Chris joined Hajjar Peters from an international Labor & Employment law boutique and brings a depth of L&E experience and expertise to the firm. He has spent the vast majority of his time practicing law in Texas with the exception of two years in Florida. In addition to his legal skills, Chris also brings his woodturning and woodworking skills to Hajjar Peters and serves as the firm’s Woodworker in Residence. Chris is also a “retired” orchestral percussionist and has performed with a number of major symphonies.

Labor & Employment Law:

Chris has represented management from small companies to Fortune 50 companies in all manner of employment matters from administrative charges to non-competition agreements to nationwide collective actions. He also regularly advise employers on their employment policies and procedures and helps craft those policies and procedures. He has vast experience handling matters arising under various state and federal labor statutes (including the FLSA, Title VII, EPA, ADA, FMLA, OSHA, ADEA, USERRA, and similar state statutes). Just a few of Chris’ accomplishments are as follows:

• Defended a large, publicly-traded retailer in a nationwide collective action brought under the FLSA challenging the overtime exemption for a class of its managers.
• Written employee handbooks, HR policies, investigation procedures, and ethics policies for a wide array of businesses with revenues in excess of $1 billion.
• Successfully enforced non-compete and non-solicitation agreements resulting in permanent injunctions in favor of the business and the recovery of resulting lost profits.

Federal Litigation and Compliance:

In addition to his expertise in Labor & Employment  Law , Chris also has compliance experience in  affirmative action , pay equity, and federal contractor compliance. Further, Chris is a very experienced federal court litigator. Chris has tried jury cases resulting in defense verdicts in every federal district in the State of Texas. He also brings a depth of federal compliance experience related to the banking industry, the trucking and transportation industry, and the construction industry. Just a few of Chris’ accomplishments are as follows:

• Represented large publicly-traded and privately-held plaintiff companies in an Antitrust case brought under the Sherman Act for collusion and price-fixing.
• Advised and successfully defended companies related to alleged architectural barrier violations brought under Title III of the ADA.
• Successfully represented his clients in proceedings and investigations before OSHA and the Department of Labor.

Mediation:

In addition to his legal practice representing clients in an advisory and adversarial setting, Chris is also a Certified Mediator in the State of Texas. He brings a unique perspective to the mediation table based on his having represented both individuals and companies in litigation, having tried a multitude of jury trials, having served as a jury member in a four-week civil trial, and having worked in chambers for two federal judges. Chris uses this unique perspective, along with his keen abilities as a problem-solver and a communicator, to help parties reach a resolution to all kinds of disputes and conflicts.