Overview

Hal Wellford has focused his practice on employment litigation and client counseling for more than 30 years. His experience includes all facets of wrongful termination and employment discrimination, as well as executive compensation and unfair competition litigation in federal, state, trial and appellate courts and before arbitration panels and federal and state agencies. His practice also includes:

  • Sarbanes Oxley/Dodd Frank and state whistleblower laws
  • Client counseling
  • Fair Labor Standards Act compliance/defense
  • Employment discrimination claims advice and defense
  • Sports law
  • Executive employment and fair competition agreements

Additionally, Hal has handled several groundbreaking unfair competition cases in Missouri, and drafted the Missouri Dram Shop law, the constitutionality of which was upheld twice by the Missouri Supreme Court. He has litigated several cases to verdict or final arbitration. He has represented multiple Missouri sheltered workshops on a pro bono or reduced fee basis, in connection with wage and hour/personnel matters.

Hal served as counsel for the producer of the Emmy Award-winning documentary on the St. Louis Arch, and has represented multiple professional sports teams (including the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Blues) in contract negotiations, salary arbitrations and other matters for many years. He also works with:

  • Financial institutions
  • Transportation companies
  • Paper product companies
  • Hospitality industry
  • Not-for-profit corporations
  • Healthcare providers
  • Manufacturing companies

He opened Littler's St. Louis office and previously served as office managing shareholder of that office for nine years. Prior to working at Littler, he was the vice-chair of the labor and employment law practice group at another St. Louis firm. After law school, he clerked for United States District Chief Judge H. Kenneth Wangelin of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Member

Fair Labor Standards Subcommittee, Labor and Employment Section, Co-Chair Sox Subcommittee

American Bar Association

2000-present

Member

Missouri Bar Association

Member

Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis

Member

St. Louis County Bar Association

Member

Illinois State Bar Association

Member

Tennessee Bar Association

Missouri Attorney General Trial Master

Assistant to Attorney General

May 2023-present

Board Member

Freedom Suits Memorial, St. Louis, MO

January 2023-present

Past President

Friends of the Humane Society

Former Member, Board of Directors

Humane Society of Missouri

Former President

WORTH Industries Sheltered Workshop

Former President

Washington and Lee University St. Louis Alumni Chapter

Recognition

Named, Lawyer of the Year

Labor Law - Management, St. Louis

The Best Lawyers in America©

2017

Named, The Best Lawyers in America®

2007 - 2024

Named, Super Lawyer

Missouri and Kansas

Super Lawyers

2005 - present

Ranked, Labor & Employment

Chambers USA

2008-2023

Awarded, AV® Peer Review Rating

Martindale-Hubbell

2007 - present

Named, The POWER List for Employment Law

Missouri Lawyers Weekly

2022-2023

Order of the Coif

News, Analysis & Press

Commentary: How St. Louis Employers Should Prepare for Aug. 28

St. Louis Business Journal

June 1, 2017

Books & Book Chapters

  • Retaliation and Sarbanes Oxley, The Fair Labor Standards Act, (Bloomberg BNA - 2011-present), chapter co-author/ subcommittee co-chair
  • Drafting and Enforcing Covenants Not To Compete, (Bloomberg BNA - 2009), contributor

Speaking Engagements

COVID-19’s Litigation Aftermath: Preparing for the Coming Wave of Legal Claims

October 13, 2020

Arbitration in Major League Baseball

U.S. Arbitration & Mediation, Inc.

Fall 2019

Arbitration in Major League Baseball

U.S. Arbitration & Mediation, Inc., St. Louis, MO

Winter 2018

Major League Baseball Salary Arbitration with St. Louis Cardinals General Manager Michael Girsch

St. Louis, MO for Memphis Bar Association

Spring 2018

2017 Brings Sweeping Changes to Federal and State of Missouri Labor and Employment Laws

St. Louis, MO

June 8, 2017

Big Data Summit: What's the Deal with Using Data Analytics in Hiring, Workforce Management and Litigation?

The 2017 Executive Employer® Conference

May 10, 2017

What Do You Mean It's Not Privileged? An Ethics Presentation

Association of Corporate Counsel, St. Louis, MO

May 2016

The ADAA and FMLA: Critical Guidance to H.R.

February 2016

Guidelines When Considering the Representation of a Supervisor as Well as an Employer in a Lawsuit Under the Missouri Human Rights Act

Missouri Bar Association Fall Symposium (with Missouri's Chief Ethics Officer)

November 8, 2013

An Insider’s View of Major League Baseball’s Salary Arbitration Process

2013 Annual Meeting - National Academy of Arbitrators, St. Louis, MO

October 19, 2013

Inside Analysis of Major League Baseball Salary Arbitration

St. Louis American Arbitration Association, St. Louis, MO

May 2013

Annual Sarbanes Oxley/Dodd Frank Update 2013 - 2023

Fair Labor Standards Committee - American Bar Association

February 2013 - 2023

Major League Baseball’s Salary Arbitration Process: A Practitioner's View

Association of Corporate Counsel Annual Meeting

May 2012

Implementing A Work Place Flexibility Program

Littler Mendelson

June 2011

Major League Baseball Salary Arbitrations and Use of Analytics

Washington University in St Louis - Olin Graduate School of Business

2011

H1N1 Flu: Preparing the Workplace for a Pandemic

October 1, 2009

Managing Leaves of Absence

February 19, 2009

Education

  • J.D., University of Tennessee College of Law, 1981
  • B.A., Washington and Lee University, 1976cum laude

Bar Admission

Missouri
Illinois
Tennessee

Courts

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit