fax: (512) 477-5267

Bruce Perkins has of general business litigation experience, including extensive motion practice, first-chair jury trials, and appellate work. He is a vigorous advocate with expertise in preparing, coordinating, and completing complex transactions and contested cases. Mr. Perkins is a proven self-starter and leader with experience in guiding clients, attorneys, and staff members through transaction/case initiation and development to satisfactory completion, with primary responsibility for all aspects, including budget management, oversight of personnel and vendors, document and witness control, and transaction/case negotiation and resolution. He has excellent verbal communication and writing skills, including research, organizational, briefing, reporting, and expository proficiency.

Mr. Perkins specializes in complex multiparty litigation involving a broad range of contract disputes, torts, copyright and trademark claims, governmental matters, securities issues, real estate and construction industry cases, landlord-tenant disputes, professional negligence claims, e-commerce matters, and general business conflicts. He has, for several years, represented an insurance company defending against first-party claims. Mr. Perkins also has extensive arbitration experience, including the successful representation of a defendant in a multiparty securities fraud case and the representation of a multinational corporation in a complex dispute over a software system integration before an arbitration tribunal in Paris, France.

Mr. Perkins' business practice includes the representation of large publicly traded companies, small to mid-size locally owned firms, financial institutions, and local governments, as well as other types of business entities and individuals. His business representation is concentrated on contract matters, intellectual property rights, corporate acquisitions and dissolutions, and partnership matters for large and small entities, such as software development companies, entertainment industry clients, telecommunications and technology companies, advertising firms, manufacturers, and an Austin-based firm supplying services to local, county, state, and federal governmental entities. In addition, he acts in a general counsel capacity for a government consulting firm, as well as for a local food manufacturer for which he manages a portfolio of 35 to 40 trademarks.

Mr. Perkins has also developed a specialization in employment law, which includes the representation of employers in discrimination, sexual harassment, and wrongful discharge claims, conducting investigations, the development of training programs and seminars for employers, the creation of employee handbooks, assistance with a broad variety of compliance issues, and day-to-day advice on personnel issues.

Mr. Perkins, like many Austin attorneys, was a professional musician at least two decades ago and represents musicians, managers, record companies, and other clients in the entertainment industry. He also makes time to assist indigent clients in pro bono matters.

Apart from his law practice, Mr. Perkins is active in his church and most recently is responsible for the young men from 12 to 18 years of age. This calling involves work with the Boy Scouts, and he has acted as an advisor to four young men on their successful Eagle projects.

Recent Cases

• Obtained reversal of trial court at the Austin Court of Appeals in an employment discrimination case. Blakey v. Texas Dep't of Health, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 1247 (Tex.
  App.-Austin 2004, no pet.), 21 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 187.
• Successfully defended a client in a temporary injunction hearing against the enforcement of non-competition agreements.
• Successfully defended a client in a multi-party (excess of 60 parties), $30 million securities fraud arbitration.
• Obtained a temporary injunction for a client to enforce a noncompetition provision in a business buyout.
• Represented a national cellular telephone company in responding to employee claims of wrongful termination.
• Represented a national consulting company in responding to employee claims of wrongful termination.
• Represented employees of a local computer manufacturer in responding to discrimination claims.
• Represented a local County Commissioners Court in a variety of employee and business matters.
• Assisted in the representation by French counsel of a United States Fortune 100 company in litigation in France, first in arbitration and then in the Tribunal de Commerce of Bobigny, France.
• Represented an insurance company against a number of first-party claims.

Presentations and Articles

• Employment Law Issues, Austin Human Resource Management Association seminar, September 16, 2002.
• Employment Law Update in Texas, Sterling Education Services seminar, August 13, 2002.
• Legislative Update, Austin Human Resource Management Association seminar, April 17, 2002.
• Selected Labor and Employment Law Topics, Ball Associates Human Resource seminar, October 29, 1998.
• Examining the Family and Medical Leave Act, Texas Banking, Vol. 83, p. 3, March 1994.

Memberships/Admissions

• American Bar Association
• State Bar of Texas (1986)
• Austin Bar Association
• United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.
• United States District Court, Southern District of Texas.
• United States District Court, Western District of Texas.

Education

• J. D., The University of Texas School of Law, 1986.
• B. A., The University of Texas at Austin, 1983, with High Honors.

Practice Areas

• Commercial and business litigation.
• Employment law.
• Commercial arbitration, including international arbitration.
• Trademark and copyright law.
• Entertainment law.

Languages

• French (fluent)
• Spanish (limited)