Michael Gaston-Bell, who has litigated employment disputes in state and federal courts across the country, has returned to Haynes and Boone, LLP as a counsel in the Dallas office.
Michael represents clients on a range of critical matters, including noncompete agreements and disputes involving Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
He also advises employers and top-level corporate leadership on how to interpret state and federal regulations and on other complex employment affairs, including, most recently, how to safely on-board employees who have worked remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michael worked at Haynes and Boone from 2018 through early 2020. Most recently, he served as a special counsel in Katten’s Dallas office, where he spearheaded the office’s labor and employment practice.
“We could not be more thrilled to welcome Michael back to the firm,” said Melissa Goodman, a partner in Haynes and Boone’s Labor and Employment Practice. “Our clients will benefit tremendously from his experience representing corporations in and out of court on cutting-edge issues.”
D Magazine selected Michael in 2021 as one of Dallas’ Best Lawyers Under 40. Michael was also elected in 2021 to be a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. Additionally, he serves as a director of the Texas Young Lawyers Association and is active in community and bar initiatives, including working to mentor young lawyers and promote diversity in the profession. He previously was a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s Fellows and Pathfinders program, which prepares diverse lawyers for leadership roles in the profession.
“I was drawn back to Haynes and Boone by the strength of its Labor and Employment team and the resources that the firm devotes to the practice, which I grew to appreciate even more while I was gone,” Michael said. “This is a really exciting and interesting time to be a labor and employment attorney, and I can’t wait to help Haynes and Boone continue to develop its practice.”
Haynes and Boone handles complex labor and employment matters facing management teams across the country, representing both domestic and international businesses in a variety of industries, including energy, aviation, retail, healthcare, finance, manufacturing and construction. In 2021, Benchmark Litigation (Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC) recognized five Haynes and Boone partners in its list of the nation’s leading labor and employment lawyers.
Haynes and Boone is an international corporate law firm with offices in Texas, New York, California, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Washington, D.C., London, Mexico City and Shanghai, providing a full spectrum of legal services in energy, technology, financial services and private equity. With 600 lawyers, Haynes and Boone is ranked among the largest U.S.-based firms by The National Law Journal, The American Lawyer and The Lawyer. It also was recognized across the board for excellence in the BTI Consulting Group’s 2020 “A-Team” report, which identifies the law firms that in-house counsel commend for providing superior client service.