WHAT WE DO
Investigations
Get to the bottom of it.
When other law firms need independent counsel to investigate sensitive matters for their trusted clients, they call us. We have been engaged by preeminent law firms and clients directly to investigate sensitive complaints of harassment, retaliation, discrimination, misappropriation, as well as other illegal and unethical conduct involving the CEO, HR executives, in-house lawyers and other high-ranking corporate and legal executives. We typically travel across the US and Europe to investigate these complex allegations. The lawyers who retain us trust us to report our comprehensive findings to the highest levels of the company such as CEOs and boards of directors. The clients, which must remain confidential, range from well-known tech start-ups to huge multi-national, publicly traded companies.
Agreements & Policies
Get it in writing.
One of the best mechanisms for protecting your business is to have strong, written agreements with your employees, contractors and business partners, as well as solid, written personnel policies. We draft all employment-related agreements, including non-disclosure, non-competition, proprietary information and invention, employment, independent contractor, retention, severance and separation. Our agreements and policies are written in plain English, without the cumbersome “lawyer-talk.” Also, for a reasonable flat fee, we will revise your existing employee handbook or draft a new one that is tailored to your business. We have developed short, to-the-point employment handbooks for cutting edge, growing companies. Contact us to discuss a flat fee audit of your agreements and policies.
Counseling & Employee Complaint Investigations
Expert advice when it counts.
When issues arise with your workforce, don’t hesitate to call us. Early intervention is key to preventing expensive litigation. We will help you make the correct personnel decisions in light of the web of federal, state and local laws and regulations that govern your workplace.
Training
Bringing the know-how to your workforce.
Having the right documents is just the first step in preventing litigation. Your employees need to know your policies as well as the legal requirements that apply to your business, and understand how to apply them in your workplace. We have done training sessions for our clients on a variety of topics such as anti-harassment and discrimination (including EEOC-mandated training); trade secret protection and confidentiality; computer usage, including social media, web browsing and e-mail; best hiring practices; workplace investigations; effective employee documentation and record keeping; discipline and discharge; wage and hour compliance; workplace leave and disability; and labor relations and union avoidance. And let’s face it—training, though necessary, can be boring. We have developed lively training that is customizable for each client’s business. Talk to us about bringing this resource to your workplace for a flat fee.
Litigation
When experience matters.
At Hutcheson Bowers, we have experience litigating and arbitrating cases involving discrimination, harassment and retaliation under the myriad of state and federal employment regulations; theft of trade secrets; non-competition and non-disclosure agreements; inevitable disclosure; tortious interference; employee raiding; claims for severance, compensation, bonus and commissions; breach of contract; fraudulent misrepresentation; breach of fiduciary duty; plant closings, mass layoffs and WARN Act; defamation; labor arbitrations and union strikes; and FLSA and other wage and hour issues.
Based in Austin, Texas, we have litigated in state and federal court virtually all over Texas, including in the following counties: Travis (Austin), Harris (Houston), Dallas, Tarrant (Fort Worth), Bexar (San Antonio), Bowie (Texarkana), Cameron (Brownsville), Collin (Plano), Comal (New Braunfels), Denton, El Paso, Galveston, Grayson (Sherman/Denison), Hidalgo (McAllen), Kaufman (Terrell), McClennan (Waco), Midland, Nueces (Corpus Christi), Smith (Tyler), Tom Green (San Angelo), and Williamson (Round Rock). Our attorneys are all licensed in Texas but have also litigated cases in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Missouri and Virginia. The firm’s lawyers also have extensive appellate experience, including briefing and arguing before the Third Court of Appeals and United States Circuit Court for the Fifth Circuit.
Local Counsel/Individual Defendant Counsel
Austin experience.
Our partners, Shannon Hutcheson and Allison Bowers, began their careers as general litigators, handling a broad range of cases including hostile takeover, patent disputes, professional malpractice defense, environmental claims, real estate disputes, fiduciary litigation, sale of business disputes, breach of contract and complex insurance disputes. As a result, other lawyers hire us to act as local counsel in all different kinds of litigation. As long-time Austinites, we understand the culture, jury pool, and political climate of Travis and surrounding counties. In addition, the firm has extensive federal courthouse experience. All of us have practiced in federal court; Allison and Stacy Rogers Sharp served as clerks to the Honorable Lee Yeakel, federal judge for the Western District; and Stacy has served as the President of the Austin Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Our familiarity with the “big firm” environment adds yet another dimension to our legal representation—larger firms routinely hire us to represent individual defendants when there is a conflict because we know how to operate within the confines of a traditional, “big law” firm.
