Houston, Texas
When it comes to employment law, Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C. are the Houston Texas Labor & Employment Lawyers you can count on. Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C. is a boutique law firm located in Houston, Texas, that serves businesses throughout Harris County, Texas, and across the nation. Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C. provides employer side counsel and legal representation for all facets of Labor & Employment law and provides legal services for Government Contractors with state and federal government contracts compliance issues.
For over 50 years Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C., has provided management-side Labor and Employment legal representation for all Texas Employers. Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C., also provides legal counsel and representation services for local, state, and federal, Government Contractors that require nationwide, and global representation.
The labor and employment attorneys at Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C. counsel and advise Texas Employers on compliance issues for federal, state, and local employment laws. The goal of Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C. is to create workplace policies that mitigate and prevent potentially disruptive litigation issues that may occur from non-compliant employer work practices.
The focus of the attorneys at Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C. is to represent all employers and management side interest. Defend against claims from employment-related litigation. Respond to union organizing campaigns. Negotiate collective bargaining agreements and handle any administrative agency investigations.
Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C. prides itself on offering sound, practical, legal counsel. Our service to our clients is designed to mitigate disruptive labor and employment disputes. Since 1972 Neel Hooper & Banes P.C. has handled a wide variety of employment-related litigation cases and is experienced in management-labor relations matters.
For over 50 years now Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C. has provided legal representation for state and federal Labor and Employment law cases. Our Houston-based employment attorneys have a strong understanding of federal and state laws and most of all the experience to handle most common workplace issues and more. We have the skills and the knowledge necessary to take on cases involving:
Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C. also provides legal representation and guidance to Government Contractors who are trying to navigate the complex government contracting process this includes maintaining compliance issues that are usually associated with properly managing most government contracts.
Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C. prides itself on establishing long working client relationships with our clients. NHB Law firm offers legal representation to all size businesses, individuals and Federal Government Contractors. This includes small to mid-sized businesses.
Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C. has been a Member of the WorkLaw Network of premier boutique management-side labor and employment firms since the group was formed in the 1980s. Through this membership, NHB provides clients with an alternative to large national law firms by furnishing high-quality, cost-effective advice, representation, and personal attention.
There are many employer-side labor and employment attorneys for you to choose from if you live in Houston Texas, but questions about their qualifications, experience, and results will always come to mind. Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C. was founded back in 1972, and our managing attorney, Bryant Banes has been the managing partner of the law firm since September 2006. In 2012, Chambers USA recognized Mr. Banes as a leading lawyer for labor and employment law with a special emphasis in government contracts. Mr. Banes and our staff of Houston-based labor and employment attorneys have years of understanding and deep working knowledge of the employment laws of Texas.
“Since 1972 Neel Hooper & Banes P.C. has handled a wide variety of employment-related litigation cases and is experienced in management-labor relations matters.”
Bryant S. Banes, Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America · Member, Wage & Hour Defense Institute · Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating.
Recent News
On June 23, 2011, Bryant S. Banes delivered opening testimony before the House Small Business Committee's Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce, at a hearing titled "Insourcing Gone Awry: Outsourcing Small Business Jobs," held in Room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
The hearing reviewed the implementation of the Administration's insourcing policies and their effect on small businesses, including the lack of transparency in the insourcing process, cost comparison issues used to justify insourcing decisions, questions of legal standing, the decision not to use public-private competitions, and the role of the Small Business Administration in insourcing decisions.
What We Handle
Full-spectrum management-side counsel across every stage of the employment relationship, from hiring through litigation.
Defending employers against wrongful termination claims with the experience to evaluate exposure before it becomes litigation.
Skilled defense of sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation claims, protecting the business and its people.
Nationwide OSHA defense counsel for citations that can carry penalties exceeding $130,000, from inspection through appeal.
Guiding federal, state, and local contractors through compliance, bid protests, and claims, from small business to global scale.
Contract negotiation, compensation, severance, and restructuring counsel for executives and management teams.
Meet the Team
Managing Partner
Managing partner since 2006. Recognized by Chambers USA as a leading labor and employment lawyer with a special emphasis in government contracts. The only Houston attorney who is a member of the Wage & Hour Defense Institute.
Partner
Concentrates his practice in government contracts: litigation, proposal development, and contract management, alongside government relations and labor and employment law.
Associate
Represents government contractors throughout the contracting process and advises employers on workplace policies, litigation prevention, and employment-related claims defense.
Track Record
Successfully defended multiple protests of a Department of Defense Language Interpretation and Translation Enterprise (DLITE) program contract before the GAO and Court of Federal Claims, winning multi-million dollar task orders for the client.
Obtained a court decision criticizing government mismanagement in an Army Corps of Engineers matter before the GAO and Court of Federal Claims, securing an IDIQ contract worth potentially hundreds of millions for the client.
Recovered across two separate court settlements for workload increase claims on government contracts, on top of an estimated $500,000 severance costs decision and a construction dispute settlement with the Department of Interior.
December 28, 2012. After contentious litigation with the Army Corps of Engineers, which went through GAO, to the Court of Federal Claims, and then back again, achieved our client's objective of obtaining an IDIQ contract worth potentially hundreds of millions of dollars; in its decision, the Court criticized the government for incompetence and mismanagement, and remanded for corrective action, which then resulted in award.
October 7, 2012. Successfully defended multiple protests of our client's IDIQ contract in connection with the Department of Defense Language Interpretation and Translation Enterprise ("DLITE") Program before GAO and the Court of Federal Claims; also achieved our clients' objective of keeping their proposal from view; client went on to win two multi-million dollar task orders in this procurement.
September 12, 2012. Successfully defended the award of a $1.2 million contract to supply furniture for dormitory barracks at Ft. Leonard Wood; initial protest contained numerous grounds that were subsequently withdrawn following our filing of a motion to dismiss that was joined in by the Agency; GAO thereafter denied the remainder of the protest and affirmed our client's award.
June 8, 2012. In a pre-award protest for a small government logistics contractor on a BOSS contract competition at Homestead AFB, GAO and the SBA determined that our client was excluded from the competition without the agency properly following Certificate of Competency Procedures; the Air Force not only took corrective action, allowing our client back into the competition, but it also agreed to pay its attorneys' fees for the protest.
March 12, 2013. Obtained an entitlement decision worth potentially $500,000 from the government on a claim for severance costs attributable to premature government in-sourcing of a base operations contract for a logistics contactor.
December 31, 2012. Successfully defeated a bad-faith termination and obtained all claimed costs in a construction dispute arising out of a government contract with the Department of Interior; in this case, the government settled almost immediately upon filing at the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals.
February 2013. Assisted a large government contractor providing vital services to our armed forces in war zones in disputing $175,000 in outstanding medical bills from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service ("DFAS") for company employees; after review, determined that the government had misinterpreted several key statutes and had no legal basis to pursue them; litigation is ongoing.
May 4, 2011 & December 13, 2012. In two separate government contract claims and subsequent Court of Federal Claims litigation for two separate contracts (Ft. Dix and Presidio Monterrey) regarding unanticipated increases in workload for the same client, achieved settlements of the sums claimed with the government, both of which totalled over $1.3 million dollars.
September 13, 2010. Investigated and defeated False Claims Act case filed in Federal District Court against a large hospitality provider relating to the provision of travel services for the Department of Justice; the complaint was made by an FBI agent alleging fraud with respect to the pricing of airfare; after discovery and negotiation with GSA's Office of General Counsel, the government and the plaintiff voluntarily dismissed their cases.
March 2, 2012. Prosecuted APA action in Federal District Court and successfully defeated proposed debarment by the Navy against a government information technology provider.
2012. Defended and defeated DCAA claims for reimbursement of government contractor heavy equipment-related costs for two separate facilities contractors on large Army Corps of Engineers contracts.
2013. Assisted a new government contractor in successful negotiations of a $170 million per year contract with the United States Postal Service and assisted in implementation of multiple compliance measures after contract award.
2013. Successfully defeated an internet service provider's exclusion from Afghanistan by the U.S. Army pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act in Federal Court and gained for them a right to compete for business from contractors and soldiers over an objection by the Army-Air Force Exchange Service.
September 5, 2012. Obtained an injunction in Texas State Court, pursued arbitration, and negotiated $1 million settlement, nearly the total claimed, for an Alaskan Native-Owned 8(a) client who had been denied payments and other rights by a partner in the context of a joint venture relationship arising out of several government contracts.
2012–2013. In a string of cases regarding the SBA's 8(a) program, the Office of Hearing and Appeals remanded or reversed several cases where the SBA had arbitrarily decided that the material provided by our clients was insufficient to establish admission into the program; our efforts caused SBA to rethink its approach and establish new procedures for mediated settlements prior to litigation.
Defeated a court injunction, arbitrated, and favorably settled a $7 million claim by a mentor against a small business client arising from a mentor-protege agreement gone bad for a small fraction of the claimed sum.
Beyond Our Walls
Worklaw Network is a nationwide network of independent law firms that devote their entire practice to representing management in all facets of labor and employment law. Worklaw Network provides clients with an alternative to large national law firms by furnishing high quality, cost-effective advice, representation, and personal attention. Worklaw Network screens potential members carefully, looking not only for the labor and employment law expertise but also for excellence and integrity in the firm's approach to its clients.
Bryant Banes is a member of this nationwide network of elite wage & hour lawyers who specialize in FLSA collective actions. He has a unique and specialized experience in government contract-related issues.
Global Partner: Kaleksper Consulting, Ankara, Turkey.
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Neel, Hooper & Banes, P.C.
1800 West Loop South, Ste. 1750
Houston, Texas
Phone: (713) 629-1800
Fax: (713) 629-1812
Email: lawinfo@nhblaw.com
Monday–Friday, 8 AM–5 PM