Dawn S. Holiday

Labor & Employment (Advice and Counsel, Investigations and Litigation)

• Won AAA arbitration in 2022 on claimant’s wrongful termination claim; prevailed on counter-claim and recovered all costs and attorneys’ fees.
• Conducted investigation of retaliation and harassment complaints for city police department.
• Successfully conducted Title IX investigation for community college system.
• Successfully represented national staffing agency in contractual dispute related to staffing agreements, employee compensation and commissions
• Obtained dismissal of lawsuit against a national healthcare company in class action suit for unpaid wages under the FLSA
• Successfully defended Texas school district in FLSA retaliation suit brought by former employee
• Settled numerous suits against national employers for wrongful termination, harassment, hostile work environment and discrimination based on race, age, disability and gender
• Counseled and represented employers on issues implicating the Family Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities, Act, Workers’ Compensation, paid/unpaid sick leave, and Families First Coronavirus Response Act
• Successfully obtained injunctive relief for employers in non-competition litigation involving forensics investigation of computer systems, virtual environments and electronic devices

Trial & Appellate

• Served as lead appellate counsel for appeals at the state and federal court levels on professional liability matters
• Successfully defended multi-million claims against intermediate care facilities on Chapter 74 Health Care liability claims for wrongful death and survival, traumatic brain injuries and catastrophic personal injury claims
• Negotiated settlements in multi-party suits involving professional negligence and breach of fiduciary duty claims against lawyers, accountants, realtors, insurers and healthcare facilities
• Represented licensed professionals before respective state boards for ethics investigations, disciplinary rule violations, state board rule violations and grievances

• Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers, 2020-2022
• The National Black Lawyers Top 100, 2020, 2021
• H Texas Top Lawyers of Houston, 2020
• “Top 100,” The National Black Lawyers, 2019, 2021
• Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, 2019-2021
• AV Preeminent, Martindale-Hubbell
• Selected, Texas Rising Stars, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2012-2018
• Selected, Who’s Who in Black Houston
• Selected, International Women’s Leadership Association
• Houston Young Lawyers Association Leadership Academy Graduate
• Leadership Montgomery County Class of 2017
• Selected, National Bar Association’s Top 40 Under 40

Publications

• “Why Are Diversity & Inclusion Programs Missing the Mark on Meaningful Change?” Texas Lawyer (September 2021)

Speaking Engagements

• “Leaders of Color: The Changing Landscape,” Centerforce USA’s The Women in Legal & Corporate Leadership Summit: Houston (2020)
• “Buried Silver: Confidentiality Orders and Issues with Sealed Documents,” Houston Bar Association’s 2019 Civil/Appellate Bench Bar Conference (2019)
• “Trust Me, I’m A Lawyer: Ethical Considerations of Attorney Marketing,” Texas Minority Attorney Program CLE (2018)
• Women in Law and Leadership Houston, Speaker (2018)
• “Confusion Amongst Texas Courts: When Can Insureds Recover Policy Benefits for Statutory Violations?” Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC First Look – Winter Issue 2018
• “When Lawyers Get Sued, Who’s Got Your Back: The Ends and Outs of Legal Malpractice in Texas,” The Woodlands Bar Association Ethics CLE (2017)
• How Does the New Texas Open Carry Law Affect Employers? (2016)
• Texas Supreme Court Examines Liability for Property Owners (2016)
• Texas Supreme Court Rules that General Contractor is Not a Seller Entitled to Statutory Indemnity (2016)
• “Enforcing Mediated Settlement Agreements,” Texas State Bar CLE (2014, 2015)
• “Legal Malpractice in Texas,” Texas State Bar CLE (2014)
• Don’t Be a Vegan at the Courthouse: Drafting Orders that Stick (2013)
• The Surveyor’s Guide to Contract Law in Texas (2013)
• Don’t Let the Data Byte You in the ASCII: Discovering E-Discovery in Texas (2012)

• The University of Houston Alumni Association Foundation, Board of Directors
• Houston Bar Association’s Teach Texas, Volunteer
• Houston Bar Association’s Constitutional Day Reading Program, Volunteer
• The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce
• The Woodlands Bar Association
• Houston Bar Association, Minority Opportunities in the Legal Profession Committee
• Texas Young Lawyers Association
• Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Class of 2018, Fellow
• Houston Young Lawyers Association, Lifetime Fellow
• Northland Christian School (term expires 2021), Board Member
• South Texas College of Law Black Alumni Chapter, Charter Member
• Houston Young Lawyers Foundation’s Adopt-An-Angel Program, Coordinator
• Greater Houston Partnership, Business Resource Group–Talent Resources Group
• Greater Houston Partnership, Business Resource Group–Women’s Business Alliance