Katten is pleased to announce that labor and employment attorney Michael Gaston-Bell has joined the firm as a special counsel in the Litigation practice in Dallas. He is the first labor and employment attorney to join the firm’s Dallas office, which opened in 2018.

Gaston-Bell’s practice focuses primarily on helping clients work through sophisticated employment and commercial litigation matters. He has handled many high-profile and high-damage cases in the health care, entertainment, banking, military contractor and retail industries.

“Michael is a talented attorney who will offer our clients in Dallas and across the country exceptional employment litigation counsel,” said David Crichlow, national chair of Katten’s Commercial Litigation group. “He has the skills to succeed and a track record for being a true advocate for his clients who often face tough, complicated issues.”

Gaston-Bell has experience representing clients in federal and state courts, as well as state and local agencies, on matters related to Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). He also provides employers with guidance on the interpretation and implementation of Title VII, ADEA, ADA, FMLA and FLSA issues in the workplace.

In addition, he advises top-level corporate leadership — boards of directors, in-house counsel and chief executives — on complex and often crisis-level employment affairs, including: executive transitions, internal investigations, unfair competition and major transactions.

Gaston-Bell was recently named to the Board of Directors of the Texas Young Lawyers Association. He is also an alumni of the Pathfinder program, designed by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) to equip diverse high-potential, early-career attorneys with practical tools for developing and leveraging professional networks, foundational leadership skills and career development strategies.

Gaston-Bell joined Katten from Haynes and Boone where he was an associate. He received a BS from Truman State University and graduated from Indiana University Maurer School of Law.