HoustonDavid_bio

David J. Houston

Shareholder / Lansing


Areas of Focus


Education

  • University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D., Order of the Coif, 1979)
  • University of Michigan (B.G.S., magna cum laude, 1975)

Bar & Court Admissions

  • State Bar of Michigan
  • State Bar of Utah
  • United States Supreme Court
  • Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Multiple past pro hac vice admissions
Experience
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For over 42 years, David J. Houston has been an active litigator specializing in employment and commercial law.

Dave is active in his community, both in the legal realm and public service. Dave was the founding member and past chairperson for the Ingham County Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section. He has served on several Character and Fitness Committees for years.

Dave's most recent achievement is serving as Chair of the firm's Labor, Employment & Civil Rights Department. For many years he served on the Board of Directors for Capital Area United Way. He has for approximately six years, and continues, to serve on the Board of Directors for CareFree Medical & Dental Clinic, and the Executive Committee of that Board. In that role he provides significant pro bono professional advice, and directed Care Free's relocation of all services within a recognized medically underserved area, for the purpose of qualifying CareFree as a Federally-Qualified Health Care ("FQHC") provider entitled to enhanced reimbursement and providing enhanced services. 

Professional Associations
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  • Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce
    • General Counsel (1999 - 2005)
    • Board of Directors and Executive Committee (1999 - 2005)
  • Past member, Michigan Manufacturers Association Committee on Governmental Affairs
  • Founding Member and Past Chairperson, Ingham County Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section
  • Michigan Bar Association
    • Labor and Employment Law Section
    • Litigation Section
  • Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Care Free Medical & Dental Clinic (2015 - Present)
  • Board of Directors, Capital Area United Way (2007 - 2015) 
    • (Executive, Strategic Planning, Audit Committees)
Honors & Distinctions
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  • Named 'Michigan Super Lawyer' by the publishers of Law & Politics Magazine
  • Selected as a '2025 Leading Michigan Lawyer' by Leading Lawyers for Employment Law: Management
  • Martindale AV Rated
Publications & Presentations
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Recent Blogs:

  • Author, "Department of Labor Weighs In On Deferral of FMLA Designation – Don't Let Michigan's New Paid Medical Leave Law Trip You Up!" (April, 2019)
  • Author, "The 'New' IRS Independent Contractor Test – The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same," Michigan Chamber of Commerce (January, 2020)
  • Author, "New Overtime Pay Rules" (February, 2020)
  • Author, "Addressing Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Workplace (March, 2020)
  • Author, "Employer Actions to Comply With Michigan 'Stay-at-Home' Executive Order 2020-21" (March, 2020)
  • Author, "CARES Act Payroll/Loan Program Review (March, 2020)
  • Author, "Governor's Executive Order Protecting Workers Exposed to Coronavirus From Discharge or Retaliation" (April, 2020)
  • Author, "Governor Whitmer Reopens Manufacturing with Executive Order 2020-77" (May, 2020)
  • Author, "Reopening Offices Under Michigan COVID-19 Executive Orders" (May, 2020)
  • Author, "Unemployment Compensation Benefits Extended to 26 Weeks" (October, 2020)
  • Author, "2021 Minimum Wage Rates – Important State and Federal Changes" (January, 2021)
  • Author, "Out-of-State Workers Create Tax and Employment Law Challenges for Employers During the Pandemic" (January, 2021)
  • Author, "Labor Law Changes are Coming Under the Biden Administration" (March, 2021)
  • Author, "Michigan Workplaces May Return to In-Person Work on May 24 Under 'MI Vacc to Normal' Plan" (May, 2021)
  • Author, "EEOC Issues New Guidance on Workplace Vaccine Policies" (June 2021)
  • Author, "Michigan COVID-Related Capacity, Mask and Gatherings Restrictions Will be Lifted Beginning June 22" (June, 2021)
  • Author, "Department of Labor Retains Independent Contractor Test" (June, 2021)

Articles and Similar:

  • Author, "Biden Executive Order to Examine Non-Compete Agreements" (July, 2021)
  • Author, "COVID Updates – The Latest News for Employers" (July, 2021)
  • Author, "COVID Updates – Is My Workplace a 'Public Indoor Setting' According to the CDC's New Mask Guidelines?" (August, 2021)
  • Author, "Michigan Attorney General Argues that Legal Marijuana Use Shouldn't be Grounds to Deny Unemployment Benefits" (August, 2021)
  • Author, "Care Recipients' Limited Right to Discriminate Based on Protected Characteristics of Care Providers," (Published)
  • Author, "Is It Time to Give Your Employee Handbook a Check-Up?" Healthcare Michigan (March, 2017)
  • "Pre-Employment Screening: What You Might, and 'Had Better' Know and Do," Michigan Chamber of Commerce Webinar (May, 2015)
  • "Employment Screening; Workplace Violence Avoidance," Michigan Chamber of Commerce Webinar Series (Spring – Summer, 2013)
  • "NLRB Focus on 'Concerted Activity' Increases Litigation," Michigan Lawyers Weekly (April, 2013)
  • Contributing Author, "A Michigan Employer's Guide to Drafting Your Employee Handbook," Michigan Chamber of Commerce
  • Contributing Author, "Michigan Wage and Hour: A Practical Guide for Small Businesses," Michigan Chamber of Commerce
  • Contributing Author, "Treatise, The Michigan Personnel File Survival Kit," Michigan Chamber of Commerce
  • "Arbitrator Scoring Undermines Traditional Labor Arbitration," Michigan Lawyers Weekly (February, 2012)
  • "The Recent FMLA Amendments and Regulations: Navigating the Bermuda Triangle of Remedial Employment Law," Sterling Education Services, Inc. (November, 2009)
  • "Filling the Vacuum with Positive Information: A Proactive Approach to Union-Proofing," Sterling Education Services, Inc. (November, 2009)
  • "Proactive Avoidance of Liability for Cell Phone Use," AGC of Michigan (August, 2009)
  • "The Family Feud: Exploring the Ins/Outs of the FMLA," Accident Fund (2005, 2009)
  • "Michigan Employer Ignites Smoking Ban Controversy," Michigan Chamber of Commerce (February, 2005)