Practice Areas
Haley & Olson, P.C. offers legal services in a wide variety of practice areas. For details regarding the firm’s practice areas, please select from the list provided below.
Banking and Financial Services
Banking and Financial Services is a significant part of our practice. Banks, mortgage companies, finance companies, and credit unions retain Haley & Olson for assistance with a broad range of financial transactions—including, but not limited to, loan documentation, collections, foreclosures, and workouts. We likewise provide legal advice on Uniform Commercial Code issues, lien priority issues, lending limits, and other miscellaneous compliance issues. Other key areas of our Banking and Financial Services practice include:
- judicial and non-judicial collections;
- repossessions and foreclosures;
- defense of lender liability actions; and
- alternative dispute resolution/out-of-court workouts.
Primary Lawyers Practicing in this Area:
Bankruptcy and Creditor’s Rights
Our bankruptcy and creditor’s rights lawyers represent secured creditors, unsecured creditors, banks, corporations, and other business entities in general commercial matters, collection matters, lender liability litigation, Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy cases, and Chapter 11 business reorganization cases. We maintain an active bankruptcy litigation practice including stay litigation, lien priority disputes, claims objection litigation, plan confirmation litigation, bankruptcy discharge litigation, and bankruptcy preference and fraudulent transfer litigation. We offer general advice regarding bankruptcy matters and the structure of transactions so as to avoid or minimize risks. We also have experience representing clients in the acquisition of assets from bankrupt companies. We have represented clients in bankruptcy cases throughout Texas and in New York, California, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Missouri and numerous other states.
- Represent manufacturing company in acquisition, bankruptcy litigation, and related state court litigation in Pennsylvania
- Represent supplier in preference action in Kansas City
- Represent local government in Calpine bankruptcy in New York
- Represent large trade creditor in EasyGardener bankruptcy in Delaware
Primary Lawyers Practicing in this Area:
Business and Corporate Transactions
We represent both small and large business owners, including sole proprietorships, general and limited partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations of all sizes.
Our role ranges from that of outside general counsel to providing specific services in business-related areas, such as corporate and entity formation issues, tax planning, mergers and acquisitions of businesses, partner, member and shareholder agreements, and employment matters.
We also represent physicians and physician groups in a broad range of areas such as entity selection and formation, employment contract and personnel issues, buy/sell agreements, practice transitions, and general health care related business issues.
Primary Lawyers Practicing in this Area:
Commercial Litigation
Commercial litigation is a significant part of our law practice. With over 100 years of combined litigation experience, our trial lawyers pursue and defend a broad range of legal matters for individuals, banks, businesses, and local governments throughout Texas and across the nation. We work hard with our clients in developing and implementing effective and efficient litigation strategies. We are fully committed to achieving our clients’ business and legal objectives, while, at the same time, helping them manage and control the risk and uncertainty associated with all litigation.
We handle litigation in each practice area set forth on this page. The list below includes additional key areas of our commercial litigation practice:
- lender liability and complex banking litigation;
- business tort and contractual disputes;
- partnership disputes;
- fraud and fraudulent transfer cases;
- misappropriation of trade secrets;
- trademark infringement;
- shareholder oppression litigation;
- insurance and coverage litigation; and
- contractual and commercial disputes.
Primary Lawyers Practicing in this Area:
Construction
Construction law is one of the cornerstones of our practice. We represent lenders, owners, general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers in a variety of transactional and litigation services. These services include commercial, civil, heavy highway, and residential construction matters. The construction issues we handle include—but are not limited to:
- contract drafting and negotiation;
- construction defect claims;
- change order and scope claims;
- differing site conditions;
- performance and warranty disputes;
- defaults and termination;
- surety and bond claims;
- payment and mechanic’s lien issues;
- defective design;
- time and liquidated damage issues;
- alternative dispute resolution;
- project delivery systems;
- bidding and bid disputes; and
- safety and independent contractor issues.
Primary Lawyers Practicing in this Area:
Employment
Haley & Olson’s experience in employment matters is very broad. We have provided employment-related legal representation in construction, manufacturing, aircraft, energy, food service, automotive, retail, financial, healthcare, pharmaceutical, governmental and other industries.
We work closely with employers, employees and human resource managers in the following matters:
Administrative Proceedings
- Client representation in proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)
- Client representation in proceedings before the Department of Labor involving Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA), Sarbanes-Oxley and other laws
Employment Litigation
- Workers’ Compensation Retaliation Claims
- Wrongful Termination, Defamation, Tort, Whistleblower and Retaliation Claims
- Employment Contract and Benefit Litigation
- Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation, Trade Secret, Confidentiality and Related Disputes
- Compliance with State and Federal Employment Laws and Health and Safety Issues
- Employment Discrimination
Employer Counseling
- Internal Investigations
- State and Federal Statutory Compliance
- Employment Policies & Procedures and Employee Handbooks
- Employment, Confidentiality, Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation Agreements
- Reductions in Force
- Wage and Hour Compliance
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Compliance
- Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) Compliance
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) Compliance
- Employee Discipline and Termination
Our attorneys also conduct employer and employee training programs on sexual harassment, hostile work environment and business ethics issues.
Primary Lawyers Practicing in this Area:
Estate Planning and Probate
Haley & Olson provides extensive tax, probate, estate planning and asset preservation services for all types of clients, including individuals, doctors, business owners, trusts, family limited partnerships, charitable planning, private foundations, preparation of estate and gift tax returns and tax-planned wills. We also draft and provide advice for Defective Grantor Trusts, Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, GRAT’s, CRT’s, etc.
Primary Lawyers Practicing in this Area:
Franchising
Haley & Olson represents established and start-up franchisors and distributors. The firm regularly assists these clients in regulatory, transactional and litigation matters.
Our franchise lawyers assist franchisors in every step of the franchise process – from the creation of the franchise program, regulatory compliance, drafting of franchise-related documents, day-to-day business counseling, enforcement of the terms of the franchise agreement in litigation or arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. We also offer expertise and consultation in a variety of legal areas that relate to franchising and distribution, including employment law, litigation, bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, basic intellectual property issues, and secured transactions.
Primary Lawyers Practicing in this Area:
Local Government
Our lawyers have more than 50 years combined experience representing local government entities. We represent numerous counties, cities, school districts and other local government entities around the State of Texas in a variety of subject matters including ad valorem taxation, annexations, zoning and land use regulation, subdivision regulation, economic development, employment, home rule charters, utility franchising, land acquisition and eminient domain, building and construction regulation, and municipal incorporation.
Primary Lawyers Practicing in this Area:
Mediation and Dispute Resolution
We provide mediation services as the neutral. In this area, there is no substitute for experience. Herb Bristow has many years of experience in mediating business and contract disputes, personal injury matters, and other civil or business litigation matters. Herb has helped to resolve thousands of disputes through the mediation process, bringing the high cost and stress of litigation to an end.
Contact Herbert S. Bristow today for more information about our mediation services and let us put our experience to work for you.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Buying or selling a business can be a daunting task for any company to do on its own and it requires due diligence and personal attention. Our lawyers assist clients in structuring, negotiating, documenting and closing transactions involving mergers, acquisitions, stock sales, and asset sales. We handle all aspects of the purchase or sale of a business, including:
- mergers;
- acquisitions and dispositions of business assets;
- stock purchase and sales;
- bankruptcy auction transactions;
- cash tender offers and exchange offers;
- going-private transactions;
- leveraged recapitalizations and buyouts; and
- conducting due diligence.
Our lawyers possess the knowledge and experience that are key to any successful merger and acquisition representation. We are also able to draw, when needed, on the vast experience of other practice areas including tax, litigation, employee benefits/executive compensation, and financing.
We have considerable experience in teaming with clients to efficiently handle due diligence, negotiations and closings in sophisticated merger and acquisition transactions.
Primary Lawyers Practicing in this Area:
Personal Injury/Wrongful Death
At Haley & Olson, P.C., we are dedicated to helping victims of catastrophic and life altering events. Our clients select us to represent them because they know having an experienced and respected group of lawyers working on their behalf results in a higher recovery for their injuries.
The types of personal injury and wrongful death cases that we handle include:
- automobile collisions;
- aviation;
- burn injuries;
- bus crashes;
- construction accidents;
- eye injuries;
- head injuries
- industrial accidents/explosions;
- off-road/recreational vehicles;
- premises liability;
- product liability;
- spinal cord injuries;
- trucking/18-wheeler accidents; and
- pharmaceutical/drug.
Personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits can be complex and challenging to win. What gives our clients a clear advantage is that we have the legal talent and the financial resources to build and present a solid case. We use state of the art technology and industry specific experts to explain how our clients were injured and who is responsible for their injuries.
Primary Lawyers Practicing in this Area:
Product Liability
Tragically, people sustain serious injuries every day. Failed aircraft engines cause planes to crash, seat belts fail to properly restrain occupants during an automobile collision, air bags fail to deploy, and punch presses amputate machinists’ limbs.
The injuries our clients suffer are catastrophic and life altering. In many incidents, these injuries are no accident. The underlying reason may be traced to a defective product, such as a design or manufacturing fault in a motor vehicle, watercraft or aircraft, or in an item commonly found in homes and in the workplace.
An ongoing commitment to consumer safety and maximizing our client’s recovery underscores our practice in cases involving:
- aircraft crashes and disasters;
- boats and other watercraft;
- burn injuries;
- bus crashes;
- construction accidents;
- electrical wires;
- farm equipment;
- fuel tanks;
- gasoline cans;
- head injuries;
- hip replacement/medical device;
- vehicle fires;
- automatic door systems;
- industrial accidents/explosions;
- industrial equipment;
- rollovers;
- roof crush;
- seat belt failure;
- door latch failure;
- tire blowout;
- tire tread separation;
- air bag failure; and
- brake system failure.
Product liability lawsuits can be complex and challenging to win. What gives our clients a clear advantage is that we have the legal talent and the financial resources to build and present a solid case. We use state of the art technology and industry specific experts to explain how our clients were injured and who is responsible for their injuries.
Primary Lawyers Practicing in this Area:
Real Estate
Businesses and banks come to us for representation in a wide variety of real estate matters. We efficiently and accurately draft all commercial real estate contracts and other documents required for the purchase, sale, lease or development of real property. Likewise, we review and advise our clients regarding title insurance documents, real estate appraisals, survey reports, feasibility studies, mortgages, refinancing documents, and other documents critical for the successful closing of commercial real estate. As necessary, we also assist our clients in setting up appropriate business entities, including limited liability companies (LLCs) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs), for the purchase, sale, lease and development of real property. We have a proven ability to protect our client’s interests through every phase of a commercial real estate transaction.