Everything I know – I mean the things I really know about working for a living – I learned from my parents. My parents both grew up poor. They worked and sacrificed their entire lives to provide a better life for my brother and me.

I know what it’s like to grow up in a working-class household. Waking up to the sound of my father’s car pulling out of the driveway for work before dawn. Listening to my parents’ hushed money discussions after I was supposed to be asleep. I remember.

I owe my parents a lot. It wasn’t easy but they did it. They worked hard. They persevered. They achieved the American dream of a solid middle-class life for themselves and their children.

They got a fair shake and they made the most of it.

But Not Everyone Gets a Fair Shake

One thing my parents taught me was that not everyone was as lucky as we were. Not everyone gets a fair chance to succeed. They hated racism and discrimination and they taught me that too. That set me on a path to becoming a lawyer who fights for the little guy.

I wasn’t big enough to go around picking fights in grade school. But I never liked bullies and I never could resist fighting back when a bully came after me. As a result, I got my fair share of bruises and a black eye or two. But I learned something – bullies can’t handle it when you fight back. All these decades later, it turns out that I really did learn most of what I needed to know about the world in kindergarten. What was true of bullies in grade school is still true of bullies in the adult world. They don’t like it when you fight back.

I believe in the American ideal that, with enough hard work, anyone can achieve success. But that ideal requires that everyone gets to play on a fair and even playing field. When Texans suffer illegal discrimination or are taken advantage of by those in authority, it throws the playing field out of balance.

I Don’t Like Bullies

But I do like helping people fight back. So now that has become my mission. I am proud to represent hard-working Texans in employee rights and sexual abuse cases all over our great state. 

EXTENSIVE TRIAL EXPERIENCE

Chris McKinney is a former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas. He has handled hundreds of cases throughout the state in his more than 25 years of practice and has tried cases in both state and federal courts in cities all over Texas, including Austin, Houston, El Paso, McAllen Tyler, and San Antonio. Chris has been a strong civil rights advocate for more than 25 years.

AN ADVOCATE FOR EMPLOYEES & THE INJURED

In addition to representing clients in court, Chris McKinney is a member of the board of directors of the Texas Employment Lawyers Association (“TELA”) and has been asked to testify to the Texas Legislature on various employee rights and sexual abuse issues.

Summary

Chris McKinney is a Texas trial lawyer. He is Board Certified in employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He handles employment discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower, and sexual abuse cases statewide from his main office in San Antonio, Texas.

Chris obtained his law degree from the Baylor University School of Law and has been practicing law since 1996. He worked as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas and for one of the largest law firms in the country for several years before opening his own practice in 2001.

Chris attends courses both in substantive law as well as those put on by the Trial Lawyers College and Keenan Trial College in an effort to continuously improve his trial skills. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors of the Texas Employment Lawyers Association, a group made up entirely of attorneys who primarily represent employees’ interests.

Chris maintains a statewide practice and has tried cases in venues large and small throughout Texas, including: Austin, Burnett, El Paso, Houston, McAllen, San Antonio, and Tyler.

Certifications

• Board Certified - Labor and Employment Law - Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Education

• Baylor University School of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.) 1996

Awards

• Texas Super Lawyers, 2021-Present

• Best Lawyers In San Antonio - SceneInSA Magazine; 2011-Present

• Top Employment Law Voices Nationwide, HR Examiner Magazine 2012

• Best Lawyers in America

Associations

• National Employment Lawyers Association, 2005 - Present

• Texas Employment Lawyers Association - Member of Board of Directors