David partners with clients to offer practical solutions to labor and employment problems of all sizes and shapes before they end up in litigation. That might mean helping a human resources professional with a complicated disciplinary action or helping a Fortune 500 CEO respond to a union campaign. David understands his clients' businesses and works tirelessly and creatively to make a client's goal his goal. With a focus on partnership in decision making and an emphasis on supervisor training, many of David's clients have seen dramatic drops in employment litigation.
Of course, not every dispute can be avoided. Employment disputes can often be high stakes, bitter, and expensive. Unlike many employment lawyers, David is no stranger to a courtroom. Whether it is a non-compete or trade secret case, FLSA collective action, or an unfair labor practice charge at the NLRB, David has experience litigating high profile matters. In fact, because of his substantial trial experience, David is often called upon by clients to assist in complicated litigation outside of the employment realm, and David has successfully won cases across the state of Texas in both state and federal courts.
Because of David's common sense approach to labor and employment issues, he is often quoted in newspapers and magazines. He has also appeared as an employment law professional on talk radio and local CBS and Fox affiliates.
David is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the state of Texas and has been named a Texas Super Lawyer Rising Star in Texas Monthly magazine.
When not helping clients, David can be found leading his son's Boy Scout troop, running a marathon, or hiking on a mountain.
Not a member of the Illinois Bar. Handles collective bargaining and labor arbitrations in Illinois. Admitted only in Texas.
News
November 08, 2024
David Barron was quoted in an HR Brew article on managing employee conflicts amid political tensions following the 2024 U.S. election.
November 06, 2024
David Barron, Michele Ballard Miller, and Michael Schmidt were quoted in an HR Dive article discussing the impact of the upcoming Trump administration on key labor regulations.
August 15, 2024
Best Lawyers selected 242 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.
May 08, 2024
David Barron was quoted in a SHRM article discussing the impact of a new rule, which will raise the salary threshold for overtime compensation.
March 28, 2024
David Barron, Kelly Kindig, and Steven Millman were quoted in an Automotive Dive, HR Dive, Manufacturing Dive article discussing the labor landscape transformation in the past year, with increased worker enthusiasm and a landmark decision from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) reshaping the dynamics of union organizing.
February 15, 2024
The firm announced several new practice group chairs, office managing partners, and leaders of firm committees and initiatives
October 19, 2023
David Barron was quoted in a Business Insider article discussing the trend of remote workers taking on a second remote job.
September 14, 2023
David Barron was quoted in HR Dive discussing how the Office of Personnel Management issued guidance regarding whether the Fair Labor Standards requires that federal workers be compensated for their commute to work.
September 05, 2023
David Barron was quoted in SHRM discussing how managers can help employees when dealing with an angry customer.
August 17, 2023
Best Lawyers selected 230 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
August 12, 2023
David Barron was quoted in SHRM discussing practical ways to handle employee conflict.
June 26, 2023
David Barron was quoted in Employee Benefit News discussing how the EEOC recently warned employers that using algorithmic decision-making tools for hiring strategies could potentially violate existing civil rights laws.
June 01, 2023
David Barron was quoted in SHRM addressing how to handle complaints in the workplace.
February 01, 2023
David Barron was quoted in SHRM discussing what employers can do when an employee is accused of time theft.
November 30, 2022
David Barron joined the GovExec Daily podcast to discuss mental health accommodations in the workplace.
November 08, 2022
David Barron was quoted in SHRM discussing employers requiring COVID-19 vaccination for employees.
September 13, 2022
David Barron was quoted in The Balance discussing if someone who is collecting unemployment can start a business.
August 22, 2022
210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
June 06, 2022
David Barron was quoted in Law.com discussing how workers are unhappy about returning to the office and how they are playing a legal card.
May 31, 2022
David Barron and Aaron Holt were quoted in Law.com discussing the challenges employers face with remote workers.
April 04, 2022
David Barron was quoted in SHRM discussing when it is appropriate to immediately dismiss an employee even after they have given their notice of resignation.
March 18, 2022
David Barron joined This Morning with Gordon Deal to explain why you should embrace March Madness at work this year.
March 09, 2022
David Barron spoke with HR Dive discussing how long COVID-19 may constitute a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
January 14, 2022
David Barron was quoted in Forbes discussing the Biden administration's vaccine mandate blocked in a Supreme Court ruling.
December 16, 2021
David Barron was quoted in Yahoo! news discussing employers handling vaccine mandates.
December 16, 2021
David Barron was quoted in SHRM discussing how an employee's or job applicant's COVID-19 related impairment may qualify as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
December 16, 2021
David Barron spoke with DNYUZ about why some employers are not mandating the COVID-19 vaccine.
November 04, 2021
David Barron was quoted in the Dallas Morning News discussing the challenges employers face with the latest COVID-19 vaccine requirements for employers of 100 or more employees.
August 19, 2021
Best Lawyers selected 210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
August 04, 2021
David Barron spoke with Bloomberg Law about the latest on offices reopening with COVID-19 vaccination policies.
August 03, 2021
David Barron was quoted in CNBC discussing the latest on returning to work.
July 23, 2021
David Barron was quoted in The New York Times discussing the possibility of employers implementing mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policies.
July 23, 2021
David Barron was quoted in Inc. discussing the confusion that comes with asking someone about their COVID-19 vaccination status.
July 09, 2021
David Barron spoke with Inc. about the challenges employers face with the return to work policies.
June 09, 2021
David Barron spoke with NBC News about the challenges companies face when returning to work.
June 04, 2021
David Barron spoke with SHRM about how the CDC's recent guidance on masks has encouraged some vaccinated employees to go maskless in the workplace.
May 18, 2021
David Barron was quoted in Yahoo! News discussing the impact of the CDC mask-dropping guidance for those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the workplace.
May 17, 2021
David Barron was quoted in Politico discussing if employees should still be required to wear masks on the job.
May 17, 2021
David Barron joined This Morning with Gordon Deal to discuss the latest CDC mask guidelines and how it applies in the workplace.
May 14, 2021
David Barron was quoted in Forbes discussing how the latest CDC mask guidelines impact employers.
May 14, 2021
David Barron was interviewed by Law.com discussing what changing face mask rules mean for the workplace.
May 14, 2021
David Barron was quoted in HR Dive discussing how the latest CDC mask guidelines impact employers.
April 21, 2021
David Barron was quoted in SHRM discussing the possibility of mandatory vaccinations at work.
March 22, 2021
David Barron spoke to Law360 about the upcoming summer internship season and the legal challenges.
March 08, 2021
David Barron was quoted in SHRM discussing how pandemic fatigue is creating challenges and legal risks that employers need to address.
March 03, 2021
David Barron spoke with FOX26 Houston about the new safety protocols that OSHA is issuing.
March 03, 2021
David Barron joined the Jimmy Barrett Show to discuss Texas lifting COVID-19 restrictions and how to handle the new rules with your employees and customers.
February 19, 2021
David Barron was quoted in Law360 discussing the severe cold weather crisis in Texas.
February 12, 2021
David Barron and John Ho were quoted in Bloomberg Law discussing COVID-19 OSHA citations.
February 09, 2021
David Barron spoke with CNBC about how most U.S. organizations said that they will encourage, rather than require, their employees to get vaccinated, according to research from the Society for Human Resource Management conducted in December.
January 20, 2021
David Barron was quoted in Inc. discussing how employers can handle their employees receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
January 08, 2021
David Barron spoke with AmpGoo about the potential consequences employees face if they attended the Capitol Hill riot.
December 15, 2020
David Barron was quoted in Business Insurance discussing the impact the Biden administration could have on the NLRB.
December 08, 2020
David Barron was quoted in the Washington Post discussing one of the issues facing the bipartisan stimulus negotiations is the insistence by Senate Republicans that businesses and other entities have sweeping immunity from coronavirus-related lawsuits.
December 02, 2020
David Barron spoke with The Washington Post about how employers can incentivize their employees to take the COVID-19 vaccine without requiring it.
November 25, 2020
David Barron spoke with HR Drive about how the upcoming holiday season is about to collide with a pandemic and employers have some options when it comes to workers' personal travel.
November 16, 2020
David Barron spoke with CNN about the possibility of employers requiring employees to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
November 06, 2020
David Barron was quoted in Law360 discussing what companies should consider with the hiring process during the COVID-19 pandemic.
October 23, 2020
David Barron was quoted in Law360 discussing how safety concerns and demands for hazard pay are compounding the wage and benefits issues that typically drive conflicts at the bargaining table, while employers have been hesitant to make concessions amid a business environment as uncertain as any they've ever faced.
October 16, 2020
David Barron did an interview with Law.com about the pros and cons of going back into the office and the issue of Immunity Discrimination.
October 12, 2020
David Barron discussed with HR Drive whether an employer can force employees to receive a vaccine for COVID-19.
September 24, 2020
Cozen O’Connor attorneys David L. Barron, Stephen P. Pate, A. Martin Wickliff, Jr., and Joseph A. Ziemianski were named 2020 Texas Super Lawyers.
September 22, 2020
David Barron spoke with Law.com about how your company can require you to return to the office once the office space has been COVID-19 approved for occupancy.
September 22, 2020
David Barron was quoted in Human Resource Executive discussing a new type of bias that involves recruiters who favor job candidates who have already contracted and survived COVID-19.
August 26, 2020
David Barron spoke with the Southeast Texas Record about how he believes there will be a large number of cases filed in front line industries and workplaces where there have been substantial outbreaks of COVID-19.
August 20, 2020
Best Lawyers selected 200 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© (Copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC).
August 17, 2020
David Barron joined the GovExec Daily podcast to discuss how employers and employees can stay away from hostile environments.
August 14, 2020
David Barron was quoted in SHRM discussing how employers are also facing issues when handling drug-testing logistics during the pandemic.
August 13, 2020
David Barron spoke with SHRM about how now that marijuana is legal in many states, can employers still ban it from the workplace?
July 23, 2020
David Barron was quoted in Yahoo! Finance discussing employers requiring employees to surrender their right to sue over COVID-19.
July 17, 2020
David Barron was quoted in Law360 discussing the possible impact of the upcoming school year on employers.
July 15, 2020
David Barron spoke with CBS Philly about the challenges families face with schools reopening.
July 08, 2020
David Barron spoke with SHRM about the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that two elementary school teachers at religious schools could not pursue their claims of age and disability discrimination.
July 08, 2020
David Barron spoke with Supply Chain Brain about the legal issues for employers that might arise from employees contracting COVID-19 in the workplace.
July 06, 2020
David Barron discussed with NBC Bay Area about the challenges many businesses and employers are facing as they try to reopen while also protecting the health of their workers.
July 01, 2020
David Barron spoke with Law360 about whether employers should have employees sign COVID-19 liability waivers.
Publications
January 29, 2025
Anna Wermuth, D.A. Graham, Nicole Su, and Dave Barron discuss how recent Trump administration executive orders may impact employers and steps they can take now.
November 27, 2024
For this Thanksgiving week episode, I am joined by several of my Cozen O'Connor colleagues to discuss the likely impact of President Trump's second administration on such L&E issues as federal agency regulation and initiatives generally (David Barron), the NLRB and union activity (Kelly...
September 10, 2024
In this special 150th podcast episode, I am joined by my Cozen O'Connor colleagues David Barron and Jim Gale to discuss what is left of the FTC noncompete rule, if anything, and what employers should be doing next with the rule in the rearview mirror.
Download this episode....
August 21, 2024
Aaron Holt, Mike Schmidt, and David Barron discuss the Northern District of Texas striking down the FTC's Final Rule with nationwide effect.
April 25, 2024
The FTC has issued a Final Rule banning all new noncompete agreements for workers, including senior executives, effective 120 days after publication in the Federal Register.
July 05, 2022
In today's episode, I offer the takeaways from the Supreme Court's June 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and am joined by colleagues for a roundtable discussion on the impact of the decision on benefits, health care, and labor and employment law.
Download this episode....
October 13, 2021
Aaron Holt answers questions employers may have about Texas's Executive Order No. GA-40.
June 16, 2021
Dave Barron discusses new OSHA guidance for vaccinated workers.
June 07, 2021
In light of recent guidance issued by the Center for Disease Control and the EEOC, we have updated our Return to Work Checklist.
January 22, 2021
David Barron, John Carrigan, Jr., Arielle Eisenberg, Aaron Holt, and Nandini Sane designed a guide on how employers can handle the COVID-19 vaccination for their employees. The most important question right now for Human Resources professionals is vaccination and more specifically, how to implement...
January 20, 2021
David Barron, John Carrigan, Jr., Arielle Eisenberg, Aaron Holt, and Nandini Sane designed a guide on how employers can handle the COVID-19 vaccination for their employees.
January 19, 2021
Adam C. Gutmann and David L. Barron discuss the landmark ruling in Swales v. KLLM Transport Servs., LLC, wherein the court did away with the two-step Lusardi framework that most FLSA collective actions have followed for the last 33 years.
November 23, 2020
David Barron, Joseph Quinn, Jake Rubinstein, Di Addy Tang, Peter Ennis, Adam Gutmann, and Anne discuss various state laws that may impact employers.
September 01, 2020
The latest projections estimate that nearly 300,000
Americans will die from COVID-19 by the end of 2020. Many of those individuals
will be employed when they contract the virus, and a significant number will be
workers in front line businesses such as retail, manufacturing, or healthcare,
where the...
August 06, 2020
David Barron, David Hackett, Nandini Sane, and Bethany Vasquez designed an FAQ to address concerns that employers have regarding COVID-19 and the Fall semester.
August 05, 2020
David Barron discusses the Southern District of New York's decision on August 3, 2020, finding that four portions of the DOL's final rule exceeded the DOL’s authority and should be set aside as invalid.
Events & Seminars
Upcoming Events
June 26, 2025
- Webinar
David Barron, Nandini Sane, John Ho, Daniel Pascale (COSECURE) will present on the most important legal and practical concerns that should be covered in every company’s serious weather event plan.
Past Events
May 08, 2025
- Houston, TX
February 27, 2025
- Houston, TX
February 21, 2025
- Webinar
February 20, 2025
- Arlington, TX
December 17, 2024
- Webinar
November 06, 2024
- Webinar
August 06, 2024
- Houston, TX
July 27, 2024
- Round Rock, TX
January 25, 2024
- Webinar
November 30, 2023
- Webinar
September 21, 2023
- Webinar
February 16, 2023
- Webinar
November 02, 2022
- Webinar
September 08, 2022
- Webinar
August 04, 2022
- Webinar
July 12, 2022
- Houston, TX
February 03, 2022
- Webinar
January 13, 2022
- Webinar
December 16, 2021
- Webinar
December 14, 2021
- Webinar
December 08, 2021
- Webinar
November 18, 2021
- Webinar
November 04, 2021
- Webinar
October 05, 2021
- Webinar
September 23, 2021
- Webinar
August 05, 2021
- Webinar
August 04, 2021
- Houston, Texas
February 25, 2021
- Webinar
February 11, 2021
- Webinar
January 14, 2021
- Webinar
December 17, 2020
- Webinar
December 07, 2020
- Webinar
December 03, 2020
- Webinar
October 08, 2020
- Webinar
September 10, 2020
- Webinar
August 27, 2020
- Webinar
August 20, 2020
- Webinar