Board of Directors

Mickey Washington, President
Washington & Associates, PLLC
2019 Wichita Street
Houston, TX 77004
(713) 225-1838
mw@mickeywashington.com
mickeywashington.com

Mickey L. Washington is a native of Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas. He is the founder of Washington & Associates, PLLC, a law firm with the guiding vision that commitment, excellence and integrity drive success. Mr. Washington is licensed in Texas and Mississippi.

In his practice, Mr. Washington handles labor and employment litigation matters (including drafting policies/procedures, dealing with all internal employment issues), and severe-catastrophic personal injury cases. In addition, Mr. Washington handles all types of claims that may be asserted between businesses and individuals, including complex contractual disputes, commercial matters, collections and transactional issues. Mr. Washington also represents football players who aspire for success in the National Football League.

Mr. Washington was appointed as an Associate Judge of the County Court of Jefferson County in 2014, which he served for approximately two years. Throughout his legal career, Mr. Washington has received several honors and recognitions. Mr. Washington has been featured on the cover of Thomson Reuters’ Texas Super Lawyer magazine as a Rising Star and recognized as among Houston’s top lawyers. He has received a certificate from the United States Congress in recognition for his work in the advancement of equality for all people.

In 2008, Mr. Washington received the Matthew W. Plummer, Sr. Justice Award from the Houston Lawyers association. In 2010, Mr. Washington was recognized as a rising leader in the legal field as he was selected as one of twenty attorneys to be on Leadership State Bar of Texas (SBOT).

Mr. Washington was elected 2016 as the Chairman for the National Football League Players Association. He has served on the Executive Board of Directors for the National Football League Players Association from 2011 to 2017. A portion of this time period included serving as an Officer during the NFL Labor Lockout dispute between the NFL and NFL Players. In addition, Mr. Washington mediates all types of civil law cases.

In his previous career, Mr. Washington was a professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). During his eight (8) year tenure in the NFL, Mr. Washington served as a Union Representative for four years. In fact, Mr. Washington is the only former NFL Player to intern in the legal department at the NFLPA.

Jakki Hansen, Vice President
The Hansen Law Firm
10190 Katy Freeway, Suite 440
Houston, TX 77043
(281) 888-4364
jhansen@hansenlawfirmpc.com
www.hansenlawfirmpc.com

Jakki Hansen is the founder of The Hansen Law Firm, where she practices employment and family law. Ms. Hansen grew up in East Texas and attended Texas A&M University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1994. Ms. Hansen then attended The University of Houston Law Center and graduated in 1998 with a Juris Doctorate. While at the U of H Law Center, Ms. Hansen served on the Board of Advocates for three years, was a member of the inter-collegiate mock trial team for three years, and was admitted to the Order of the Barristers in 1998. She was licensed to practice law by the Supreme Court of Texas in November 1998.

Beginning in her second year of law school, Ms. Hansen worked at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office (HCDAO) where she interned in the Juvenile Crimes Division. Upon graduation Ms. Hansen was hired and sworn in as an Assistant District Attorney for the HCDAO. While there Ms. Hansen worked in justice, misdemeanor and felony courts. In addition, Ms. Hansen was assigned to the Family Criminal Law Division. Ms. Hansen was promoted to County Court Chief where she trained and supervised other prosecutors in case evaluation and trial.

Ms. Hansen left the District Attorney’s office to broaden her experience base in her chosen profession. Ms. Hansen went on to work for two litigation firms, focusing on first and third-party insurance cases, legal malpractice and medical malpractice cases, and small business law. Ms. Hansen was recruited by a client, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. Ms. Hansen worked at METRO and was promoted to Deputy General Counsel and Associate Vice President. During her seven years at METRO Ms. Hansen gained significant experience in administrative law, transactional and contract law, employment law, civil rights law, personal injury litigation, and governmental law.

Tracey D. Lewis, Treasurer
Leeds Law Firm, PLLC
700 Milam Street, Suite 1300
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 492-2906
tracey@jleedslawfirm.com
www.jleedslawfirm.com


Jackie Armstrong, Member
Armstrong & Associates
440 Louisiana Street, Suite 900
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 275-2181
jarmstrong@armstrongatlaw.com
www.armstrongatlaw.com

Jackie Armstrong has practiced law in Houston Texas for over thirty years, twenty-five of those focused on employment law. She has served on NELA Houston's Board in various capacities over the course of the past 15 years. Jackie is also a past member of the Houston Bar Association's Professionalism Committee and continues in her role as mentor to new attorneys. She has also served several years on the HBA's Labor & Employment Council. Participating as either first or second chair, for the period covering 2016 and 2017, she has received verdicts for her clients totaling over $6m. Texas Lawyer has ranked her with the 5th largest jury verdict for 2016 in employment law and 72nd of all Texas verdicts. Her practice also provides counseling and negotiating services for employees dealing with contract matters such as noncompete agreements and terminations or guidance navigating ongoing workplace issues.


Bruce Coane, Member
Coane & Associates, PLLC
5177 Richmond, Suite 770
Houston, TX 77056
(713) 850-0066
bruce.coane@gmail.com
www.coane.com

Mr. Coane received his Juris Doctor Degree in Law from the University of Houston in 1981, founding Coane and Associates, PLLC two years later to provide legal services in employment and labor law, immigration law, civil and business litigation, and family law, with headquarters in both Texas and Florida. He is the founder and past president of the NELA-Houston Chapter and is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Coane is the Past-President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association-Texas, New Mexico & Oklahoma Chapter. His professional activities and memberships have included the Miami Beach Bar Association, American Bar Association, American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit, the State Bar of Texas Labor and Employment Law section and the State Bar of Texas School Law section. Mr. Coane is licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas and has been admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals in Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia and San Francisco, and by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He has been specially admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts in Miami Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Baton Rouge and Chicago.


Barbara Gardner, Member
Gardner Employment Law
3730 Kirby Drive, Suite 777
Houston, TX 77098
(832) 506-0142
Barbara@GardnerEmploymentLaw.com
www.GardnerEmploymentLaw.com

Barbara Gardner has represented hundreds of clients in her 30 years as an employment trial lawyer, winning countless cases for just about every type of employment matter. She was first in her law school class at the South Texas College of Law. Ms. Gardner is Board Certified in Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Ms. Gardner is a Fellow of the College of the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Bar Foundation, is an active member of the Texas Employment Law Association, and sits on the Board of Directors of the Houston Employment Law Association, to name a few. Ms. Gardner regularly speaks at numerous Texas professional association conferences and seminars, and has frequently been chosen by my peers to be listed in Best Lawyers in America, Texas Super Lawyers, and numerous other “Top Lawyer” and “Best Lawyer” lists.

David Holmes, Member
Law Offices of David C. Holmes
13201 Northwest Freeway, Suite 800
Houston, TX 77040
(713) 586-8862
dholmes282@aol.com
www.davidcholmeslaw.com

David C. Holmes has been helping the people of Texas with employment matters for almost 30 years. A University of Texas School of Law Center and Rice University graduate, he founded the Law Offices of David C. Holmes in 2009, to better serve the workforce of Houston. Mr. Holmes is board certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is a member of the College of the State Bar, and opened the Law Offices of David C. Holmes in 2009 In addition to personally representing his firm's clients in employment matters, he also provides consulting services for small business owners and local fire departments.

Scott Poerschke
The Poerschke Law Firm, PC
5111 Center Street
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 974-1600
scott@rsplegal.com

Scott Poerschke worked at the Ogg Law Firm, PLLC under the direction of Kim Ogg by starting in that firm as associate attorney in 2008 and eventually becoming managing attorney responsible for the day-to-day operations of client’s cases. While serving in that capacity, Scott served second chair to Ms. Ogg and successfully prosecuted the case of Zamora v. City of Houston which the City of Houston appealed all the way to the United States Supreme Court and lost. The case involved retaliation by Houston Police officers against a Hispanic officer whose father, also a Houston Police Officer, complained of racial discrimination. The case focused extensively upon the “code of silence” which is prevalent in law enforcement communities. After Kim Ogg ran and successfully became the District Attorney for Harris County, Texas on January 1, 2017, Scott opened his own law firm and continued to assist clients involved in employment law matters against local governments, including the Texas City, City of Houston, City of Galena Park, the Memorial Villages Police Department, and San Jacinto College. Scott has gained extensive knowledge of the inner workings of local governments and the law enforcement community.


Stanley Santire, Member
Santire Law Firm
7500 San Felipe Street, Suite 900
Houston, TX 77063
(713) 787-0405
stanley@santire.com

Stanley Santire counsels and represents clients in employment issue, non-competes, trade secrets, construction, and business transactions. He is experienced in trial and appellate work and as a mediator and arbitrator. After service as a naval officer, he graduated from the University of Texas School of Law followed by postdoctoral work at Columbia Law School in New York and The Hague Academy of International Law in The Netherlands. A former Chief Legal Counsel for Lockheed Aircraft International, A.G. and International Counsel for Lockheed Corporation, he currently practices law in Houston, Texas. He has authored several published articles and addressed audiences in forty-nine states.


Trang Tran, Member
Tran Law Firm, LLP
2537 S. Gessner Road, Suite 104
Houston, TX 77063
(713) 223-8855
tqt@overtimelawyers.com
www.tranlf.com

Mr. Tran earned his J.D. from the South Texas College of Law in 1995, founding his and labor and employment law-focused practice, The Tran Law Firm, L.L.P. in 1996. He has been a Board Member of the Labor and Empolyment Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Employment Lawyers Association for over five years. Mr. Tran served as the Vice President of the NELA-Houston Chapter in 2012, and is also a former President of the Asian American Bar Association. Mr. Tran has served as a leader in Houston, formerly acting as Chair of the Mayor’s Affirmative Advisory Committee and Chair of the Midtown Management District. Mr. Tran has been frequently rated on various “Super Lawyers’” lists and is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeal for the 5th Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and all U.S. District Courts of Texas.

Dorian Vandenberg-Rodes, Member
Shellist | Lazarz | Slobin LLP
11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1515
Houston, TX 77046
(713) 621-2277
drodes@eeoc.net
www.eeoc.net

Dorian Vandenberg-Rodes practices employment law exclusively at Shellist Lazarz Slobin LLP. The overwhelming majority of her practice is representing workers and employees who have suffered discrimination in the workplace, wrongful termination, or been subjected to other illegal practices in the workplace. She has successfully prosecuted many discrimination and retaliation actions under federal and state laws, including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and federal and state whistleblower statutes, as well as common law actions for breach of contract and related claims, and has successfully represented clients in arbitration and in litigation matters in state and federal courts across Texas. Ms. Vandenberg-Rodes also represents clients before the Department of Labor, including on whistleblower retaliation claims under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In addition, she have worked on several state- and nation-wide collective actions seeking overtime and minimum wage pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Ms. Vandenberg-Rodes is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Since 2021, she has been recognized as a “Rising Star” in Employment Litigation by Thomson Reuters’ “Super Lawyers” list. In addition to her work with NELA, she is also a member of other local organizations including the Houston Trial Lawyers Association, the Texas Employment Lawyers Association, and the Houston Bar Association.

Ms. Vandenberg-Rodes received her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, where she joined the Order of the Barons honors society and served as Associate Editor of the Houston Law Review. Before law school, she worked as a violinist and performed with the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony, and various other local and national performing groups and music festivals.