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BRYAN C. COLLINS
CLOUSE DUNN KHOSHBIN LLP
214.220.3888 (main)
214.220.3833 (fax)
bcollins@cdklawyers.com
AREAS OF EXPERIENCE Business, Employment
BOARD CERTIFICATIONS
Labor & Employment Law
Texas Board of Legal Specialization
EDUCATION
J.D., UT Law School, 1984
Texas Law Review
B.A., Stanford University;
Stanford-in-France, 1981
JUDICIAL CLERKSHIP
Law Clerk to Hon. Robert M.
Hill, U.S. Fifth Circuit
Court of Appeals 1984-85
COURT ADMISSIONS
Mr. Collins was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1984 and
was subsequently admitted to practice before all Texas Courts, all Federal District Courts in Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court
HONORS AND AWARDS
Honored as a Texas "Super Lawyer" by Texas Monthly, in 2003 and 2004
Board Certified: Labor & Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1997
AV Rating Received from
Martindale Hubbell
Fellow, Dallas Bar Association
Legal Services Foundation – Private Bar Involvement Award (Pro Bono Services)
ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
Adjunct Professor, Southern Methodist University, Legal Environment of Business; 1992 |
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The Texas Connection
Bryan Collins is a second generation Texan, born in Dallas in 1958. After graduating as senior class president and lettering in four sports at St. Mark’s School of Texas, he returned to Texas for law school and thereafter surprised the skeptics by both practicing law and maintaining his close-to-scratch golf handicap.
Recognized Labor and Employment Expertise
Mr. Collins has been repeatedly recognized by Texas Monthly as a Texas "Super Lawyer".
He has assisted human resources personnel, owners, executives and in-house attorneys of companies ranging in size from 5 to 40,000 employees and provided counsel on all employment law issues including: termination decisions, workforce reductions, EEOC, DOL, OFCCP and state agency investigations, internal investigations, sexual harassment claims, discrimination and retaliation claims, non-competition, non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements, performance improvement programs, compensation and benefit plans, mediation and arbitration agreements, and employee policies and procedures.
Mr. Collins has successfully defended clients involved in virtually every type of employment dispute in arbitration, state and federal court and governmental administrative proceedings.
He has also developed and implemented risk reduction strategies for clients including management and employee training, performance improvement programs, dispute resolution procedures and mediation and arbitration agreements.
Mr. Collins has negotiated and drafted hundreds of contracts, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, settlement agreements, employee severance and release agreements and executive employment agreements incorporating change in control, stock option and deferred compensation provisions.
Litigation Results for Clients
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Tried to favorable jury verdicts numerous employee lawsuits including: Kelley v. McCleod,U.S.A. (suit by in-house counsel for wrongful discharge in violation of stay-put agreement);Norman v. Carrier Corporation (suit seeking lost wages, mental anguish and punitive damages resulting from discharge allegedly in retaliation for asserting a workers’ compensation claim). |
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Briefed and argued to trial and appellate courts numerous dispositive motions dismissing employee claims (including claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, overtime violations and workers’ compensation retaliation) seeking from $50,000 to $20 million in damages including: Sandstad v. CB Richard Ellis, Inc. (suit under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act for wrongful discharge brought by senior level executive seeking in excess of $2 million); King v. Associated Air Center (suit by company president for wrongful discharge, breach of employment contract and fraud seeking damages in excess of $20 million relating to plaintiff’s alleged interest in sale of the company). |
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Successfully arbitrated wrongful discharge claims, commission disputes and union grievances including: Sheet Metal Workers International Association v. Carrier Corporation (arbitration of union grievance that assembly-line workers were not paid properly in violation of special compensation plan and the collective bargaining agreement); Harrow v. Rocket Software (claim for sales commission in excess of $1 million). |
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Briefed the successful appeal in Parham v. Carrier Corporation that established the right of Texas employers to utilize neutral absence control policies. |
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Disclaimer
Past achievements are no guarantee of future results. Results depend on the facts of each case
Corporate Investigations
Fortune 500 companies have hired Mr. Collins to investigate sensitive corporate governance and other matters.
Representative Clients
Mr. Collins has represented I.B.M., CB Richard Ellis, Frito-Lay, Pizza Hut, Campbell Soup, Chubb, United Technologies Carrier, Metapath Software, Excel Telecommunications, Rocket Software and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
He has also represented bankers, brokers, physicians, venture capitalists, shareholders, partners, investors, agents and sales representatives, as well as founders of small to mid-cap companies.
His client representations span most industries including telecommunications, restaurants, securities, technology, manufacturing, healthcare and real estate.
Mr. Collins has negotiated favorable severance packages, employment contracts and partnership agreements. Both executives and companies have hired him to represent them in internal investigations and corporate governance matters.
Publications
Mr. Collins has been a contributing Editor and author of the Fair Labor Standards Act Chapter of the Texas Employment Law Handbook, published by the Texas Association of Business and utilized by hundreds of employers throughout Texas.
He has also authored numerous articles discussing significant employment law issues including: the impact of the 2004 amendments to the FLSA overtime regulations; good hiring practices, avoiding punitive damages, drafting enforceable arbitration agreements, benefiting from alternative dispute resolution, drafting executive compensation agreements, enforcing non-competition agreements, and conducting workforce reductions.
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