Michelle Hartmann

Biography

Michelle Hartmann currently serves as the managing partner of Baker McKenzie's Texas offices. She is a member of the North American Litigation and Government Enforcement Practice Group (NALGE). She also co-chairs the Firm's North American Litigation Trial Team, is a member of the Firm's North American Litigation Steering Committee, and is a member of the Firm's North American Litigation Recruiting Committee. Michelle has twenty-two years of experience advising clients in complex multidistrict and class litigation, as well as in workplace and internal investigations. Michelle has tried cases in state and federal court throughout the country.

Having graduated first in her law school class at Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, and served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable Carolyn Dineen King, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn, United States Federal Court for the Northern District of Texas, Michelle is active in both the professional bar and service community in Texas. She has been recognized as a leading lawyer in Commercial Litigation and Employment Litigation Best Lawyers in Dallas, Trade Secret Litigation by Best Lawyers in America, a Leading Lawyer in Trade Secrets in the Legal 500 USA, and a Texas Super Lawyer for multiple years.

Practice Focus

Michelle's practice covers all aspects of commercial litigation and disputes in state and federal courts, with a particular emphasis on trade secret and non-compete matters, internal investigations (including workplace investigations and crisis management), and multidistrict or multiparty matters. She has defended businesses in high-stakes securities class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, data-breach class actions, trade secret and restrictive covenant actions, airline-related class actions, coupon and gift card class actions, and all types of energy and oil & gas-related matters and investigations.

Representative Legal Matters

Michelle has advised in multiple industries. A sampling of some of her matters are as follows:

Representing senior management of hedge fund in multiple adversary proceedings related to ongoing bankruptcy in federal court in Texas.
Representing a publicly-traded drilling company as indemnity counsel and lead and coordinating counsel in multiple investigations and ongoing litigation arising from same, including through trial in multiple matters.
Representing a private energy company in multiple workplace employment investigations, non-compete and trade secret litigation, and reductions in force.
Representing a publicly-traded telecommunications company in confidential workplace employment investigation.
Representing a publicly-traded retail, crafts store in multiple matters before the Consumer Product Safety Commission and in Consumer Product Safety Act matters in federal court.
Representing a publicly-traded retail, crafts store in multiple breach of contract and warranty disputes brought by and against vendors in state and federal courts throughout the country; in gift card and coupon litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country; and in numerous data breach matters in federal courts throughout the country.
Representing a publicly-traded airline in class action litigation related to EU 261 claims in state court in Illinois, antitrust and unfair competition claims in state court in Texas, and Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) in federal court.
Representing a publicly-traded beauty and cosmetics company in class action litigation related to gift cards, and in numerous internal investigations.
Representing portfolio companies of private equity sponsors in multiple trade secret theft and restrictive covenant litigation throughout the country.
Representing private-equity owned resort and hotel collection in multidistrict litigation related to breach and warranty and trade secret theft claims concerning Internet servicing vendors in federal and appellate court.
Representing publicly-traded global healthcare company in trade secret misappropriation and non-compete litigation in state court.
Representing publicly-traded restaurant chain in class action for illegal gaming in state court.
Representing insurance brokerage company in numerous cases pending in the Stanford multidistrict litigation against claims under the Texas Security Act and Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Representing publicly-traded jewelry corporation in class actions brought under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, in federal trial and appellate court.
Representing portfolio company of private equity firm in converting involuntary proceedings brought in the Cayman Islands by a syndicate of lenders to a chapter 11 voluntary matter and ongoing restructuring proceedings.

Judicial Clerkships

Judge Carolyn Dineen King, then-Chief Judge of the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (2002-2003)
Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn, then-Associate Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (2001-2002)

Professional Honors

Recognized as leading Commercial Litigation attorney, Best Lawyers in Dallas, 2020-2023
Recognized as leading Employment Litigation attorney, Best Lawyers in Dallas, 2020-2023
Recognized as leading Litigation attorney in the area of Trade Secrets, The Best Lawyers in America, 2017-2019, 2022
Recognized as leading Litigation attorney, Best Lawyers in Dallas, 2016-2019
Leading Lawyer for Litigation: Trade Secrets in the US, The Legal 500 USA, 2011, 2013 and 2015-2019, 2022
40 Under 40 Award, Dallas Business Journal, 2011
Texas Rising Star for Litigation/Regulatory, Texas Super Lawyers/Texas Monthly, 2008-2011
Texas Super Lawyer, Texas Super Lawyers/Texas Monthly, 2012-2021
Recipient of Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing

Professional Associations and Memberships

Judge Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court - Associate
Judge Mac Taylor American Inn of Court - Barrister
Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program - Member
Dallas Women Lawyer's Association - Former President and Board Member
Attorneys Serving the Community - Sustaining Member
State Bar of Texas - Member

Corporate Responsibility

Lifetime Corps Member of Teach for America (an organization in which she formerly taught high school biology as a Teach for America Corps teacher).
Past board member of All Stars Program of Dallas and The Dallas Children's Theatre.
Past board member of Vogel Alcove, the Dance Guild at Booker T. Washington School of the Arts, and the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet Guild.
Previously served as a child advocate for foster children through the Dallas Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit~United States (2015)
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit~United States (2011)
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas~United States (2005)
U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas~United States (2009)
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas~United States (2004)
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas~United States (2005)
New York~United States (2010)
Texas~United States (2001)

Education

SMU Dedman School of Law (JD, summa cum laude and highest grade honor) (2001)
University of North Carolina (BA, with honors) (1994)

Languages

English

Author, "Insurance Considerations in Tort Cases," Dallas Bar Association Headnotes, April 2017
Author, "Post-Spokeo, Standing Arguments Rise and Fall on Interpretation of 'Concreteness'," The Texas Lawbook, 24 October 2016
Author, "Whistle-blower Provisions Take Aim at Severance Agreements," The Texas Lawbook, 6 June 2016
Author, "The Warrior," The Texas Lawbook, 2016
Author, "2014 Year in Review: Securities Class Action Law," Texas Lawyer, 15 December 2014
Co-author, "Halliburton's Impact on Class Action Securities Litigation," Dallas Bar Association Headnotes, 1 October 2014

Co-author, "Practicing Parents: Four Partner-Moms Offer Insight," Texas Lawyer, September 2014
Contributor, "High Court ruling pleases Halliburton," Houston Chronicle, 23 June 2014
Contributor, "Fort Worth-based SEC lawyer Michael King calls the shots in Wal-Mart Chesapeake inquiries," Dallas Morning News, 14 July 2012
Co-author, "Avoiding Common Contract Drafting Mistakes," Dallas Bar Association Headnotes, 2012
Co-author, "Can an Employee Waive his Right to Bring a Collective Action Under the FLSA? Depends on Which Court You Ask," Dallas Headnotes, Winter 2012
Co-author, "Understanding Removal Jurisdiction," Dallas Bar Association Headnotes, 2011
Co-author, "Interview Witnesses in Employment Cases, Getting the 'He Said' and 'She Said' Straight," Dallas Bar Association Headnotes, 2008
Co-author, "Finding an Erie Conflict Where None Exists – State Offer of Judgment Rules Overwhelmingly Apply in Diversity Cases," 2 Bloomberg Law Reports 17, April 2008
Co-author, "Coordinated Related Banking Cases on an Intra-State Level," Banking Law Journal, Winter 2007
Co-author, "The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation and Coordinating Multijurisdictional Disputes," 26 The Review of Litigation 48, The University of Texas School of Law, Winter 2007
Co-author, "Class Action Fairness Act of 2005," The Practical Litigator, September 2006
Co-author, "The Class Action Fairness Act of 2005: Fundamentals and Implications for Financial Services Litigation," 27 Class Action Reports 227, May-June 2006
Co-author, "The ECOA Discrimination Proscription and Disparate Impact-Interpreting the Meaning of the Words That Actually Are There," 61 The Business Lawyer 829, February 2006
Co-author, "The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation and Coordinating Multijurisdictional Disputes," The Practical Litigator, July 2005
Co-author, "Attorneys' Fees," 57 SMU L. Rev. 571, Summer 2004
Co-author, "Is it a Short Trip Back to Manor Farm?" 54 SMU L. Rev. 1827, 2001
Author, "Myriad Contradictions with Title VII Arbitration," SMU Law Review, 2001