Zach Wolfe - Houston Attorney

Zach Wolfe Author and Attorney

Zach Wolfe (zach@zachwolfelaw.com) is a trial lawyer who handles non-compete and trade secret matters for clients throughout the great State of Texas. He publishes the award-winning blog Five Minute Law and hosts the YouTube channel That Non-Compete Lawyer.

Thomson Reuters named Zach a Texas Super Lawyer® for Business Litigation in 2020, 2021, and 2022, an honor reserved for fewer than five percent of Texas lawyers. He is rated AV (Preeminent) by Martindale-Hubbell.

Zach graduated from Harvard University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in Government, magna cum laude. He earned his law degree with honors from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 1997.  During law school, Zach served as a Staff Member of The Review of Litigation. He got a fancy award for getting the highest grade in the course called “Jurisprudence,” whatever that is. He also got the highest grades in two writing seminars, but admittedly the seminars had hardly anything to do with practicing law.

Zach is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Texas, as well as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He has never actually had a case in SCOTUS, but you never know.

Zach has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers, Business Litigation in 2020 and 2021 and has achieved an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which used to publish actual physical books listing lawyers.

Zach designated himself a “thought leader” a while back, but he does actually have the writing and presenting experience to back it up. He has given dozens of continuing legal education presentations to other Texas lawyers on numerous topics including non-compete law, trade secrets law, and social media ethics for lawyers, just to name a few.

Zach is a member of the Houston Bar Association, where he is a member of the Litigation Section, Labor and Employment Section, and Federal Practice Section. He is a long-time member of the Houston Bar Association’s Fun Run Committee, which raises money every year for a great non-profit organization, and he co-chaired that committee twice.

Zach is also a longtime member of the Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court in Houston, an organization of lawyers, judges, and law school students that promotes professionalism and excellence in the legal field. He currently serves on the Inn’s Executive Committee.

Zach is active on social media, especially Twitter and LinkedIn. Just don’t take his tweets too seriously. As his Twitter bio states, his interests outside of law include jazz, the Dallas Cowboys, and trying to do more handstand pushups.

He also likes spending time with his wife, the lovely and famous Mrs zachwolfelaw, and his kids. His daughter Hailey is a triple threat who studies musical theater at the University of Central Oklahoma. His son Eric is in 8th grade and is one of the smartest and funniest kids you could meet.

Employment History

  • Zach Wolfe Law Firm
    • August 2021 – present
  • Fleckman & McGlynn, PLLC
    • September 2015 – August 2021
  • Zach Wolfe Law Firm
    • March 2014 – September 2015
  • Schwartz, Junell, Greenberg & Oathout, LLP
    • November 2011 – February 2014
  • Fleckman & McGlynn, PLLC
    • March 2000 – November 2011
  • Haynes and Boone, LLP
    • September 1997 – March 2000
  • The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, Juris Doctorate with honors, 1997
    • The Review of Litigation, Staff Member
    • Assault & Flattery Musical Production
  • Harvard University, Bachelor of Arts in Government, magna cum laude, 1994
    • Harvard Jazz Band
    • Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra
  • David Crockett High School, far South Austin, Texas
    • Marching Band
    • Concert Band
    • Jazz Band
    • you get the idea
  • Texas, 1997
  • United States Supreme Court
  • Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
  • State Bar of Texas
  • Houston Bar Association
    • Litigation Section Member
    • Labor and Employment Section Member
    • Federal Practice Section Member
    • Fun Run Committee
  • Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court, Executive Committee
  • Texas Super Lawyer for Business Litigation, 2020 – 2022
  • AV Preeminent Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
  • Standing Ovation Award from State Bar of Texas, 2020 (for presenting continuing legal education programs)
  • President’s Award (Fun Run Committee Chair), Houston Bar Association, 2017
  • Obtained Texas jury defense verdict in lawsuit involving claims for breach of non-competes and misappropriation of trade secrets.
  • Successfully resolved numerous cases involving officers or employees who left companies to join competing ventures.
  • Briefed and argued appeal of trade secrets case, resulting in dismissal of client for lack of jurisdiction.
  • Successfully defended trademark infringement claims made by a global industry leader against a Texas client.
  • Prevailed in a federal court bench trial on an executive’s claim for performance bonus against a worldwide semiconductor company.
  • Obtained a jury verdict and judgment against the guarantors in a real estate development deal.
  • Successfully defended international banking institutions in a series of multi-million-dollar securities fraud claims.
  • Prevailed in a bench trial against claims for business interruption damages arising from a commercial lease dispute.
  • Developing a Niche within Your Law Practice, Texas Appellate Law Podcast, 2022
  • Wolfe on Non-Compete Litigation or My Big Fat Texas Non-Compete Paper, UT Law CLE, 2021.
  • Understanding Non-Competes and Their Tax Implications in Texas, Strohmeyer Law, 2021.
  • Departing Employee Issues in the Pandemic Era, The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce, 2020.
  • How to Draft a Bullet-Proof Non-Compete, Austin Bar Association, 2020.
  • Drafting the Bullet-Proof Non-Compete, Texas Bar CLE, Advanced Business Law Conference, 2020
  • TROs and Temporary Injunctions in Trade Secrets Litigation, National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) Houston Chapter, 2020.
  • Departing Employee Litigation: Pandemic Edition, UT Law CLE, 2020.
  • Deep Dive: Restrictive Covenants in Texas, Texas Bar CLE, Essentials of Business Law Conference, 2020.
  • Force Majeure and Related Contractual Defenses in the COVID-19 Era, Houston Bar Association, 2020.
  • Top 10 COVID-19 Employment Law Issues, Texas Bar CLE Webcast, 2020.
  • Can Magic Words Dispel a Fraud Claim? Recent Texas Supreme Court Cases on Fraudulent Inducement, Texas Bar CLE, 2019.
  • Non-Competes and Restrictive Covenants: Drafting, Defending, and Defeating, Houston Bar Association Labor & Employment Section, 2019.
  • Dude, Where’s My USB Drive? Forensic Issues When Employees Leave, B&V Pathway Forensics, 2019.
  • Temporary Injunction Hearings: What Works, What Doesn’t, UT Law CLE Webcast, 2019.
  • TCPA Tour of Texas, Driven Monthly Lunch Series, 2019.
  • How TCPA Motions to Dismiss Have Changed Texas Litigation, UT Law CLE Webcast, 2019.
  • Can You Anti-SLAPP a Securities Case? TCPA Motions in Securities Litigation and Arbitration, Houston Bar Association, Securities Litigation & Arbitration Section, 2019.
  • Key Issues in Departing Employee Litigation, Houston Bar Association Litigation Section, 2018.
  • Departing Employee Issues for Business Lawyers, Texas Bar CLE Course, 2018.
  • Will Pre-Discovery Identification of Trade Secrets Be the New Normal?, Texas Bar CLE Webcast, 2018.
  • One Year of Defend Trade Secrets Act Litigation, Texas Bar CLE Webcast, 2017.
  • Lessons Learned from One Year of Defend Trade Secrets Act Litigation, Houston Bar Association, 2017.
  • What Appellate Lawyers Want Trial Lawyers to Know, Texas Bar CLE Webcast, 2017.
  • Recent Ethics Opinions on Confidential Information and Metadata, Texas Bar CLE Webcast, 2017.
  • What Business Lawyers Need to Know When Key Employees Leave to Compete, Austin Bar Association, 2016.
  • What the New Defend Trade Secrets Act Means for Employees and Their Lawyers, NELA Houston, 2016.
  • Proving (or Attacking) Lost Profits Damages in Trade Secrets Cases and Other Cases, Texas Bar CLE Webcast, 2016.
  • The Impact of the Defend Trade Secrets Act, Driven Lunch Series, 2016.
  • The Defend Trade Secrets Act: How the New Federal Statute Will Impact Texas Trade Secret Litigation, Texas Bar CLE Webcast, 2016.
  • Protecting the Company When Employees Leave, Chemical Industry Conference, 2016.
  • Advanced Non-Competes: What You Don’t Know You Don’t Know Can Hurt You, NELA Houston Chapter, 2016.
  • Hot Issues in Private Securities Litigation, UT Securities Law Conference, 2016.
  • Claims and Defenses Under State and Federal Securities Laws, National Board of Trial Advocacy, 2015.
  • Key Issues When Employees Leave to Compete: Plaintiff and Defense Perspectives, Houston Bar Association, 2015.
  • Business Case Law Update, Texas Bar CLE, 2015.
  • Round Up the Usual Suspects: Aiding and Abetting Liability for Lawyers, Bankers and Accountants in Securities Transactions, UT CLE, 2014.
  • Trust Me, My Reputation is Sterling: Liability of Secondary Actors Under the Texas Securities Act, UT CLE, 2014.
  • Social Media in Litigation – Plaintiff and Defense Perspectives, Houston Bar Association, 2014.
  • Litigating Cases Under the Texas Securities Act, Houston Bar Association Securities Litigation & Arbitration Section, 2013.
  • Justice or a Game of “Gotcha?” Emerging Standards Concerning Preservation (and Spoliation) of Electronically Stored Information, UT Conference on Securities Regulation and Business Law, 2013.
  • Spoliation Wars: Proposed Rule Changes and Recent Cases on the Duty to Preserve ESI, Driven Monthly Lunch Series, 2013.
  • You Deleted What? How to Meet the Duty to Preserve Electronically Stored Information and Avoid Spoliation of Evidence, Houston Bar Association, 2013.
  • Nothing But Blue Skies: Texas Securities Act Litigation, Houston Bar Association, 2012.
  • Key Supreme Court Decisions Affecting Securities Law, UT CLE, 2012.
  • Trade Secrets 101: What Texas Businesses and Their Lawyers Need to Know, Journal of Texas Business Law, 2019.
  • One Year Later: A Review of the Defend Trade Secrets Act, Houston Lawyer Magazine, 2017.
  • Key Issues When Employees Leave to Compete, Houston Lawyer Magazine, 2015.