OUR TEAM
Partners
Attorneys
Staff
Justin Futch
Brian Srubar
Ivan Boudreaux
Wanda Greathouse Holloway
Partner
Labor & Employment
713-965-4433 (office)
713-319-5589 (mobile)
832-442-5430 (fax)
Wanda has extensive experience as both outside and in-house counsel for leading global companies. Her experience allows her to bring a practical viewpoint to assist clients in making the best business decisions while effectively managing legal risks. In the words of key clients, she “gets it,” and she has become the go-to person for numerous major employers as a result.
Wanda co-founded Greathouse Holloway McFadden Trachtenberg out of a desire to build a firm focused on serving clients in the most valuable, effective and practical way and to do so within a business model that allows for unrivaled flexibility on pricing and staffing. Her in-house experience (at Compaq/HP and GTE/Verizon), coupled with having been a partner and significant client relationship leader at other major global law firms, has served her well in understanding - and anticipating - client needs. It also has driven her passion for finding innovative ways to help clients succeed not only in meeting the constant challenge to do more with limited resources (and to do it better and faster) but also to make the most of the opportunities to be more strategic and contribute more to the success of their businesses. As a result, the GHM team’s vision and experience - as well as the firm’s culture and reward structure - are steadfastly focused on values that inure directly to the benefit of the firm’s clients. Wanda and her colleagues are focused on delivering value, collaborating seamlessly for the right results, and driving continuous improvement. Wanda has partnered with major clients to effectively manage litigation and related risk management strategies on a comprehensive basis, and she has worked closely with clients on "bet the company" high-profile cases, including matters involving senior management, matters commanding board of directors or shareholder attention, and class/collective actions. She has handled numerous administrative matters before the EEOC, NLRB, OSHA, OFCCP, DOL, and other federal and state agencies. Clients regularly turn to Wanda as a valuable partner in finding the right solutions to strategic and day- to-day employment law issues.
For example, Wanda frequently works with clients from the C-suite to the front lines of management on:
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Employment and labor implications of corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, restructuring, and bankruptcy; reductions in force
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Development and implementation of global policies and programs, including diversity and inclusion programs, codes of conduct, effective performance management strategies, leave and reasonable accommodation policies and processes, and compensation programs
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Audits and assessments of employment practices, including wage and hour, EEO, and safety and health programs
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Executive agreements
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Non-competition agreements, non-solicitation provisions, and other restrictive covenants
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Compliance programs and training
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Prevention and defense of employment-related claims, including discrimination (age, race, gender, sexual orientation and disability), harassment and retaliation/whistleblower claims
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Alternative dispute resolution and risk management programs related to employment claims
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Employee benefit matters.
Admissions
Texas
Louisiana
Professional Affiliations and Memberships:
American Bar Association
Texas Bar Association
Louisiana Bar Association
Bar Association of the Fifth Circuit
National Association of Corporate Directors
Former member, American Corporate Counsel Association
Society for Human Resource Management
Barry E. McFadden
Partner
Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions & Outside General Counsel
713-533-8790 (office)
832-442-5430 (fax)
Barry has spent the last 19 years practicing law in Houston, Texas. Prior to co-founding Greathouse Holloway McFadden Trachtenberg in 2016, Barry worked as outside counsel at two of the largest firms in the United States and as Vice President & Associate General Counsel of ExpressJet Airlines (NYSE: XJT), one of the largest commercial air carriers in the United States, and as Vice President & Associate General Counsel at Landry’s, Inc., a national leader in dining, hospitality, entertainment and gaming. Barry is recognized for his ability to analyze and provide guidance to his clients from both a business and legal perspective, and this talent led to his co-leading the corporate development team at ExpressJet and becoming the youngest Vice President in the company’s long history.
Barry's co-founding of the firm stemmed from the desire to break free from the many challenges that come from serving clients in the large firm environment. He takes great provide in practicing in an environment focusing on maximizing client relationships – instead of maximizing billable hours. As a result, Barry is driven to provide personal, practical, business-oriented and cost-effective guidance his clients.
Barry’s diverse background enables him to provide a broad range of guidance in numerous practice areas. For example, Barry frequently works with clients on a variety of contractual and other legal matters, including:
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Outside general counsel services
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Buy and sell-side mergers and acquisitions transactions
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Construction, engineering and procurement arrangements in the energy, chemical, entertainment and recreational industries
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Golf course construction and project management
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Commercial lending matters, representing both lenders and borrowers
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Hospitality, gaming and entertainment transactions
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Franchise and development arrangements
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Real estate and leasing matters
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Automated teller machine industry matters
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Aviation matters
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Board of Directors and shareholder issues
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Service, consulting and licensing agreements
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Intellectual property agreements
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Hedging and fixed forward pricing arrangements
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Annual and quarterly reports, proxy filings, earnings releases, press releases and other public filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission
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Various restructuring and bankruptcy related matters
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Litigation strategy and management
Education
J.D., The University of Texas School of Law (2002)
B.B.A, The University of Texas at Austin (1998)
Admissions
Texas
Fun Facts
Barry and a partner finished in 3rd place in the prestigious Westgate Las Vegas NFL SuperContest in 2015, besting nearly 1,800 other entrants for a payday of $181,335. Barry has also written numerous articles for SportsHandle.com and has been featured in several articles on ESPN.com.
Brian Trachtenberg
Partner
Litigation
713-688-6789 (office)
713-742-2033 (fax)
Brian is a creative and highly effective commercial litigator. He began his career as a project finance associate with a large, downtown law firm. After two years structuring deals, however, Brian found himself drawn to the courtroom, and began litigating with one of the world’s largest law firms. In the more than fifteen years since, Brian has become a go-to fixer in the courtroom and the boardroom for businesses, municipalities, and individuals needing new approaches to complex problems.
Brian represents both plaintiffs and defendants in business and municipal litigation, bankruptcy-related litigation, and employment litigation. His expertise covers contract disputes, investment partnership disputes, trade secret and unfair competition disputes, oil and gas disputes, construction disputes, governmental disputes, and other matters in state and federal trial, appellate and bankruptcy courts, arbitration proceedings and at the negotiating table. His clients range from enormous, multi-national public corporations to local and regional governmental entities to start-ups and mom-and-pops and even select individuals, and have been located throughout the United States as well as in Denmark, Finland, Russia, Turkey, and elsewhere. After working with Brian on discrete litigation matters, several clients have come to rely on him for a broad range of advice, and Brian has served as outside general counsel to clients including several investment banking and financial advisory firms and software companies.
Brian practices in state and federal courts, before arbitration panels and mediators, and in boardrooms throughout the world.
Brian takes a different approach to solving legal problems. He brainstorms while tossing a ball against a wall, works barefoot, and treats clients and coworkers like family. And it works, as any of his existing clients will tell you.
Practice Areas
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Litigation, Arbitration, & Appeals
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General Business Disputes
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Finance & Investment Disputes
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Complex Construction Disputes
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Trademark & Copyright Disputes
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Employment Disputes
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Municipal & Government Disputes & Counseling
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Bankruptcy-Related Disputes
Industries
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Finance & Banking
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Software & Technology
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Oil & Gas
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Commodities Trading
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Construction
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Manufacturing
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Real Estate
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Government & Politics
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Honors
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Selected as a Texas Super Lawyer: 2013 - 2019
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Selected as a Texas Rising Star: 2009, 2011 – 2013
Education
B.A., University of Massachusetts - Boston (1998)
J.D., University of Chicago School of Law (2002)
Admissions
Texas
Affiliations
Served 6 years on the Texas Bar Association’s Attorney Grievance Committee, including two as Chairman
Randy Bruchmiller
Partner
Commercial, Construction and Employment Litigation
512-368-8183 (office)
713-816-1276 (mobile)
832-442-5430 (fax)
Randy has spent the last 19 years working as a litigator at two of the largest international law firms in the United States after being a partner in a medium-sized litigation firm. Randy is known for his ability to help navigate complex legal issues and reach favorable resolutions for his clients through trial, summary judgments, and settlements. Randy has handled hundreds of lawsuits in state and federal courts around the country for Fortune 500 companies, small companies and individuals.
Randy joined Greathouse Holloway McFadden Trachtenberg in an effort to better serve clients by providing top-notch legal services in a manner that doesn’t fit the billable hour driven business model that is always present in the large firm environment. Randy prides himself in providing sound, prudent counseling to clients facing difficult – and sometimes “bet the company” decisions and vigorously defends their interests when they find themselves in litigation.
Randy regularly counsels employers regarding labor and employment matters and litigates employment disputes on behalf of employers. Randy has handled commercial litigation matters involving contract disputes, claims of breach of fiduciary duty, trade secrets, covenants not to compete, insurance disputes and various other complex business litigation matters. In fact, he has handled complex commercial, construction, employment, consumer, toxic tort and other litigation in the energy, healthcare, ATM, alternative fuels, agrochemicals, medical supply, insurance, engineering, staffing, retail, software, banking and many other industries. Randy’s diverse litigation background enables him to provide counseling and litigation expertise in a broad range of litigation and other matters.
Representative prior matters include:
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Obtained injunctive relief and ultimately a favorable outcome on behalf of one of the largest oilfield supply companies in the United States in a lawsuit against a competitor that involved allegations of misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty and tortious interference.
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Represented one of the world’s top-five largest insurance brokers in a dispute where the plaintiff alleged over $30 million in damages based on allegations of negligence, breach of contract, design defects and construction defects.
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Obtained dismissal of a lawsuit on behalf of an employer wherein a former employee was alleging discrimination and retaliation claims.
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Obtained summary judgment and a large attorneys’ fees award on behalf of an individual in the medical sales business that generated a seven-figure amount of annual sales, wherein his former employer, a subsidiary of a multi-billion dollar company, claimed he misappropriated trade secrets among other allegations.
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Consulted in the drafting of an employment agreement on behalf of a high-level executive wherein over $17 million in stock awards was involved.
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Obtained injunctive relief and ultimately a favorable outcome on behalf of a very large software company in a case against a competitor that involved allegations of misappropriation of trade secrets, employee theft, breach of fiduciary duty and tortious interference.
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Represented a family in a parental rights appeal to the Texas Supreme Court and ultimately prevailed when the Texas Supreme Court denied the appellant’s petition for review.
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Obtained injunctive relief on behalf of one of the world’s largest staffing companies against a competitor in a lawsuit involving allegations of misappropriation of trade secrets and a breach of a noncompetition agreement by a former employee.
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Obtained a favorable outcome on behalf of a large insurance company in a multi-million dollar lawsuit that involved allegations of insurance fraud.
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Represented a company that acted as a purchasing agent in a lawsuit involving the taxability of hundreds of millions of dollars in property.
Education
J.D., University of Houston Law Center (2001)
B.S., Texas A&M University (1997)
Admissions
Texas
Mississippi
Courts
Supreme Court of the United States
U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Western, Northern, and Eastern Districts of Texas
U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi
State Courts in Texas and Mississippi
Affiliations
State Bar of Texas
State Bar of Mississippi
Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
Federal Bar Association
Houston Bar Association
Austin Bar Association
Williamson County Bar Association
Waco-McLennan County Bar Association
Corpus Christi Bar Association
Texas State Society
Recent Presentations and Publications
Co-Author, “Don’t Let Employee Social Media Posts Sack Your Business” LinkedIn (2018)
Co-Author, “Litigating Trade Secrets Disputes in 2017 and Beyond,” Austin Bench Bar Conference (2017) and McLennan County Bar Association (2017)
Webinar Presentation: “Protecting Trade Secrets and Other Intellectual Property in Business Transactions” (2014)
"Texas Trade Secrets Decision Helps Energy Companies," Law 360 (2014)
Presentation to In-House Counsel: “Trade Secrets, IP and Your Employees” (2012)
Anna Phillips
Senior Attorney
Litigation
(713)688-6789 (office)
713-688-6789 (fax)
Anna’s interest in law began while volunteering for a local judicial campaign in 2010. At the time, Anna was a young, single parent working towards a bachelor’s degree at the University of Houston. Anna’s campaign experience and drive to build a better future for her daughter led her to pursue a career in law.
Anna’s hard work landed her a full academic scholarship to University of Houston Law Center. While in law school, she focused on environmental, administrative, and government law. During the summers she interned with government entities and nonprofits, such as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Galveston Bay Foundation. During the school year, she competed in energy and environmental moot court competitions. It was her experience as a member of the UHLC’s moot court team that sparked her interest in litigation and written advocacy.
After graduation, Anna began working as a litigation associate under Brian Trachtenberg. Since then, she has enjoyed the opportunity to further explore her interests in administrative and government law by representing local municipal utility and special purpose districts; as well as expand her practice to complex commercial, construction, and finance litigation. Anna’s strong writing and results-driven work ethic make her a valued member of the GreatLaw litigation team.
Practice Areas
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Litigation, Arbitration, & Appeals
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General Business Disputes
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Finance & Investment Disputes
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Complex Construction Disputes
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Employment Disputes
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Municipal & Government Disputes
Education
J.D., University of Houston Law Center (2015)
B.S., University of Houston (2011)
Admission
Texas
Fun Facts
Anna spends her free time playing piano and video games. She is known for her well-timed delivery of Lord of the Rings memes.
Deke Bond
Consulting Counsel
Labor and Employment, Litigation and Counseling
917-774-4141(office)
832-442-5430 (fax)
Deke has nearly two decades of experience in employment and labor law. He has counseled and represented some of the world’s leading companies in a broad range of matters and understands that, in addition to substantive legal expertise, clients need practical outside counsel with a strong understanding of their business objectives. Deke’s insightful support on both day-to-day and strategic matters and his skills as an advocate make him a valuable asset to the clients he serves, and his constant focus on excellent client service makes him a trusted partner to in-house counsel and human resources teams alike.
Deke’s primary focus is handling employment disputes, whether through traditional litigation, mediation, arbitration or other alternative means of dispute resolution. Deke regularly represents employers in state and federal court, in mediations and arbitrations, and before state and federal agencies to defend claims arising under the full spectrum of federal and state labor and employment laws. Deke has handled hundreds of employment cases ranging from the single plaintiff discrimination case to class and collective actions, and he successfully partners with clients in the full lifecycle of employment-related disputes, from initial investigation to helping clients minimize the risk of similar claims in the future after the specific matter has been resolved.
Deke's experience as a trial lawyer also makes him a skilled advisor in the many situations where managing litigation risk is an important part of the solution to a client's problem, and he has worked with employers on compliance and policy initiatives from design to implementation. Deke is effective at working with employees in the front lines as well as the senior management team to help identify and achieve a successful outcome, and he helps clients proactively manage their legal risks through training, effective employee communications, and improved HR processes and procedures.
Deke frequently represents clients on the following matters
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Employment litigation, mediation and arbitration
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Wage and hour law compliance
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Prevention and defense of claims of harassment, discrimination and retaliation
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Investigation and defense of "whistleblower" claims
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Non-competition agreements and other restrictive covenants
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Compliance with various leave laws
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Reasonable accommodations and the interactive
Education
J.D., University of Houston Law Center (1998)
B.A, The University of Texas at Austin (1991)
Admissions
Texas
New York
Dallas V. Bosveld
Senior Counsel
Corporate; Mergers and Acquisitions; Outside General Counsel
832-384-9818 (office)
713-688-6789 (fax)
Dallas enjoys providing counsel to business owners in various industries including manufacturing, real estate, services, media, tech, energy and related. She regularly represents closely held businesses as buyers and sellers in business transactions and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining Greathouse Holloway McFadden Trachtenberg in 2020, Dallas worked in a corporate boutique firm in Houston and Dallas.
Having started a company herself, Dallas is passionate about working with business owners and entrepreneurs. She strives to provide clients counsel that goes beyond their immediate day-to-day needs, including practical solutions and strategies. For example, Dallas frequently works with clients on a variety of contractual and other legal matters, including:
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Outside General Counsel services
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Buyer representation – mergers and acquisitions transactions
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Seller representation – mergers and acquisitions transactions
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Real estate transactions
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Partnership and LLC agreements
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Shareholders and Buy-Sell agreements
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Family-owned business succession planning agreements and transactions
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Service, consulting and licensing agreements
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Board of Directors and shareholder issues
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Intellectual property agreements
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Trademark and brand protection strategy and agreements
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Litigation strategy and management
Education
J.D., University of Houston Law Center (2014)
B.A., Pepperdine University, cum laude (2007)
Admissions
Texas
Professional Affiliations and Honors
The Woodlands Bar Association
Texas State Bar Business Law Member
Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts Pro Bono Counsel
Super Lawyers Rising Star – 2019, 2020
Texas Top Women Attorney - 2020
Houstonia Magazine Top Lawyer – 2016, 2017, 2018
Amy S. Anderson, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Human Resources Generalist
Amy has over 19 years of Human Resources generalist experience with emphasis on EEO/regulatory compliance, affirmative action planning, compensation planning, management development and training. Her experience spans a variety of industries with the majority in manufacturing. While in that industry, Ms. Anderson held the position of Corporate EEO Manager/EEO Officer for a $4 billion company with 30,000 plus employees. She provides assistance to organizations preparing Human Resources Strategic Plans and supporting initiatives such as policy development and implementation, investigation protocols, employee handbook assessment, and leadership training. Clients include Fortune 500, privately-held companies, and non-profits.
Amy has special expertise in EEO/AA including conducting investigations, preparing charge responses, representing organizations in mediation and/or settlement conferences, preparing Affirmative Action Plans, training management in EEO/AA topic areas, and representing organizations during OFCCP Compliance reviews. She also develops and facilitates training programs on HR topics such as Interviewing and Selection, Communication Skills, Investigations, The Importance of Documentation, and Employment Law Compliance.
Amy completed her Bachelor's of Science Degree in Human Resources Management at Auburn University in 1995 and achieved her Senior Professional in Human Resources certification in 2001. She is a national member of The Society for Human Resources Management.
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