Information
Margaret A. Harris
Butler & Harris
1007 Heights Blvd.
Houston, TX 77008
713-526-5677
713-526-5691
margie@nela.org
About Me:
Partner, Butler & Harris
Margaret A. Harris
Butler & Harris
1007 Heights Boulevard
Houston, Texas 77009
713.526.5677
713.526.5677 (facsimile)
margie@igc.org
Admitted to
Texas bar (1981)
U.S. Supreme Court (1992)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
Education
University of Texas (B.B.A., 1975)
University of Houston (J.D., magna cum laude, 1981)
Professional Practice
Partner, Butler & Harris, 1988 to present
(trial and appellate practice, primarily employment law)
Associate, Nelkin & Nelkin, 1984 to 1988
(trial and appellate practice, primarily employment law)
Law Clerk to U.S. District Court Judge George Cire, Houston, 1981-1983
Book Contribution
Model Jury Instructions, Employment Litigation (2d edition), American Bar Association, Section of Litigation (2005)
Spriggs, Representing Plaintiffs in Title VII Actions (co-author of Chapter 5, Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment) (2d ed. 1998 & Supp.).
Honors
Member, Board of Governors and Fellow, College of Labor & Employment Lawyers, Inc.
Top 50 Women Lawyers in the State of Texas, 2003, 2004, 2005 Texas Monthly Poll
Named 1 of the 16 top labor and employment lawyers in Texas. Texas Lawyer February 27, 2001. “All in a Day's Work – Texas' Go-To Labor and Employment Practitioners.”
“Houston’s Best Lawyers (Employment Law),” Inside Houston Magazine, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004.
Inclusion in BestLawyers.com in 2006 (and preceding 9 years)
Professional Activities
Member, Executive Board, National Employment Lawyers Association (1995-2005); Secretary, 1999-2001; Treasurer, 2001-2003; Vice President, 2003-2005.
President, Texas Employment Lawyers Association (1995-2000); Member, Board of Directors (1995 to present).
Co-Chair, American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Employment and Labor Relations Law Committee (2002-2004)
Member, Executive Board, Workplace Fairness (2001-2004).
Co-Chair, Litigating Harassment Claims, National Employment Lawyers Association Seminar, March 2005, Chicago, Illinois.
Co-Chair, Litigating Harassment & Hostile Work Environment Claims, National Employment Lawyers Association Seminar, March 2001, San Diego, California.
Co-Chair, Employment Litigation Skills Training Program, American Bar Association, State Bar of Texas Labor and Employment Law Sections, November 2000, Houston, Texas.
Founder and Co-Chair, Sexual Harassment Committee, National Employment Lawyers Association
Co-Chair, Eighth Annual Conference, National Employment Lawyers Association, 1998, Monterrey, California.
List of CLE Presentations and Papers Authored:
An Overview of Sexual and Racial Harassment Law Under Title VII, National Employment Lawyers Association, 2004 Annual Conference, San Antonio, Texas (joint presentation)
How to Get Beyond Summary Judgment and to a Jury in an Employment Disability Discrimination Claim, Employment and Insurance Issues for People with Disabilities, State Bar of Texas, 2004
“Curtain Call,” Trial Skills for the Plaintiff’s Employment Lawyer, National Employment Lawyers Association, Atlanta, Georgia, 2003
The Breadth of Relevance, The Limit of Unfairness, State Bar of Texas, Eleventh Annual Advanced Employment Law Course, 2003
An Overview of Sexual Harassment Law, Hawaii State Bar Association, Honolulu, Hawaii, October 2002
Using Evidentiary Rulings from Criminal Law in a Plaintiff’s Employment Practice, Fifth Circuit Conference of the National Employment Lawyers Association, 2002
Dealing with the Inevitable: A Practical Guide to Avoiding Summary Judgments in Employment Dispute Cases, National Employment Lawyers Association, 2002 Annual Conference, Orlando, Florida
Getting to Settlement: The Plaintiff’s Perspective, The University of Texas School of Law, Ninth Annual Conference on Labor & Employment Law, May 2002
High Tech Harassment: How to Address Hostile Workplace Claims Based on E-mail and Internet Usage, American Bar Association, 2001 Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, August 2001 (moderator)
State Law Torts Update, The University of Texas School of Law, Eighth Annual Conference on Labor & Employment Law, May 2001
Obtaining and Avoiding Summary Judgments in the Aftermath of Ellerth and Faragher, ABA National Institute on “Evaluating and Litigating Harassment Claims in the 21st Century, Chicago, Illinois, November 2000
Employment Torts: Recent Developments in Cases of Intentional Infliction, Defamation, Assault, Invasion of Privacy, and Negligent Supervision/Hiring, South Texas College of Law, 2000 Labor and Employment Law Course
Sexual Harassment Update – How to Prevail, The Hawaii Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association, Fifth Annual Seminar on Winning Tips for Plaintiffs’ Employment Litigation, 2000
Avoiding Summary Judgment: Practical Tips and Current Developments, Georgia Employment Lawyers Association, Ninth Annual Employment Litigation Conference, 1999
Avoiding Summary Judgment in the Fifth Circuit, Fifth Circuit Conference of the National Employment Lawyers Association, 1999
Workplace Privacy/Surveillance, The University of Texas School of Law, Sixth Annual Conference on Labor & Employment Law, 1999
Sexual Harassment Law Post-Faragher, Ellerth & Gebser, National Employment Lawyers Association, Seminar: Selected Issues in Gender Discrimination in the Workplace, 1999
Remedies in Employment Cases, Tarrant County Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section, 1999
Sexual Harassment: Views from the Plaintiff's and Defendant's Perspectives, University of Texas School of Law, Fifth Annual Conference on Labor and Employment Law, 1998
Update on Discovery and Evidence in Employment Cases, State Bar of Texas, Sixth Annual Advanced Employment Law Course, 1997-98
Mental Examinations and Motions in Limine, National Employment Lawyers Association, 1997 Annual Convention
An Overview of Damages in Employment Cases, The University of Texas School of Law, Fourth Annual Conference on Labor and Employment Law, 1997
Winning (and Defeating) Motions for Summary Judgment, South Texas College of Law, Employment Law, 1997
Update on Sexual Harassment, State Bar of Texas, Labor & Employment Law Section, 1997 Annual Conference
Summary Judgment Practice in Employment Cases, State Bar of Texas, Fifth Annual Advanced Employment Law Course, 1996
Strategies in Defending Summary Judgment Motions, National Employment Lawyers Association, 1996 Annual Convention
The Use and Abuse of Summary Judgment Motions In Employment Law Cases, The University of Texas School of Law, Third Annual Conference on Labor and Employment Law, 1996
Hot Tips in Sexual Harassment Litigation, National Employment Lawyers Association, Sexual Harassment Litigation Seminar, 1996
Handling & Trying a Sexual Harassment Case, South Texas College of Law, Labor & Employment Law Institute, 1995
and others.
Professional Memberships
National Employment Lawyers Association
Member, National Executive Board, 1995-present
Founder and Vice Chair, Sexual Harassment Committee
Texas Employment Lawyers Association
Immediate Past President
Member, Organizing Board
American Bar Association
Section of Litigation
Co-Chair, Employment & Labor Relations Law Committee (former)
Houston Bar Association
Chair, Labor & Employment Law Section, 1998-1999
Council, 1995-2002
American Trial Lawyers Association
Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Georgia Employment Lawyers Association
Houston Employment Lawyers Association
State Bar of Texas
