Colin Walsh
Texas Employer Lawyer Colin Walsh

It’s dark out there right now.  

In Texas, it is judicial fact that women and people of color have less rights than they do almost anywhere else in the country.  Regarding women, I am obviously talking about the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing the flagrantly unconstitutional 6-week abortion ban to not only go into effect, but remain in effect.  This has been exacerbated by the Fifth Circuit, which just certified a question regarding the law to the Texas Supreme Court, which will only cause more months of delay.  See Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson, No. 21-50792, (5th Cir. Jan. 17, 2022).  Regarding people of color, I am talking about a lesser publicized case from the Fifth Circuit that the Supreme Court refused to hear, holding that in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi racistly interfering in a contract is not actionable.  See Perry v. VHS San Antonio Partners, 990 F.3d 918 (5th Cir. 2021).  To be clear, this case holds that a contractor may tell a subcontractor to fire all of the black people because they are black and there may be no federal cause of action against that racist contractor.  See Id.  Even in Florida, that would not be the case.  See Moore v. Grady Memorial Hospital Corp., 834 F.3d 1168, 1172 (11th Cir. 2016).  

And it doesn’t look like it is going to get better anytime soon.  The Supreme Court is poised to require all of us taxpayers to fund private religious education, no matter what your religious beliefs are or are not.  See “Supreme Court weighs mandating public funds for religious schools in Maine,” Nina Totenberg, NPR, available at

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/08/1061996765/supreme-court-weighs-mandating-public-funds-for-religious-schools-in-maine.  Gerrymandered political maps are about to cement minority rule for the next ten years. See “Texas Republicans send Gov. Abbott Congressional map that protects GOP power, reduces influence of voters of color,” Alexa Ura, Texas Tribune, available at https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/18/texas-congressional-maps-redistricting/ .  And bribery of public officials is about to become explicitly legal. See “It was a great day in the Supreme Court for anyone who wants to bribe a lawmaker, Ian Millhiser, Vox, available at https://www.vox.com/2022/1/19/22891236/supreme-court-ted-cruz-bribery-fec-loan-repayment-brett-kavanaugh-amy-coney-barrett .  

   So how does a raging civil rights advocate, like I like to think of myself as, keep the faith?  Well, it’s not easy.  But I am constantly reminded of the fact that Atlantis sank and Camelot failed. 

“Well that doesn’t sound hopeful,” you say laughing uneasily, a wild, desperate look creeping into your eyes.  I hear you, but let me explain . . . 

Atlantis, according to Plato, was a utopian civilization that existed over 9,000 years ago.  The Atlanteans lived in concentric islands separated by moats.  These islands contained gold, silver, other precious metals, and exotic wildlife.  The soil was rich, the architecture amazing, and the technology unparalleled.  But it sank.  And no one knows where it is now.

Camelot, according to the bards, was a utopian society that existed in medieval Britain.  It’s king, Arthur Pendragon, created a round table for his knights so that none would sit at its head or be above another.  I love Arthurian myth.  I have probably read and watched at least a dozen variations on the tales.  My favorite version so far is T.H. White’s The Once and Future King.  I just saw The Green Knight starring Dev Patel, which was fantastic, and can’t wait to read the final book of the excellent Camelot Rising series, The Excalibur Curse by Kiersten White.  But Camelot also failed.  And no one knows where it is now.

“I don’t feel  . . . better,” you say, “about today, about now,” carefully choosing your words to not wound me.  Luckily, I’m not done!  

So, look, these stories are complicated.  There are many things going on in them.  There are many ways to read them.  There are many messages and morals and lessons you can take from them.  But here’s my view from 30,000 feet of the overall message of these stories: you must work and fight for what is right and the world you want to live in.  

Atlantis sank because the Atlanteans got greedy, petty, and waged an unprovoked war upon their neighbors.  After they lost that war, violent earthquakes and floods sank them into the sea as punishment from the gods.  

Camelot fell because of infighting and personal squabbles between King Arthur’s knights as well as Arthur’s fear and inability to take responsibility for his actions.  These things led Mordred to be able to defeat and kill Arthur at the battle of Camlann.

The takeaway is that you can’t get complacent, you can’t get consumed and discouraged by setbacks.  You must always strive for what is right and just and good.  You must work to build and maintain the world you want to live in, to make it a better place.  By remembering that Atlantis sank and Camelot failed, you can ensure it doesn’t happen again. 

If you have been discriminated or retaliated against in your job, you should talk to an employment lawyer about your options.  Please call us at 512-271-5527 to schedule an appointment or visit wileywalsh.com to schedule one online.

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Photo of Colin W. Walsh Colin W. Walsh

We asked Colin W. Walsh, an experienced Trial Attorney in the Austin office of Wiley Walsh, P.C., to impart his candid answers to a range of questions.   After reading, you will be more more informed on the well-respected reputation that Mr. Walsh

We asked Colin W. Walsh, an experienced Trial Attorney in the Austin office of Wiley Walsh, P.C., to impart his candid answers to a range of questions.   After reading, you will be more more informed on the well-respected reputation that Mr. Walsh carries.

1. What do you like most about being an employment lawyer?

I enjoy getting tangible results for my clients and being involved in an area of law that affects everybody every day.

2. What is the most important issue to you of being an advocate?

One of the most important issues to me as an advocate is to not only zealously represent my clients, but also the law.

3. What kind of clients do you like best?

I like the clients that I am able to help who were not able to find help elsewhere.  On a couple of occasions now, a client has told me that my firm is the first one that has listened to his or her issue and offered any kind of assistance.

4. What do you think is the most important part of a good case?

The client.  If the client is not invested, then the other side won’t take it seriously and neither will the jury.

5. What labor and employment issues do you think are currently trending?

The biggest employment discrimination issues I see right now are related to age, disability, and pregnancy discrimination.  For some reason, these types of discrimination seem to be acceptable to employers.  The other issues right now are minimum wage and overtime pay.

6. Who is your favorite Supreme Court Justice?

Justice William Brennan.

7. What would you say to HR of a company about how to treat employees?

It would be to listen to your employees.  Most employees are not looking to sue when he or she goes to Human Resources.  These employees are sincerely looking for help.  Nothing makes an employee seek legal counsel like when he or she complains about something and HR starts investigating the employee instead of the complaint.

8. Besides Rob Wiley, P.C., what is the most interesting job that you have had?

The most interesting job I’ve had is working as an extra in film and television.  I should have known that I was destined to be a lawyer at that point because two of my biggest gigs were the TV show “Boston Legal” and the film Charlie Wilson’s War.

9. What is your favorite food?

Meat pies.  I first discovered them when I studied abroad in undergrad.  I can’t believe these have not caught on in the U.S. because they are brilliant.

10. What’s the best part of living in Austin?

All of the outdoor festivals.  And the Longhorns.

Colin W. Walsh is a Trial Attorney in the Austin office of Wiley Walsh, P.C.  He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in theatre in 2006.  Mr. Walsh then graduated from The University of Texas School of Law with honors in 2011.