ruling from the NLRB, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed, finding the class waiver provision was legal. Cellular Sales of Missouri, LLC v. Nat'l Labor Relations Bd., 15-1620, 2016 WL 3093363 (8th Cir. June 2, 2016).
• Represented a corporation in an FLSA lawsuit filed in federal court in Missouri. Obtained dismissal of the former employee’s claims against the parent company and its Chief Executive Officer. Successfully compelled the remaining claims against a subsidiary to arbitration, which resulted in favorable settlement.
• Successfully compelled multi-plaintiff FLSA and state wage law case to arbitration and obtained dismissal of state wage law claims and FLSA retaliation claims.
• Successfully compelled arbitration of FLSA retaliation lawsuit filed in New York federal court and obtained a complete defense verdict.
• Successfully appealed a trial court’s denial of a plea to the jurisdiction, which resulted in the Houston Fourteenth Court of Appeals rendering a judgment dismissing the plaintiff’s disability claim with prejudice.
• Successfully appealed a trial court’s order denying arbitration of a partnership dispute to the Houston First Court of Appeals.
• Obtained an order from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals staying a temporary restraining order that prohibited a law firm from providing services to clients.
• Obtained summary judgment in an insurance company’s favor on numerous claims by a former employee, including claims for age and race discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation filed in federal court in the Southern District of Texas.
• Obtained complete dismissal of a former employee’s age discrimination claims and drafted the appellate brief to the Houston Fourteenth Court of Appeals, which affirmed the client’s judgment.
• Obtained complete dismissal of a former employee’s disability and retaliation discrimination claims filed in federal court in the Western District of Texas.
• Obtained complete dismissal of race discrimination and retaliation claims filed against a wellhead equipment manufacturer in federal court in the Southern District of Texas.
• Obtained temporary restraining order and injunction on behalf of distributor of electrical components, enjoining former employee from working for a competitor, servicing the client’s customers, interfering with the client’s relationship with customers and suppliers, and using or disclosing the client’s confidential information.
• Obtained a temporary restraining order and injunction in Texas state court on behalf of a systems management provider, enjoining a former employee from working for a competitor and enjoining both the former employee and her new employer from marketing certain products, soliciting the client’s customers, or using the client’s confidential information.
• Obtained a temporary restraining order and injunction in Texas state court on behalf of distributor of hydraulic products, enjoining a former employee from contacting and doing business with the client’s customers.

Professional Affiliations

• Houston Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• State Bar of Texas, Labor and Employment Section

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