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Christopher V. Bacon
Christopher V. Bacon
Counsel — Labor & Employment
E: cbacon@velaw.com T: +1.713.758.1148
VCard BIO PDF
Counsel — Labor & Employment

Christopher V. Bacon

Christopher V. Bacon
Houston
T: +1.713.758.1148
F: +1.713.615.5014

Texas Tower
845 Texas Avenue
Suite 4700
Houston, Texas 77002

New York
T: +1.713.758.1148
F: +1.713.615.5014

The Grace Building
1114 Avenue of the Americas
32nd Floor
New York, New York 10036

E: cbacon@velaw.com
VCard BIO PDF
start quote symbolI used to say that what I liked most about my job was trying cases. I still get a rush whenever I try a case to a jury, but when I really think about what I love most about being a labor and employment lawyer it's my long lasting friendships with talented human resources leaders who have trusted me to be a part of their team.end quote symbol
Christopher V. Bacon

Chris’ practice is primarily devoted to litigating employment matters on behalf of private employers. He has tried nearly 50 cases in front of judges and juries in both federal and state court in multiple jurisdictions, and has argued more than a dozen times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Chris often represents clients in governmental investigations and administrative proceedings brought under the National Labor Relations Act, the Occupational Safety Health Act (OSHA), and the Mine Safety Health Act (MSHA). Because of his familiarity with international employment law, and his fluency in Spanish and French, clients in Europe and Latin America seek Chris’ advice when doing business abroad. He also counsels clients looking to hire foreign workers in the United States on immigration issues.

Experience Highlights

  • (E.D. Tex.); (5th Cir.) — Represented a client in a complex race discrimination class action trial involving in excess of 600 employees (co-counsel)

  • Counseled an international offshore drilling services provider on cross-border employment issues and international assignments

  • Advised a global oilfield services company on a discrimination claim involving international assignments

  • Counseled a global chemical company in international labor and employment matters

  • Advised the Houston Grand Opera in negotiating collective bargaining agreements and labor contracts

  • Advise energy companies, including a large multinational oil and gas company, in multiple OSHA and MSHA investigations

  • Advised a metal technology company in MSHA investigations into serious injuries related to an accident

Credentials

  • Harvard School of Law, J.D. cum laude, 1990
  • University of Houston, B.A. summa cum laude, 1979; M.Ed., Mathematics Education, 1982
  • Board Certified in Labor and Employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2001
  • Lawdragon, 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers, 2021
  • Chambers USA, Labor and Employment (Texas), 2006–2022
  • Selected to the Texas Super Lawyers List, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2003–2020 and 2022
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), “Lawyer of the Year,” (Houston): Employment Law–Management, 2023; Labor Law–Management, 2023
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), (Houston): Employment Law–Management, 2019–2023; Labor Law–Management, 2019–2023; Litigation–Labor and Employment, 2022 and 2023
  • Adjunct Professor, University of Houston Law Center, “Sexual Orientation and the Law”
  • Texas
  • New York
  • United States Supreme Court
  • U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Fifth and District of Columbia Circuits
  • U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas
  • “V&E Changemakers: Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality,” V&E Pride Month Panel, June 2020 (panelist)
  • “COVID-19 and Cross-Border Furloughs and RIFs,” State Bar of Texas International Law Section Webinar, July 8, 2020 (speaker)
  • “Supreme Court Sides With Comcast in Race Discrimination Lawsuit,” Media Law Resource Center, MediaLawLetter, April 2020 (co-author)
  • “Ninth Annual Hydraulic Fracturing Symposium,” V&E Houston Office, October 3, 2019 (speaker)
  • “Eighth Annual Hydraulic Fracking Symposium,” V&E Houston Office, October 3, 2018 (speaker)
  • “Jury Bias in the Trump Era,” 29th Annual Labor and Employment Law Institute, August 25, 2018 (speaker)
  • “Legal Challenges for Managing Contractors,” 31st Annual Environmental, Health & Safety Seminar, June 4, 2018 (presenter)
  • “Answers to Tough HR Questions,” What’s Working in Human Resources, May 16, 2018 (quoted)
  • “Employment Law for Non-profit Managers,” Rice University’s Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership, May 5, 2018
  • “#MeToo in the Energy Industry,” Energy Series, V&E Houston Office, April 26, 2018 (speaker)
  • “Emerging Legal Protections for LGBT Employees,” Houston Bar Association Labor & Employment Section, March 22, 2018
  • “Workplace Issues: LGBTQ,” National Academy Of Arbitrator’s Annual Labor-Management Conference, February 16, 2018
  • “Labor Law Update & FLSA Trends,” Greater Heights Chamber Breakfast, August 10, 2017
  • “V&E and ERM Roundtable: How Best to Deliver Business Outcomes in a Safe and Sustainable Manner,” July 20, 2017 (speaker)
  • “Emerging Trends in Enforcement Under PSM,” 30th Annual Environmental, Health & Safety Seminar, June 5-8, 2017 (speaker)
  • “Time to Revisit Employer Confidentiality and Release Agreements,” V&E Employment, Labor and OSHA Update E-communication, October 12, 2016 (co-author)
  • “Cross Border Issues,” State Bar of Texas Labor & Employment Law Section, 26th Annual Labor and Employment Law Institute, September 18-19, 2015 (co-presenter)
  • “Sexual Orientation & the Law,” The General Counsel Forum, September 2, 2015 (co-speaker)
  • “What General Counsel and Other Corporate Lawyers Need to Know About OSHA and MSHA Compliance in 2014,” Corporate Counsel Section of the State Bar of Texas Newsletter, Winter 2014 (author)
  •  “How an Employer Is Organized Can Determine How Vulnerable It Is to Union Organizing,” V&E Employment, Labor and OSHA Update E-communication, August 6, 2014 (co-author)
  • “Employers: Take Care in Crafting Confidentiality Clauses,” Law360, April 17, 2014 (author)
  • “Fifth Circuit Finds Employer Confidentiality Rule Could Chill Employee’s Exercise of Their Section 7 Rights,” V&E Employment, Labor and OSHA Update E-communication, April 1, 2014 (author)
  • “Employers Must Post OSHA Form 300A by February 1 or Risk Penalties,” V&E Employment, Labor and OSHA Update E-communication, January 30, 2014 (author)
  • “U.S. Supreme Court Winds Down 2013 Term with Two Pro-employer Decisions,” V&E Employment, Labor and OSHA Update E-communication, June 24, 2013 (co-author)
  • “Second Quarter 2011 Labor and Employment Law Developments,” V&E Labor and Employment Law E-communication, August 2, 2011 (co-author)
  • “New I-129 Form Imposes Export Controls Certification Requirement on U.S. Employers,” V&E Export Controls and Economic Sanctions E-communication, February 17, 2011 (co-author)
  • “Wage and Hour Issues for the Experienced Practitioner,” Labor Relations/Human Resources Conference, National Petroleum Refiners Association, May 26, 2010
  • “Statistical Proof,” in Employment Discrimination Law (4th Ed.), 2007 (co-author and co-editor)
  • “Disparate Treatment,” “The Civil Rights Act of 1866 and 1871,” and “EEOC Administrative Process,” (three chapters) Supplement to Employment Discrimination Law (3rd Ed.), 1988 (principal co-author and co-editor)

News & Insights

CLE Event
Twelfth Annual Key Developments in Unconventional Oil & Gas
Hybrid Event
Shale & Fracking Tracker
October 12, 2022
CLE Credit
Rankings & Awards
Vinson & Elkins Achieves 292 Rankings in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings, LLC) 2023, Including 7 “Lawyer of the Year” Recognitions
August 18, 2022
Rankings & Awards
Lawdragon Names Five Vinson & Elkins Lawyers to 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers List
August 15, 2022
Insight
D.C. Circuit Weighs in on the NLRB’s Joint-Employer Standard
Managing the Modern Workplace
August 8, 2022