February 2015
by Alex Bolton

Hailing from Redlands, California, Greg McAllister has hit the Dallas legal scene with a bang. Working at Littler Mendelson in labor and employment law, Greg states he decided to become a lawyer because he watched attorneys take convoluted fact patterns and weave them into structured arguments and stories in college and while teaching high school. “Bringing some order to chaos was rewarding and I was hooked.”

Greg attended California Lutheran University, majoring in history, and then attended SMU Dedman School of Law. Greg says his biggest surprise in being a lawyer is that the Dallas legal community is more collegiate and close-knit than he expected. As such, Greg says it’s been a pleasant surprise and makes him appreciate the leadership within the Dallas Bar Association and Dallas Association of Young Lawyers.

As for the person in his life who’s inspired him to be successful, Greg states his college coach, Ben MacEnroe, showed him the importance of focusing on the most important issues. Greg says of Mr. MacEnroe “Some coaches focused on what went wrong. He focused on the next play.” Greg exclaims “[MacEnroe’s] mental toughness translates into every profession, especially employment law.” It’s clear from Greg’s continued success he has taken this motto to heart.

In practicing employment law, Greg states the most meaningful experience thus far has involved noncompetition and nonsolicitation agreements. “These cases are intense because a company’s most sensitive, confidential information is balanced against an individual’s right to work.” With Greg’s passion for his work, it is his goal to be the go-to employment lawyer regarding wages, separation issues and hiring practices.

For DAYL, Greg says he will always contribute however he can because he’s been a team player his whole life and loves helping in lots of roles, whether they be leadership, mentoring or something else. Indeed, Greg’s integral role in the success of the DAYL 2013 Leadership Class’ Charity Gala helped to raise approximately $50,000.00 for the group’s beneficiary – Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity and EPIC, organizations in which Greg is heavily involved. In regard to the Leadership Class, Greg states he applied because he wanted to join like-minded DAYL members interested in supporting the DAYL’s mission and to improve Dallas. In addition to his involvement with the 2013 Leadership Class, Greg is also assisting in launching a new DAYL committee – Young Employment & Labor Lawyers.

Outside of the DAYL, Greg is also involved with the Dallas Bar Associations’ Home Project and Dallas Bar Associations’ Jimmy Carter Work Project. While not at work or involved in the community, Greg spends time with his three children and “dynamite” wife, also coaching his daughter’s t-ball team, which Greg quips is “somewhat different than [his] years coaching high school football.”

So here’s to Greg and his continued success at work and with the DAYL. It because of members like Greg, DAYL is the premier young lawyers’ association in the country.