Practice
Christine C. Vizcaino is a Member with Sprouse Shrader Smith whose practice encompasses a variety of areas, with a primary focus in litigation and labor and employment law.
Christine represents employers in a wide variety of litigation matters, including claims arising under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act and other federal and state laws governing employers. She has successfully litigated claims of harassment, discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination before both state and federal courts. She also has experience resolving matters before governmental agencies, having represented employers in wage and hour disputes before the Department of Labor and in appellate matters before the Texas Workforce Commission and Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
As part of her employment practice, Christine provides training and on-demand advice to employers on a broad range of matters affecting the employment relationship, from recruiting and retention to discipline and termination issues. She works with employers on best practices in the workplace regarding employee classification, wage and hour issues, policy drafting and implementation, accommodation requests and EEOC Compliance. She also handles internal investigations as well as represents employers through audits and investigations conducted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Labor and Texas Workforce Commission.
Christine is the leader of the firm’s Labor and Employment Group and is a highly regarded speaker on employment law issues. She regularly provides training sessions and in both the public and private sector and is frequently sought after by various human resource groups, corporate entities and other lawyers to speak on various labor and employment law topics.
Outside of the labor and employment arena, Christine also represents clients in complex business litigation and commercial disputes. She has litigated a variety of cases involving breach of contract claims, deceptive trade practices, intellectual property rights and claims of unfair competition. Christine advises clients regarding the protection of confidential information and/ or trade secrets, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, fiduciary duties, unfair competition, deceptive trade practices, unfair business practices, and antitrust issues. A portion of her practice is also devoted to providing guidance and counsel to clients with respect to their rights and obligations under certain agreements, drafting and negotiating various contractual agreements, and strategizing with clients on how to avoid litigation altogether.
Christine’s achievements have earned her inclusion in the Super Lawyer’s list of “Rising Stars” in both Texas and Oklahoma, since 2016.
Practice Areas
- Employment Law
- Litigation
- Personnel Management, Policies and Procedures
- Wage and Hour Issues
- Equal Employment Opportunity
- Unemployment Claims
- Employment Litigation
- Social Media & Influencer Marketing Law
Distinctions/Honors
- SuperLawyers’ Rising Star Award (2016-2017, 2019)
Presentations/Publications
- “Social Media Can Get Scary,” Open Seminar (November 2018)
- “Using Handbooks to Protect Against Legal Liability,” NBI Seminar (November, 2018)
- “It’s Hard to Say Goodbye,” Open Seminar (May 2018)
- “Protecting you from #MeToo,” Open Seminar (March 2018)
Admissions
- Texas State Courts, 2018
- Oklahoma State Courts, 2011
- US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, 2011
- US District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, 2011
- US District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, 2011
- US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, 2012
- US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, 2019
Education
- Oklahoma City University School of Law, JD., with honors, 2011
- Texas Tech University, BBA, 2008
Memberships
- National Employment Lawyers Association
- American Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- National Employment Law Institute
- Society of Human Resource Management
- Panhandle Human Resources Association
- Amarillo Area Bar Association
- Susan G. Komen West Texas (Board of Directors, 2018 – present)
- Texas Cattle Feeders Association (Human Resources Committee, 2018 – present)
- Amarillo Area Young Lawyers Association
- Amarillo Area Women’s Bar Association