Christopher E. Howe has 20 years experience representing employers in state and federal trials (both jury and non-jury), in state and federal appellate courts, in labor and employment arbitration, and before administrative agencies such as the Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board.

A graduate of Yale University and The William & Mary Law School, Mr. Howe’s practice concentration in labor, employment and ERISA focuses on the representation of management and has included the following: defending discrimination, harassment, and retaliation lawsuits; defending claims brought under federal whistle-blower statutes; interpretation and enforcement of trade secret and non-compete agreements and obtaining temporary injunctions to stop the breach of contractual duties; preparation of employment agreements; employment benefit litigation under ERISA; representation in union organizational campaigns and defending unfair labor practice charges; negotiating collective bargaining agreements; and advocating management decisions in labor arbitration. Mr. Howe also represents management in administrative actions brought by the Department of Labor under wage and hour and whistle-blower laws, by OSHA under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and by the Texas Workforce Commission under the Texas Payday Act. He advises and counsels management in a wide variety of employment-related issues and in avoiding employment litigation. Mr. Howe and other attorneys in the Labor and Employment practice group frequently conduct in-house seminars on the foregoing issues for the benefit of employer clients.

• Lead counsel at trial and on appeal of significant covenant-not-to-compete case in which both the trial and appellate courts found enforceable our client's covenant-not-to-compete agreement. Rattikin Title Company v. O'Brien, 2006 WL 417237 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth Feb. 23, 2006) (No. 2-05-238-CV), review dismissed w.o.j. (June 23, 2006)
• Lead counsel in significant labor arbitration case in which the trial and appellate courts overturned a flawed labor arbitrator's decision against our client. Int'l Union of Operating Eng'rs, Local 351 v. Cooper Natural Res., Inc., 163 F.3d 916 (5th Cir. 1999)
• Lead counsel in successfully defending clients at trial and arbitration, including whistleblower claims, retaliation claims, and labor agreement claims
• Lead counsel in obtaining successful jury verdict for our client against an entity for theft and deceptive trade practices
• Lead counsel at trial in successfully defending against a claim of whistleblower retaliation in a case brought under a federal whistleblower statute
• Lead counsel in jury trial successfully defending against claims of workers compensation retaliation
• Lead counsel in jury trial that succeeded in obtaining full damages for our client against a service vendor who engaged in deceptive trade practices
• Successfully obtained summary judgment in favor of a client against the claims of two employees discharged for inappropriate postings on social media
• Has successfully represented employers in matters before the National Labor Relations Board, including unfair labor practice proceedings
• Has advised employers in union elections leading to votes against the union
• Experience under both the National Labor Relations Act and Railway Labor Act

• Tarrant County Bar Association
• Fort Worth Academy, Board Member
• Guardian Services of Tarrant County, Texas, Board advisor on employment law issues
• Jesuit Volunteer Corp: South, Past Board member
• Governor's office, Assistant Director of Appointments, Past Board Member,1991- 1995

• William and Mary Law School, J.D., 1986
• Yale University, B.A., 1980

• State Bar of Texas, 1986
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Northern District
• U.S. District Court, Southern District
• U.S. District Court, Western District
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District
• Past Board member and Vice-Chair, The State Bar of Texas Standing Committee on Paralegals

• Speaker, "New Developments in Social Media Law", Webinar, 2012
• Speaker, "The National Labor Relations Act – What the Non-Union Employer Needs to Know," Labor and Employment Law Conference, Fort Worth, 2001
• Speaker, "Sexual and Other Forms of Harassment," Labor and Employment Law Conference, Fort Worth, 2001