Charles R. Bridgers
Top rated Employment Litigation attorney in Atlanta, Georgia
DeLong, Caldwell, Bridgers, Fitzpatrick & Benjamin, LLC
Practice Areas: Employment Litigation, Business Litigation, Employment & Labor; view more
Licensed in Georgia since: 1993
Education: Georgia State University College of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2025 Call today:
678-973-4864
DeLong, Caldwell, Bridgers, Fitzpatrick & Benjamin, LLC
101 Marietta Street, NWSuite 2650
Atlanta, GA 30303 Visit website
Details
Attorney Charles R. Bridgers is a partner at DeLong, Caldwell, Bridgers, Fitzpatrick & Benjamin, LLC, in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Bridgers handles civil litigation for employees, executives, and employers having served as counsel in over 750 federal litigation matters including more than 400 Fair Labor Standard Act cases. He is experienced in complex labor and employment matters; employment contract issues including non-competition, trade secrets, and other restrictive covenants. Mr. Bridgers also applies his experience in litigating problems to assist executives and employers to avoid disputes through initial employment agreements, compensation agreements, and, if necessary, through negotiation of fair severance and separation agreements. He also organizes and advises a variety of exempt non-profit and religious organizations.
Mr. Bridgers serves as general counsel for several Atlanta businesses and is former local and conflict counsel for major national law firms.
Martindale-Hubbell awarded Mr. Bridgers an AV Preeminent* rating. This is the highest available rating by the respected peer review organization.
Mr. Bridgers graduated from Emory University with a double major in history and biology. He received his law degree from Georgia State University College of Law and obtained his law license in 1993, which qualified him to practice before all Georgia state courts. He also holds a license to appear before the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Georgia as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd, 6th, and 11th Circuits.
Mr. Bridgers is active in his community, formerly serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees of NovusWay and formerly serving as vice-chair of Inspiritus (a social service organization) for six years.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Practice areas
Employment Litigation: Plaintiff, Employment Litigation: Defense, Business Litigation, Employment & Labor: Employee, Employment & Labor: Employer, Nonprofit OrganizationsFocus areas
Employment Law - Employee, Employment Law - Employer, Non-Compete Agreements, Non-profit & Tax-exempt Organizations, Retaliation, Trade Secret, Wage & Hour Laws
- 40% Employment Litigation: Plaintiff
- 20% Employment Litigation: Defense
- 10% Business Litigation
- 10% Employment & Labor: Employee
- 10% Employment & Labor: Employer
- 10% Nonprofit Organizations
First Admitted: 1993, Georgia
Professional Webpage: https://georgiawagelawyers.com/attorney/charles-bridgers/
- U. S. Courts of Appeals for the 3rd Circuits
- U. S. Courts of Appeals for the 11th Circuits
- U. S. Courts of Appeals for the 6th Circuits
- U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Georgia
- U.S. District Courts for the Northern Districts of Georgia
- Georgia
- Member, Georgia affiliate of NELA;
- Obtained a jury verdict for the defendants in an attempt by dissident church members to take control of the congregational assets.
- Successfully assisted a Pennsylvania franchisee to resolve a dispute with the Atlanta-based franchisor.
- Obtained a multimillion dollar judgment in a sex harassment case.
- Numerous Fair Labor Standards Act victories and settlements on behalf of employees.
- Successfully defended members of a corporate Board of Directors in a suit accusing them of fraud and mishandling of assets.
- Obtained an order from a Federal Appeals Court reversing a Federal Trial Court in a sexual harassment case;
- Obtained a $63,893 Judgment in an Fair Labor Standards Act after a September 2011 bench trial in the Middle District of Georgia, a result described by the Court as “excellent”.
- Kevin Fitzpatrick and Charles Bridgers obtained a $84,474.93 Judgment in April, 2012 for our client in a contact dispute. After a trial in Fulton State Court, the Court found that the Defendant acted in “bad faith’ and also awarded attorney’s fees.
- DCBF prevailed against a motion for summary judgment in which the defendant medical transportation company claimed the FLSA did not apply to its drivers and, alternately, claimed its drivers were exempt from overtime compensation based on the Motor Carrier Exemption.
- In an overtime case, Kevin Fitzpatrick and Charles Bridgers prevailed against a Motion for Summary Judgment on August 20, 2012 where the Court found that a jury could find that many hundreds of email messages sent outside of the time reflected on the employee’s time records (an insurance surveyor) put management on notice that the pay records were incomplete and the employee was working overtime.
- Lead Council in the following jury trials over the last 5 years: Jackson v. P & K Restaurant Enterprise, LLC, et al; 1:15-cv-00753-MHC; Northern District of Georgia (2017 FLSA jury trial); Nelson v. Jackson; 1:14-cv-02851-ELR; Northern District of Georgia (2017 ADA jury trial); Sayyed v. Braids, Weaves & Things, Inc.; 1:16-cv-01392-CAP; Northern District of Georgia (2017 Title VII jury trial); Baker v. Baldwin Paving Company, 1:14-cv-03367-LMM, Northern District of Georgia (2015 FLSA jury trial); Wilson v. Clark Atlanta University, Superior Court of Fulton County Georgia (2014 jury trial re contract rights of five tenured professors)
- Counsel of Record in approximately 750 federal litigation matters including approximately 530 in the Northern District of Georgia of which over 400 were and are FLSA cases
- Significant Published Opinions: Ramsey v. Wallace Elec. Co., LLC, No. 15-11746, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 11610 (11th Cir 2016)(FLSA); Wilson v. Clark Atlanta Univ., Inc., 339 Ga. App. 814, 794 S.E.2d 422 (2016)(Georgia College Tenure Contract); Robinson v. Alston, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 257, 1 (11th Cir. Ga. Jan. 8, 2015) (FLSA); Wood v. City of Cordele, 2014 U.S. Dist. Lexis 40699 (M.D.Ga. 2014) (ADA); Lyles v. Burt’s Butcher Shoppe & Eatery, Inc., 2011 U.S. Dist.Lexis 119286 (M.D. Ga. 2011)(FLSA); Southwest Health & Wellness LLC v. Work, 282 Ga.App. 619, 639 S.E.2d 570 (2006)(Corporate); McClain v. Mariner Healthcare, 279 Ga.App. 410, 631 S.E.2d 435 (2006)(Tort); Fowler v. Our Loving Mother's Children, Inc., 585 S.E.2d 211 (2003)(Non-Profit Organization); Members of the Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, Inc. v. Jackson, 259 Ga.App.647, 578 S.E.2d 275 (2003) (Non-Profit Organization); Brown v. North American Specialty Insurance Company, 235 Ga.App.299, 508 S.E. 2d 741 (1998)(Insurance Coverage)
- When are Employers Required to Pay Overtime?
- Employment What elements of a Hostile Work Environment Claim?
- What is Considered Workplace Discrimination?
- What is Considered Harassment at Work?
- What is the FMLA?
- What is a non-compete agreement?
- What is “at will” Employment?
- 8 Ways Employers Try To Avoid Paying Overtime
- How Much Time Maternity or Paternity Leave?
- Member of Board of Directors and Chair, NovusWay, Inc. (2018-2020), 2020
- Synod Attorney, Southeastern Synod ELCA (2013-2020), 2020
- Former member Board of Directors and Vice-Chair, Inspiritus, Inc., a regional social service agency (2012-2018), 2018
- Organizer, Oak Grove Foundation of DeKalb County
- Member, Georgia Salzburger Society
- AV / Preeminent rating from the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
- BA from Emory University in History and Biology, 1989
- Presented, Certification and Decertification of 216 (b) Collective Actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act , Presenter, Litigating the Plaintiff's Employment Case, 2016
- Wage and Hour Update Panel, Panel Member, Employment and Labor Law Institute, 2019
- Outer Barristers Guild (1993). Senior Notes and Comments Editor, Georgia State University Law Review, 1992-1993. Recipient: West Award for Evidence; American Jurisprudence Award for Professional Responsibility. Member, 1991-1992 and Notes and Comments Editor, 1992-1993, Georgia State University Law Review
Office location for Charles R. Bridgers
101 Marietta Street, NW
Suite 2650
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 678-973-4864
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2025
