Justin M. Welch - Austin, TX

Mr. Welch joined the Firm in January 2001. He began practicing law after graduation from the University of Texas School of Law in 1997. His practice focuses on litigation of business disputes very generally, with an emphasis on the following areas:

• Construction defect claims, both residential and commercial;
• Construction lien filings and claims;
• Real estate title and easement disputes;
• Real estate brokerage claims;
• Trademark and copyright infringement disputes;
• Trade secret theft claims;
• Breach of employee noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements;
• Defense of employers against employee wage and hour claims;
• Defense of employers against employee harassment and discrimination claims;
• Engineering malpractice claims;
• Commercial debt collection claims; and,
• Investment fraud claims.

Resolution of a dispute does not always involve going to trial, or even filing suit. On the contrary, the goal is to resolve the dispute before it escalates into actual litigation. However, if the matter must be litigated, Mr. Welch is a highly experienced trial lawyer, having tried multiple cases in federal and state court, and before arbitration panels. And, if the matter is appealed, Mr. Welch has successfully handled several state and federal appeals.

Mr. Welch's practice also involves a significant amount of transactional work; that is, drafting contracts and other documents to facilitate a client’s business, including government filings. For example, he routinely drafts employee noncompete, nonsolicitation, and nondisclosure agreements, and closely follows legal developments in this volatile area of the law to ensure their continued enforceability. As another example, he routinely drafts and reviews construction agreements for both contractors and owners. He handles construction lien filings for several construction contractors. And, he has registered hundreds of trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including several, well-known household brands, and routinely drafts licenses and assignments for copyrights and trademarks, allowing clients to better capitalize on their intellectual property.

And, unlike some attorneys whose practice focuses solely on drafting documents, Mr. Welch is able to incorporate his experiences from litigation. This allows him to better anticipate issues that may arise in a transaction, resulting in a stronger agreement.

Mr. Welch was born in Fort Worth and reared in Tyler. He received his B.B.A. in accounting from Baylor University in 1991, graduating cum laude. Following graduation, he worked as an audit associate with the public accounting firm, Coopers & Lybrand, now PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and then as a litigation-support associate with BDO Seidman. Mr. Welch passed the CPA exam on his initial sitting in 1991, and was licensed as a CPA in 1994 following a two year practice requirement. He allowed his license to become inactive once he began practicing law.

In addition to all Texas state courts, Mr. Welch is also licensed to practice before all federal district courts in Texas, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, and the U.S. Federal Court of Claims in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Welch is an Eagle Scout (1987), and former member of Troop 349 in Tyler, Texas.