Enrique Varela

• Lead and oversee all legal and compliance function for one of the largest multi-state humanitarian nonprofits with over 10,000 employees
• Continue to grow and strengthened the Legal and Compliance departments with a multi-million-dollar budget by establishing, updating existing processes, and monitoring overall performance
• Supervise several cross-functional teams on many initiatives to improve collaboration
• Report to the CEO
• Oversee all aspects of the organization’s governance, including but not limited to board of director matters, litigation, compliance and ethics investigations, contracts, transactions, government relations, claims, insurance, regulatory compliance, corporate and business diversification, etc.
• Develop and implement solutions and advise the CEO and Board of Directors on legal and compliance matters of all levels of complexities
• Manage outside counsel litigation, state, and federal investigations, etc.
• Personally handle employment litigation and pre-litigation matters
• Member of the real estate acquisition and management team
• Partner with stakeholders on new and expanding business initiatives

General Counsel Division

• Provided legal advice, counsel, and guidance to the OAG, the Executive Administrative Division, and client state agencies
• Oversaw agency compliance with federal and state laws, regulations, court decisions, and legal opinions on a broad spectrum of subject matters, including state and federal employment law
• Developed business cases for privacy initiatives; plans, executes, and evaluates privacy protection programs and training
• Tracked employment law trends and provided counsel to agency executive administration and agency management and recommended best practices, legislative changes, and regulatory changes to address liability issues
• Assured compliance with all agency policies and procedures, including those pertaining to ethics and integrity
• Fulfilled the role of agency Formal Complaint Officer investigating alleged violations of agency policy, employment, and/or constitutional law
• Assisted with and monitor OAG litigation
• Managed eight to twelve attorneys and staff members
• Provided expert guidance on regulatory compliance matters, ensuring adherence to relevant laws and industry best practices.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure timely resolution of legal matters, minimizing potential negative impacts on operations.
• Streamlined internal processes by developing standardized legal templates for contracts and agreements.

General Litigation Division

• Represented over 150 Texas agencies, including: State universities, individuals, and officials in civil rights defense cases including retaliation, employment, constitutionality of Texas statutes, torts, breach of contract, third-party subpoenas, and institutional reform claims in both Texas and federal courts
• Supervised, guided, and mentored teams of up to ten attorneys in all aspects of litigation
• Consulted and advised State agency clients regarding pre-litigation and post litigation matters
• Represented and prepared hundreds of clients in trial and hearings in Texas and federal court, took and defended depositions, managed complex discovery, performed legal research and analysis
• Prepared: pleadings, trial briefs, appellate briefs, complex motions, settlement agreements, memoranda, and prepared and coordinated payments on judgment and settlement packages
• Jury and bench trial experience defending State universities and agencies in various claim before United States district courts and Texas State courts
• Represented State agencies, all state universities, individuals, and officials in both Texas and federal courts of appeal

Office of the Inspector General

• Represented Texas Health and Human Services in civil enforcement actions involving complex Medicaid matters
• Represented and prepared clients for trial and hearings in State and administrative court, deposed and defended depositions, managed complex discovery, performed legal research and analysis, prepared pleadings, prepared trial briefs, drafted complex motions, prepared settlement agreements, among many other matters
• Reduced litigation exposure by proactively identifying potential legal issues and implementing preventative measures.
• Managed outside counsel relationships to ensure timely response to legal inquiries while controlling costs effectively.

Transportation Division

• Represented The Texas Department of Transportation in all civil litigation matters including retaliation, eminent domain, employment, torts, breach of contract, third-party subpoenas, and administrative proceedings in state court
• Twelve first and second chaired jury trial representing TXDOT in various claim in State court
• Advised clients on various legal matters with sensitivity to their unique circumstances and potential consequences.