tremainartaza_may2021-12.jpg

CHRISTINE HOPKINS

“Christine Hopkins listened and understood my case. Her communication skills made me feel that my goals were her priority. She never left me without answers to my questions. She was a tenacious advocate for my cause of action. She pushed pretrial settlements and didn’t hesitate bringing my case to trial when the other side refused to respond with anything meaningful. She spoke the language of the law in a way that helped me understand what I needed to know.”
— JRS (FMLA Client)

CHRISTINE’S PRACTICE:

Whether you are a janitor or a CEO, a nurse or a trucker, your job is important to you and to your family. I represent individuals at the most difficult time in their careers.  I fight insurance companies to obtain short-term and long-term disability benefits for employees struggling with serious injuries and illnesses. I advocate for reasonable accommodations to ensure that disabled veterans and employees get a fair chance to succeed in the workplace. I stand up to employers who refuse to pay overtime and equal wages for equal work. And I litigate against corporations, both large and small, when termination decisions are made for illegal reasons. 

I am here to listen to you, whether you are concerned about your employer’s failure to pay you hard-earned commissions, your manager’s preference for younger workers over older workers, discrimination or harassment based on race or religion, unexpected unfair reactions to your pregnancy or a cancer diagnosis, or retaliation directed at you because you refused to violate the law or blew the whistle. I will lay out your legal options clearly and honestly, and use my years of experience to help you navigate through difficult times.

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • Listed in Texas Super Lawyers for 2022, 2023

  • Listed in U.S. News’ "Best Lawyers in America" for Employment Law (Individuals) - 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

  • Listed in U.S. News’ "Best Lawyers in America" for Litigation (Labor and Employment) - 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

  • Listed in U.S. News’ "Best Lawyers in America" for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law - 2022, 2023

EDUCATION

University of California, Berkeley School of Law - 2005, J.D. 

  • Prosser Prize in Small Business Counseling

Bates College, 2001, B.A.

  • Magna Cum Laude

  • Phi Beta Kappa (Honor Society)

  • Maung Maung Gyi Award for Excellence in Comparative Politics

  • Semester Abroad at Instituto Norteamericano, Santiago & Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile

ADMISSIONS

  • Texas (All State Courts)

  • California (All State Courts)

  • Michigan (All State Courts)

  • U.S. District Court, Northern Texas

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern Texas

  • U.S. District Court, Western Texas

  • U.S. District Court, Southern Texas

  • U.S. District Court, Northern California

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern California

  • U.S. District Court, Central California

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern Michigan

  • U.S. District Court, Western Michigan

  • 5th Circuit Court of Appeals

  • 6th Circuit Court of Appeals

  • 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

  • U.S. Supreme Court



PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

  • Dallas Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section

  • Dallas-Fort Worth National Employment Lawyers Association (“DFW-NELA”)

  • Texas Employment Lawyers Association (“TELA”)


PUBLICATIONS & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

  • “Who Can I Talk To?” - State Bar of Texas, Labor and Employment Section Annual CLE, August 2023

  • “Wave of Plaintiff’s Verdicts: Are Jurors Fed Up with Employers?” - Dallas Bar Association “Headnotes,” Oct. 2022

  • “The Building Blocks of an ERISA Appeal” - NELA-Houston, May 2022

  • “A 2021 Equal Pay Update” - SBOT Labor & Employment Law Conference, August 2021

  • “Don’t Kill the Messenger: The Cost of Retaliating Against Doctors & Nurses” – Dallas Bar Association, Oct. 2020 & Feb. 2021

  • Negotiating the Right to Equal Pay, DFW-NELA (2017)


NON-PROFIT EXPERIENCE

  • Member of the West Oak Cliff Coalition/La Coalición de West Oak Cliff (2020 to Present)

  • President of the Elmwood Neighborhood Association (2020)

  • Member of the Dallas Gay & Lesbian Association’s Political Action Committee (2017 & 2019 Election Cycles)

  • Member of CAIR-DFW’s Legal Advisory Board (Dec. 2017-2019

  • ACLU of Michigan Cooperating Attorney and Member of
    the Oakland County Lawyers’ Committee (2013-2015)

  • Board Member of the Center for Empowering Refugees
    and Immigrants (2006-2012)

  • UC-Berkeley Bridge Fellow and Law Student Intern at the
    Alameda County Homeless Action Center (2005)

  • Graduate Student Research for the Samuelson Law, Technology, and Public Policy Clinic (2003-2004)

  • Suitcase Clinic Advocate at the East Bay Community Law
    Center (2003)

  • Case Manager at the Volunteers of America Juvenile Day
    Deporting Center in Lewiston, Maine (2001-2002)