DEPARTMENT PROFILE

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Labor & Employment

5 ranked lawyers

Band 2

Texas

USA 2021 View ranking table

chambers review

department information

Ranked Lawyers

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What the team is known for

Strong employment practice providing advice and counsel across a range of matters including internal investigations and complex class and collective actions. Draws on the firm's strong client base in the energy and natural resources industry, offering particular experience in MSHA and OSHA compliance and investigations. Also noted for its handling of the employment law implications of corporate transactions.

Strengths

A client says: "I am impressed by V&E's lawyers. They are knowledgeable, personable, responsive and excellent to work with because they truly partner with you on matters."

Work highlights

Advised Blackstone Infrastructure Partners on the labor and employment aspects of its $3.3 billion acquisition of a controlling interest in Tallgrass Energy.

Notable practitioners

Christopher Bacon 's wide-ranging labor and employment experience includes OSHA investigations and discrimination and whistle-blower disputes.
"He is perfectly bilingual and has tried cases in Latin America in Spanish." "He is very knowledgeable and easy to work with."

Sean Becker frequently assists clients with noncompetition issues, particularly in the context of corporate transactions.
"He is responsive and available when we have an unforeseen problem. His drafting is first-class and his advice and counsel are mature and experienced." "He is very experienced and we feel confident working with him on matters."

Thomas Wilson is noted for his experience with OSHA disputes. He also counsels employers on all aspects of managing a global workforce, which includes negotiating executive employment and exit agreements.
"His key strengths are the quickness of his response times and his full knowledge of labor and employment issues."

Vanessa Griffith is a respected labor and employment litigator with particular strength in wage and hour disputes.
"She is an excellent lawyer who knows the law inside and out, is a very good communicator, very well prepared and collegial." "Very smart, very competent and very good in negotiations."

Carl Jordan has a wealth of experience representing employers in high-stakes disputes and internal investigations.
"He is extraordinarily bright and a good boardroom lawyer."

Department Information

This content is provided by Vinson & Elkins LLP.

Overview

V&E’s Employment, Labor & OSHA practice includes a mix of litigation, advising, and transactional work. Lawyers are counselors and trial lawyers who provide guidance with respect to some of our clients’ most sensitive matters, lead internal investigations, and litigate employment-related matters that include complex class and collective actions, unfair competition disputes (including those related to non-competition, employee raiding, and misappropriation of confidential information), discrimination and harassment claims, whistleblower actions, employee benefit-related litigation, labor grievances, and matters arising from health and safety issues and workplace accidents. Our lawyers also are members of our corporate deal teams, and play lead roles with respect to employment-related due diligence, drafting executive employment agreements, structuring non-competition arrangements, and drafting and negotiating the employment aspects of transaction agreements.

To learn more about our practice, please visit: https://www.velaw.com/series/managing-the-modern-workplace/