Akilah F. Craig
Practice Areas
Education
- Baylor Law School, J.D., 2012
- Franklin & Marshall College, B.A., 2009
Bar & Court Admissions
Akilah is an associate in the Vorys Houston office and a member of the labor and employment group. Akilah defends employers in and before federal and state courts and administrative agencies on claims arising under various employment statutes, including Title VII, the American with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and their state law counterparts. She also counsels clients, particularly in the retail and energy industries on a wide range of employment matters, including calculating overtime rates, employment of minors, state law wage and hour requirements, internal investigations, and discharge and discipline of employees. Akilah has presented seminars on workplace civility, restrictive covenants, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Akilah received her J.D. from Baylor Law School. While in law school, Akilah was a member of the school’s nationally-recognized advocacy program. Akilah competed in and received numerous awards for her participation in national mock trial and moot court competitions. She received her B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College.
Prior to joining Vorys, Akilah was an associate at a boutique litigation firm, focusing her practice on complex commercial litigation. Akilah represented large corporations, small family businesses, and individuals in matters involving tort and contract claims.
Professional and Community Activities
- Association of Women Attorneys Foundation, Vice Chair, 2019-2020
- Houston Young Lawyers Association, Board of Directors, 2019-2020
- Houston Young Lawyers Association, Director
- Houston Young Lawyers Foundation, Trustee
- Houston Young Lawyers Association Leadership Academy, Member, 2016-2017
Honors & Awards
- The National Black Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40 in Texas, 2020
- Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2015-2020
- Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Labor and Employment Law - Management, 2021
News
- 8/20/2020One hundred and twelve lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America® 2021 edition. In addition, 26 Vorys attorneys were named to the inaugural Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list.
- 3/12/2020Vorys is pleased to announce that Akilah Craig and Jim Barnish have been named a 2019 Texas Rising Stars by Texas Super Lawyers magazine.
- 1/6/2020Akilah Craig, an associate in the Vorys Houston office, and Janay Stevens, an associate in the Vorys Columbus office, have been selected by The National Black Lawyers for inclusion on the organization’s “Top Lawyers Under 40” List.
- 3/19/2019Vorys is pleased to announce that Jacinto Núñez, a partner in the Vorys Akron office and a member of the finance, energy and real estate group, has been selected to be a member of the 2019 class of Fellows, and will participate in a landmark program created for mid-career attorneys by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) to identify, train, and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession.
- 3/5/2019Vorys is pleased to announce that Akilah Craig has been named a 2019 Texas Rising Star by Texas Super Lawyers magazine. Rising Stars were chosen by their peers as being among the most recognizable up-and-coming lawyers in Texas. Each year, the Rising Stars list recognizes 2.5 percent of attorneys with less than 10 years of legal experience in Texas.
Events
- 10/12/2020Vorys was proud to host a weeklong virtual program providing insights and updates for HR professionals from October 12-15, 2020.
- 7/23/2020On July 23, 2020, Vorys attorney Akilah Craig joined the Association of Corporate Counsel Houston Chapter to co-host a discussion on strategies by which law firms and corporations can disrupt racial inequity in their workplaces, as well as provided practical ways to support and sponsor Black employees during the pandemic and beyond.
- 6/30/2020In this Vorys at Work webinar, a trio of Vorys attorneys discussed unconscious bias, privilege, discrimination, and harassment in the workforce. They also touched on trainings HR departments could consider in their own organizations.
- 4/23/2020The sixth installment of Vorys' multi-disciplinary webinar series on the various business and legal implications of the coronavirus (COVID-19) took place on Thursday, April 23, 2020.
- 4/15/2020In this Vorys at Work webinar on April 15, 2020, Vorys attorneys Dan Clark, Michael Ball and Akilah Craig answered the questions they are frequently fielding from our unionized clients and provided tips to reduce risk during these unprecedented times.
- 4/10/2020Chaz Billington, a partner in the Vorys Cleveland office, and Akilah Craig, an associate in the Vorys Houston office, presented a webinar to Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) members titled “Layoffs and Furloughs in the Time of COVID-19: The Legal Risks and Best Practices.”
- 4/7/2020Akilah Craig, an associate in the Vorys Houston office, joined the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for a webinar on April 7, 2020 titled “Employment Laws Affecting Staffing Decisions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
- 10/25/2018On October 25, 2018, Vorys attorneys Akilah Craig and Nita Garg spoke at the Baylor College of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology Grand Rounds event regarding legal developments in the medical field.
Insights
- 12/28/2020Yesterday evening, the President signed into law the Bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020 (the “Relief Act”).
- 12/28/2020Earlier this month, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its COVID-19 technical assistance with new information on vaccinations.
- 12/27/2020Late on December 27, the President signed a $900 billion relief package that will provide aid to individuals and businesses still struggling with the economic impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Both the House and the Senate passed the proposal last week.
- 12/23/2020On December 20, 2020, Congress passed the Emergency Coronavirus Relief Agreement, which, if approved by the president, will be signed into law as the COVID-related Tax Relief Act of 2021 (CTRA). The CTRA offers approximately $900 billion in relief and stimulus provisions (discussed in more detail here). However, not included in the CTRA is an extension of the mandatory leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which are set to expire on December 31, 2020. Instead, the CTRA extends the tax credits available to covered employers that continue to offer paid leave under the FFCRA framework through March 31, 2021.
- 12/15/2020On December 14, 2020, the first Americans began receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, and approximately 3 million doses will be distributed nationwide in the coming weeks.
- 8/7/2020In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).
- 6/4/2020Now that employees are returning to work and businesses are reopening their doors to customers, many businesses are searching for ways to limit liability relating to potential COVID-19 infections. To that end, some employers are considering whether to require COVID-19 liability waivers for their employees, customers, contractors, and other visitors to their facilities.
- 3/31/2020Akilah Craig authored an op-ed for the Houston Business Journal about the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and its implications for businesses and their employees.