J. Travis Hockaday

Travis Hockaday has practiced with Smith Anderson since September 2003 and leads the firm’s Employment, Labor and Human Resources practice group. His practice focuses on providing employment-related counseling and risk management advice to clients in a variety of industries, both public and private, and identifying and managing employment-related issues in mergers, acquisitions and reorganizations. He also represents clients in state and federal courts and agencies throughout North Carolina and other jurisdictions. 

His experience includes defending employers against claims involving discrimination, wrongful discharge, retaliation, harassment and civil rights claims; defending wage and hour, ERISA and other benefit-related claims; and representing clients in investigations conducted by, and proceedings before, both federal and state departments of labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, the North Carolina Industrial Commission and the North Carolina Division of Employment Security.

Travis is a frequent speaker on employment and labor law issues and regularly conducts training for human resources professionals and executive management. 

• American Bar Association, Labor & Employment and Litigation Sections
• North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys
• North Carolina Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Labor & Employment, and Litigation Sections
• Member, North Carolina Bar Association Lawyer Effectiveness/Quality of Life Committee (2008-2012)
• Member, Society for Human Resources Management
• Wake County/Tenth Judicial District Bar Association
• Class of 2003 Reunion Representative, University of North Carolina School of Law

• Benchmark Litigation, North Carolina Labor and Employment Star (2021)
• Best Lawyers®, Litigation - Labor and Employment (2019-2021) 
• North Carolina Super Lawyers, Rising Star (2011, 2018) 

• Advised a EU-based clinical research organization in a definitive agreement to acquire the pharmacovigilance business from a global, listed healthcare services company for approximately $10,000,000 in cash.
• Advised a contract research organization in a definitive agreement to acquire a specialized contract research organization for the biotechnology industry.
• Advised a private equity fund and its contract research solutions portfolio company in their acquisition of a statistical programming, consulting, and data management company.
• Advised a company specializing in video game and software development in a definitive agreement to acquire a company that developed a presence-based social networking platform connecting users online through live video on mobile and desktop apps.
• Advised a private equity fund in its acquisition of a leading provider of staffing resources to the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies for clinical trial needs.
• Defending employers against claims involving discrimination, wrongful discharge, retaliation, harassment and civil rights claims.
• Defending wage and hour, ERISA, and other benefit-related claims.
• Representing clients in investigations conducted by both federal and state Departments of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice.
• Advised a leading CRO in Asia on the employment law aspects of its acquisition of CRO assets in the United States.
• Advised a publicly-traded health services company on the employment law aspects of its acquisition of a health services division of a privately-held company for $105 million in cash.
• Advised a leading healthcare services provider on the employment law aspects of its $60 million cash acquisition of a global sourcing company.
• Advised a private equity-backed medical device repair services company on the employment law aspects of its sale of its wholly-owned operating subsidiaries to a strategic buyer operating in the medical device repair services industry.
• Advised a publicly-traded health information technologies and clinical research company on the employment law aspects of its acquisition of a consulting business focusing on orphan drug designations.
• Advised a private equity fund on the employment law aspects of its acquisition of a specialty pharmaceutical company.
• Advised a frozen foods company on the employment law aspects of its definitive agreement to acquire a frozen snacks business.
• Representing clients before the North Carolina Employment Security Commission.
• Advising clients regarding the development of effective employee handbooks, policies and practices.
• Representing employers and individuals in connection with allegations of violation of non-compete agreements, unfair competition and tortious interference with contract.
• Providing training to management, human resource professionals and employees regarding numerous employment-related topics, including workplace discrimination and harassment, religion in the workplace, unemployment compensation, the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.
• Advising clients on variety of state and federal regulatory issues.
• Serving as outside counsel to a state licensing agency.