Top Rated Employment Litigation Attorney in Watkinsville, GA

Special Licenses/Certifications:

• Trained and registered mediator, 2011

Bar/Professional Activity:

• College of Labor and Employment Lawyers 
• American Bar Association; American Bar Fellowship; American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section; American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section - ERR Committee; Association of Trial Lawyers of America; National Employment Lawyers Association; National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate; American Civil Liberties Union; Georgia Bar Association; Western Circuit of Georgia Bar Association.

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

• "Drafting Appeals in an Employment Case," Paper written for Georgia ICLE Seminar: Litigating the Plaintiff's Employment Law Case, September 23, 2016; "Appeals: Persevering to Make Good Law," Moderator for Georgia ICLE Seminar; Litigating the Plaintiff's Employment Law Case, September 23, 2016; "Motions in Limine in the Trial of an Employment Case: A Plaintiff's Perspective" National Employment Lawyers Association, Georgia Affiliate Fall CLE Seminar, The Trial of a Plaintiff's Employment Case, Atlanta, Georgia, October 10, 2013; "The Equal Pay Act of 1963" PowerPoint Presentation EEOC Training Seminar, Atlanta, Georgia August 23, 2013; "Deposition Law and Strategy" PowerPoint Presentation to Georgia Legal Services, May 4, 2012; "USERRA: What Every Practitioner Should Know When GI Joe and Jane Come Marching Home" ABA Labor & Employment Section CLE Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, November 2, 2012; “Proof of Pretext: A Review of Case Authority and Strategy From A Plaintiff’s Perspective,” ABA Labor & Employment Section CLE Conference, Seattle, Washington, November 4, 2011; “Deposing Witnesses in Employment Cases,” National Employment Lawyers Association, Georgia Affiliate Fall CLE Seminar, Tips for Litigationg Plaintiff’s Employment Cases, Atlanta, Georgia, October 27, 2011;“Case Dismissed? Summary Judgement Practice in Employment Cases,”  ABA Labor & Employment Section CLE Conference, Washington, DC, November 2009; “Selected Supreme Court Cases: Crawford, Fitzgerald, Hulteen, Gross and Iqbal,” Employment Law For The Practitioner And The Pros,” National Employment Lawyers Association, Georgia Affiliate Fall CLE Seminar, Atlanta, Georgia, September 2009; “Plaintiffs’ and Defendants’ Strategies in “Whistleblower” Cases: Qui Tam, Sarbanes-Oxley, and Other Whistleblower Statutes,” Moderator, Annual Whistleblower Law Symposium, Atlanta, Georgia, March 4, 2009; “Cases That All NELA Members Need To Have In Their Hip Pockets,” updated and co-authored with Alice Ballard and Michael Subit edited by Diane King, The National Employment Lawyers Association Nineteenth Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, June 25, 2008; “Reasonable Accommodation Under the ADA: Recent Cases and Strategies,” in “A Primer On Employee Leave Laws: Untangling the Web,” The Seminar Group Conference, March 27, 2008; “Building Up To Summary Judgment Through Pleadings and Discovery,” Moderator, “Summary Judgment On My Mind: Pre-Trial Strategies and Tactics From The Pros,” Atlanta Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section Annual Conference, Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia, March 7, 2008; “Reporting Back for Duty: USERRA and the Rights of Your Military Employees,” co-presented with Captain Samuel Wright, Gary Eidelman and Kevin Covert, The First Annual ABA Labor & Employment Section CLE Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 10, 2007; "Cases That All NELA Members Need To Have In Their Hip Pockets," co-authored with Alice Ballard, Michael Subit and Diane King, The Employee Advocate 66-85 (Summer/Fall 2007)"; Reemployment Rights for Noncareer Members of the Uniformed Services: Federal and State Law    Protections," co-authored with Dr. Marisa Anne Pagnattaro, 20:2 The Labor Lawyer 155-176 (2004); "Protecting America's Reservists: Application of State and Federal Law to Reservists' Claims of Unfair Labor Practices," Georgia Bar Journal, Feb. 2002, at 10; "Reasonable Accommodation Under the ADA: Recent Cases and Strategies," A Primer On Employee Leave Laws: Untangling the Web, The Seminar Group Conference, March 27, 2008; "Building Up To Summary Judgment Through Pleadings and Discovery," Moderator, "Summary Judgment On My Mind: Pre-Trial Strategies and Tactics From The Pros," Atlanta Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section Annual Conference, Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia, March 7, 2008; "Reporting Back for Duty: USERRA and the Rights of Your Military Employees," co-presented with Captain Samuel Wright, Gary Eidelman and Kevin Covert, The First Annual ABA Labor & Employment Section CLE Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 10, 2007; "Cases That All NELA Members Need To Have In Their Hip Pockets," co-authored with Alice Ballard and Michael Subit edited by Diane King, The National Employment lawyers Association Eighteenth Annual Convention, San Juan, Puerto Rico June 30, 2007; "Top Ten Trial Tips: Perspectives of and Employee Advocate," The Basics, Employment Litigation Skills Training, American Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Seminar, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 27, 2007; "Workplace Investigations: A Reality Check," paper prepared for 35th Annual Labor & Employment Law Institute," sponsored by ICLE - Atlanta, Georgia, December 16, 2005; "2005 Annual Employment Law Update Plus - Tales of the Heinous, Hilarious, Hail Mary's and Hallelujahs of the Year," The Fifteenth Annual Employment Litigation Conference, sponsored by the National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Negril, Jamaica, December 2005; "Religion in the Workplace: Competing Values and Competing Claims," co-authored with Mary M. Brockington and Edward D. Buckley, III, presented at the ICLE Seminar: 2005 Employment Law Seminar, Atlanta, Georgia, January 19, 2005; "Deconstructing a Jury: Simone Harlowe v. Micro GPS, Inc.," Moderator and Panelist, American Bar Association National Convention, Labor & Employment Section Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee Presentation, Atlanta, Georgia August 2004; "Simone Harlowe v. Micro GPS, Inc.: Mock Trial Presentation," Developed Fact Pattern, Moderator and Plaintiff's team coordinator - American Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, Palm Springs, California, March  2004; "Protecting The Home Front: Understanding State and Federal laws that Insure Fair Employment for the Military Reserve," ICLE Seminar: 33rd Annual Labor & Employment Law Institute, Atlanta, Georgia, December 19, 2003; "Eleventh Circuit Annual Employment Law Update: Supreme Court, Eleventh Circuit, Federal and State Appellate Courts," The Thirteenth Annual Employment Litigation Conference, sponsored by the National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Negril, Jamaica, December 2003; "Summary Judgment Practicalities and Perspectives: A Plaintiff Attorney's Guide to Strategies in Avoidence of Consequences on the Path to Trial" American Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, San Juan, Puerto Rico, March  2003; "Putting The Responsibility Back Into "Corporate Responsibility" Statutes: A Primer on the WARN Act and its Application to Affiliated Companies," co-authored with Marisa A. Pagnattaro, The Twelfth Annual Employment Litigation Conference, sponsored by the National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Negril, Jamaica, December 2002; "Eleventh Circuit Annual Employment Law Update: Supreme Court; Eleventh Circuit; Federal and State Appellate Courts," The Twelfth Annual Employment Litigation Conference, sponsored by the National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Negril, Jamaica, December 2002; "Community/Market Rates: The Poison in the Well of Fair Compensation?" American Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, March  2002; "Making A Visual Impression: Using Technology in the Courtroom," co-authored with Marisa A. Pagnattaro, American Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, March  2002; "Protecting America's Reservists: Application of State and Federal Law to Reservists" Claims of Unfair Labor Practices," ICLE Seminar: Employment Litigation 2002: An Update for the Employment Practitioner, Atlanta, Georgia, March 8, 2002; "Eleventh Circuit Annual Employment Law Update: Supreme Court; Eleventh Circuit; Federal and State Appellate Courts," The Eleventh Annual Employment Litigation Conference, sponsored by the National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Negril, Jamaica, December 2001; "Protecting America's Reservists: A Primer on the Application of the USERRA to Reservists Claims of Unfair Labor Practices," The Eleventh Annual Employment Litigation Conference, sponsored by the National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Negril, Jamaica, December 2001; "Dealing with the EEOC: Practical Considerations for the Uninitiated - Strategies from a Plaintiff'=s Perspective," American Bar Association Labor & Employment Section ERR Seminar: Basic Equal Employment Opportunity Law and Procedures, Atlanta, Georgia, November 15, 2001; "Jury Instructions: Preparation, Presentation and Preservation: Strategies from a Plaintiff's Perspective," American Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, St. Petersburg, Florida, March 2001; "Mixed-Motives - Jury Instruction Strategies from a Plaintiff's Perspective, American Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, St. Petersburg, Florida, March 2001; "The Ethical Bottom Line: Hypothetical Case Analysis Under the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct," 2001 Civil Rights Seminar: Perspective of the Experts on Emerging Issues, Atlanta, Georgia, March 2001;"Conducting Workplace Investigations," Lorman Education Services - Employment and Labor Law in Georgia, Athens, Georgia, January 2001;"Eleventh Circuit Update: Supreme Court and Circuit Survey," The Tenth Annual Employment Litigation Conference, sponsored by the National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Negril, Jamaica, November 2000; "Conducting Workplace Investigations," paper presented to The Tenth Annual Employment Litigation Conference, sponsored by the National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Negril, Jamaica, November 2000; "The Prerogative of the Crown: The Path of the New Federalism," American Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, St. Petersburg, Florida, March 2000;"Retention and Use of Psychologists as Experts in Emotional Damage Cases," paper submitted for use by Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers for Continuing Education Seminar - Working Effectively with Doctors, Atlanta, Georgia, April 2000; "Conducting Workplace Investigations," Lorman Education Services - Employment and Labor Law in Georgia, Athens, Georgia, January 2000; "The Path of the New Federalism," The Ninth Annual Employment Litigation Conference, sponsored by the National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Negril, Jamaica, December 1999; "The Law of Depositions: Strategy and Legal Issues in the Taking and Defense of Depositions," paper co-authored with Georgia Lord and presented to National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate monthly meeting participants, Spring 1999; "Immunity Defenses and the Equal Pay Act," The Eighth Annual Employment Litigation Conference, sponsored by the National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Negril, Jamaica, December 1998; "Stray Remarks and Stray Defenses: Anticipation of Defense Tactics and Strategic Planning -- From the DOL to the Jury's Charge," The Seventh Annual Employment Litigation Conference, sponsored by the National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Negril, Jamaica, December 1997;"Equal Access: An International Solution to Failing Federal Law," paper submitted to and regional winner of Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Competition, Spring, 1988; Other Lectures: "NELA-Ga Jeopardy - Category: Evidence" - Evidentiary Issues in the Litigation of Employment Cases, presentation to National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Bridgetown Grill, April 19, 2006; "FMLA: Wisdom from the Hunters or Even Blind Hogs Find Acorns" ADA, FMLA and Workers Compensation, Navigating the Devil's Triangle, Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, Georgia, March 30, 2006; "Holes, Hydraulics and Haystacks: Ten Tips on Navigating the Waters of Leadership" National Employment Lawyers Association 2003 Affiliate Leadership Workshop, Vail, Colorado, June 25, 2003; "Deposition Techniques that Win Cases" American Bar Association Seminar: Employment Litigation Skills Training, San Juan, Puerto Rico, March, 2003; "Deposition Techniques that Win Cases" American Bar Association Seminar: Employment Litigation Skills Training, Charlotte, North Carolina, November 15, 2002; "Is a Plaintiff Entitled to A Trial on the Merits: The Current Status of Summary Judgment Motions Involving Employment Discrimination Cases" American Bar Association Seminar: Basic Equal Employment Opportunity Law and Procedures, Atlanta, Georgia, November 8, 2002; "Deposition Techniques that Win Cases" American Bar Association Seminar: Employment Litigation Skills Training, Atlanta, Georgia, November 7, 2002 -- Presenter and Moderator; "The Plaintiff's Employment Law Practice" Georgia State University, College of Law, Labor and Employment Law Group, January 31, 2002. "Legal Solutions to the Economic Problem of Gender Wage Disparity," University of Georgia, Economics Department, ALabor Economics ECON 4600, November 26, 2001; "Employee Rights in the Workplace" presentation to local Hispanic workers on behalf of Athens, Georgia Catholic Social Services organization, November 1, 2001; "Persuasive Speech: Courtroom Speaking or the Tools of a Forensic Advocate" paper presented to University of Georgia, Classics Department, "Ancient Rhetoric" CLAS 4230/6230, October, 2001; "Trial Strategies in A Civil Action by Jonathon Harr," University of Georgia, Department of Legal Studies, April 2001;  "Motions in Limine and Pretrial Strategies," The Tenth Annual Employment Litigation Conference, sponsored by the National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate, Negril, Jamaica, November 2000; "Ethical Issues in Civil Rights Litigation," The Changing Face of Sexual Harassment Litigation, ICLE Seminar, Atlanta, Georgia, March, 1999; "The Law of Depositions: Strategy and Legal Issues in the Taking and Defense of Depositions," paper co-authored with Georgia Lord and presented to National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate monthly meeting participants, Spring 1999; "Jury Instructions: Preparation, Presentation and Preservation," paper presented to National Employment Lawyers Association - Georgia Affiliate monthly meeting participants, Spring 1998.
• The Georgia Chapter in this BNA publication Employment at Will: A State by State Survey ed. Melinda J. Caterine (BNA Books)(December 2011), provides an overview of employment law in Georgia, which is easy to follow and provides an analysis, complete with abundant case authority, of the common law and state statutory exceptions to employment-at-will in Georgia.  While the chapter is a quick reference both for the specialist and the general practitioner, the expansive book, is a go-to source for lawyers that practice employment law in multiple jurisdictions.  It can also be a valuable tool for the state employment law practitioner who wishes to argue a legal concept by analogy to other jurisdictions., State Author , Employment at Will: A State-by-State Survey, Georgia Chapter, ed. Melinda J. Caterine (BNA Books)(2011), BNA, 2011

Educational Background:

• Vanderbilt University, 1984