Myrna Salinas Baumann

• Represented the University of Texas Southwestern before the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court in UTSW v. Nassar, in which the Supreme Court held that plaintiffs alleging retaliation under Title VII must prove “but for” rather than the more plaintiff-friendly “contributing factor” causation.
• Represented a major specialty retail chain in a nationwide lawsuit filed by the EEOC alleging a pattern or practice of discriminating against over 50,000 Black and Hispanic applicants for employment in over 70 stores.
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  Represented university health system in Department of Labor investigation for alleged violations of Fair Labor Standards Act for automatic deductions of wages for meal times. 
• Lead counsel defending global cloud service provider against allegations of sex discrimination and retaliation under Title VII.  Secured abandonment of all claims.
• Represented multi-national beverage company in federal court, state court, and arbitration proceedings related to discrimination and retaliation claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• Represented pharmaceutical company in simultaneous proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration concerning allegations of discrimination based on race, age, disability and retaliation under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and whistleblower claims under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Myrna Salinas Baumann provides employment counseling to companies in connection with mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions. She also advises employers regarding day-to-day employment compliance, best practices, and litigation avoidance.

In her employment counseling related to corporate transactions, Myrna regularly works with attorneys in the firm’s Corporate, Finance and Investments and Employee Benefits practices to negotiate purchase agreements, conduct due diligence, assess litigation exposure risks, and analyze ancillary employment documents, including executive employment, separation and release, retention bonus, and restrictive covenant agreements. Myrna’s advice and compliance practice addresses a variety of employment matters, such as employment and non-competition agreements, employee classification, performance and discipline, and terminations. Throughout her practice, Myrna draws on her prior experience as a litigator representing employers in disputes involving Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act, as well as investigations by government agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor.

In addition to her employment practice, Myrna has earned multiple King & Spalding Pro Bono Service Awards in recognition of her commitment to pro bono matters. She also contributes to the firm’s diversity initiatives: she previously served as the Co-Chair of the Latinx Affinity Group, as a planning committee member and Chair of the firm’s biennial Diversity Retreats, and as a member of the firm’s Diversity Committee. In the Austin community Myrna served as a board member of Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas and the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin Charitable Foundation. She was also a long-time volunteer for admission and fundraising for her undergraduate alma mater, Rice University.

Immediately following law school, Myrna served as a law clerk to the Honorable Hilda G. Tagle in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.