Christopher Houk: The Phoenix Attorney Who Went From Prosecuting Discrimination Cases to Defending Against Them

Inside Houk Employment Attorneys, the Phoenix firm founded by a former EEOC trial attorney who now teaches employment law as an adjunct professor at ASU while running one of Arizona’s few firms devoted entirely to the field.

Christopher Houk — At a Glance

Origin: From Government Enforcement to Private Practice

Christopher Houk earned his B.A. in political science from the University of Arizona and his J.D. from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Before entering private practice in 2005, he worked as a trial attorney for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and as a civil rights attorney in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office’s Civil Rights Division — government enforcement roles that gave him direct experience litigating discrimination cases from the regulator’s side before he began representing private clients. He founded Houk Employment Attorneys in August 2019.

Practice Areas

The firm represents employees, executives, and employers in discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, non-compete and non-solicitation disputes, and wage and hour matters. Worth stating directly: Houk represents both sides of the employment relationship, not employees exclusively — the firm’s own materials describe serving “employees, executives, and employers” as its core mission. Houk has represented clients in both state and federal court, including arguments before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Track Record

Employment case outcomes are often confidential or resolved through settlement, so there’s no independent public case table to cite here. Houk’s public professional record instead runs through two decades of practice, direct government enforcement experience, and sustained peer and client recognition.

Past-Results Disclaimer: Every case is different, and no past result guarantees a similar outcome in any future matter.

Client Voice

One client described Houk and his team demonstrating patience, empathy, and knowledge during a difficult time. Another, who consulted him on vaccine mandate and Title VII questions, said his advice helped resolve the issue directly with their employer. A third described a complex, unique case handled by Houk and attorney Marina Kovacevic, praising their ethics, attention to detail, and persistence.

Community

Houk serves as an adjunct professor at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, is an officer of the National Employment Lawyers Association, Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Section, and a Fellow with the American Bar Foundation. He is also a Board Member and Treasurer of the Arizona Employment Lawyers Association.

Recognition

Houk’s government enforcement background — EEOC trial attorney and Arizona Civil Rights Division attorney — is an independently verifiable credential distinct from marketing claims. He holds active leadership roles in national and state bar associations specific to employment law (NELA, ABA Labor & Employment Section, Arizona Employment Lawyers Association), reflecting substantive engagement with the field beyond his own caseload. Arizona does not certify employment law as a Board specialty, so these professional leadership roles are among the most directly relevant credentials available in this practice area.

The Arizona Legal Backdrop

What follows is general legal information, not legal advice.

Employment discrimination claims run through both federal law (Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA) and Arizona’s own civil rights statute, A.R.S. § 41-1463. Arizona is an at-will employment state, with exceptions under the Arizona Employment Protection Act, A.R.S. § 23-1501. Arizona’s minimum wage and paid sick time requirements run through A.R.S. § 23-362 et seq., adopted via the 2016 Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act.

The Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Houk’s genuine strength is direct government enforcement experience — actually prosecuting discrimination cases for the EEOC and the state — paired with an academic role that keeps him current on the field’s legal developments, a combination that gives real depth to his advocacy on either side of a case.

The honest caveat: as with several employment firms in this category, Houk represents both employees and employers depending on the matter — clients specifically seeking counsel with no potential employer-side conflicts anywhere in the practice should confirm the specific arrangement for their case directly.

Methodology & Sourcing

This profile was researched in August 2026 from houklawfirm.com (firm site, attorney bio, testimonials), Super Lawyers, Avvo, and Mediate.com’s mediator profile. Houk Employment Attorneys did not commission, review, or pay for this profile.

Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice

This profile is an independent editorial article published by Awesome Attorneys. Awesome Attorneys does not endorse, recommend, or warrant any lawyer or law firm profiled on this site, and inclusion in this series is not paid placement.

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