• Subscribe
  • Log In
  • Sign up for email updates
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

  • Appellate
  • Bankruptcy
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Corp. Deal Tracker/M&A
  • GCs/Corp. Legal Depts.
  • Firm Management
  • White-Collar/Regulatory
  • Pro Bono/Public Service/D&I

Baker & McKenzie Brings Back Labor and Employment Expert Celina Joachim

August 26, 2015 Mark Curriden

© 2015 The Texas Lawbook.

By Brooks Igo

(Aug. 26) – Labor and employment expert Celina Joachim recently returned to Baker & McKenzie as a partner in Houston after eight months working in-house at Direct Energy.

Celina Joachim
Celina Joachim

Joachim, who practiced the first ten years of her legal career at Baker & McKenzie, said the move was like “returning home.

“The firm’s renowned employment practice and its client-focused approach make it a perfect fit for my practice,” she said. “The firm has opportunities for flexible work arrangements which are great for working mothers like myself with professional and career development initiatives to help advance attorneys into leadership roles.”

The University of Houston Law Center graduate said her experience as counsel at Direct Energy was “invaluable” and helped her notice what she valued from outside counsel.

“Good outside counsel add a lot of value to a company and can make your job in-house easier,” she said. “I hope to emulate the behaviors that I valued while in-house.”

Joachim, who is a regular contributor to Baker & McKenzie’s new blog focusing on Texas labor and employment matters, says she is seeing a lot of activity in wage and hour issues, sick leave and disability accommodation and developments related to LGBT workers.

More specifically, she added that the misclassification of workers as independent contractors rather than employees is a growing area of enforcement in the U.S. and around the world. For clients wondering about the distinction, she highlights recent guidance released by the Department of Labor that says “most workers are employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act.”

© 2014 The Texas Lawbook. Content of The Texas Lawbook is controlled and protected by specific licensing agreements with our subscribers and under federal copyright laws. Any distribution of this content without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.

If you see any inaccuracy in any article in The Texas Lawbook, please contact us. Our goal is content that is 100% true and accurate. Thank you.

Mark Curriden

Mark Curriden is a lawyer/journalist and founder of The Texas Lawbook. In addition, he is a contributing legal correspondent for The Dallas Morning News.

View Mark’s articles

Email Mark

©2025 The Texas Lawbook.

Content of The Texas Lawbook is controlled and protected by specific licensing agreements with our subscribers and under federal copyright laws. Any distribution of this content without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.

If you see any inaccuracy in any article in The Texas Lawbook, please contact us. Our goal is content that is 100% true and accurate. Thank you.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Stories

  • Injured Man Gets $9.45M Jury Verdict Against Dallas Hotel
  • P.S. — Raising the Bar: Lawyers Fight Food Insecurity, Support Veterans and More 
  • Winter Storm Uri Victims Ask SCOTX to Reinstate Their Claims
  • Flowserve, Chart Industries Agree to Combine in $19B Merger
  • New UT Law Grads Make Courtroom Debut in Federal Appeals Arguments

Footer

Who We Are

  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Contact Us
  • Submit a News Tip

Stay Connected

  • Sign up for email updates
  • Article Submission Guidelines
  • Premium Subscriber Editorial Calendar

Our Partners

  • The Dallas Morning News
The Texas Lawbook logo

1409 Botham Jean Blvd.
Unit 811
Dallas, TX 75215

214.232.6783

© Copyright 2025 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.