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Areas of Practice:

• Commercial Litigation
• General Litigation
• Transportation Law
• Labor and Employment Litigation 

Admissions:

• State Bar of Texas
  
• United States District Courts for the Southern District of Texas
  
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Education:

Professional Affiliations:

• State Bar of Texas
  
• Houston Bar Association
  
• American Health Lawyers Association
  
• Texas Surplus Lines Association
  
• Independent Insurance Agents of Houston
  
• Texas Funeral Directors' Association
  
• Texas Association of Responsible Nonsubscribers
• Texas Alliance of Nonsubscribers

Biography:

Mr. Grubbs is a member of the firm's commercial litigation, general litigation, transportation and labor and employment law sections.  He has considerable first-chair trial experience in State and Federal Court, and arbitrated matters.  He has prepared briefing and conducted oral arguments before several Texas Courts of Appeals and to the Texas Supreme Court.  Mr. Grubbs has managed over 200 OSHA investigations for employers throughout the United States including litigation against the Solicitors Office for the U.S. Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

He is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Example Cases:

Commercial Litigation:

• Represent a wide variety of industries from first and third party claims alleging premises liability, negligence, products liability, slips and falls, auto/transportation liability, DTPA, and intentional tort claims.
  
• Handles first and third party property and casualty, employment, trucking/cargo and general liability claims for Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's of London.  Familiar with the London market and the underwriting/brokerage process at Lloyd's.
• Experience in litigation from a variety of administrative claims brought by agencies such as the EPA, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, U.S. Chemical and Safety Hazard Investigation Board, Merit Systems Protection Board, Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas, and the Texas Board of Medical Examiners.
  
• Regularly provide counsel to licensed funeral directors, funeral home operators, cemeteries, crematoriums and licensed embalmers from professional liability claims and licensure claims brought against them by the Texas Funeral Service Commission.

General Litigation:

• Successfully defended physicians and nurses in medical malpractice, product liability and intentional tort claims.  Tried several such claims to successful jury verdicts.
• Defended construction firm in mass-tort litigation involving Benzene and Chromium exposure.
• Defend trucking and marine companies from suits alleging losses to cargo and other property under Carmack and other similar statues.
• Represent insurance carriers in property and casualty claims involving homeowners policies due to water intrusion and other property claims.

Labor/Employment Litigation:

• Manage large litigation docket of employers' liability for gross negligence lawsuits concerning workplace safety/health and employee fatality claims arising under Tex. Labor Code, Sec. 408.001(b) in state and federal courts.
  
• Represented industrial employers during OSHA--DOL inspections and litigation from the initial inspection through formal hearings and appeals to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
  
• Regularly defend nonsubscribing Texas corporations from claims alleging injuries and fatalities to employees.  Frequent lecturer on nonsubscriber law in Texas.
  
• Advised numerous funeral directors, funeral homes and cemeteries in labor and employment matters including EEOC and wage/hour/overtime (FLSA) matters.
  
• Assisted employers drafting and enforcing non-compete agreements, trade secret protection agreements and arbitration/alternative dispute resolution plans.  Provided on-site training and advice on issues of 'at-will' employment, Texas Workers Compensation Act, drug testing in the workplace, ADA, PDA, EPA, ADEA, new FLSA, Title VII and USERRA.
  
• Successfully defended employers from EEOC and Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division claims for alleged violations of Title VII including race/age/gender discrimination, wrongful termination and retaliation claims and defended employers from subsequent civil litigation alleging same.
  
• Litigated to successful conclusions several common law claims asserted against employers including theft of trade secrets, breach of employment agreement, wrongful termination, confidentiality agreement breaches, claimed noncompete agreement violations and retaliation for filing for workers' compensation claims.