John W. Simmons
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Employment Litigation Attorney in Memphis, TN
John W. Simmons is a management-side employment law attorney in Memphis, Tennessee. The founder of Simmons Law Firm, PLLC, he has over 30 years of experience and represents employers in Memphis and throughout Tennessee, as well as some in Mississippi. In addition to employment law, he has experience with business and corporate litigation.
Mr. Simmons works with a wide variety of employment law matters, representing employers in disputes with government bodies. Over the course of his career, he has litigated at the state and federal levels in Tennessee and Mississippi and appeared before the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development, Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
Additionally, Mr. Simmons handles cases for employers involving discrimination, harassment, noncompete agreements, retaliation, trade secrets, wage and hour violations, and whistleblower claims. He assists clients with drafting employment contracts or policies and provides advice to employers facing audits or other investigations.
After completing his undergraduate degree at Mississippi State University, Mr. Simmons graduated from The University of Mississippi School of Law. He holds a license to practice law before all Tennessee state courts, all Mississippi state courts and before various appellate courts. Recognized for his success, he is listed in the publication The Best Lawyers in America and holds an AV peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Mr. Simmons is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Sections of the Memphis Bar Association and the Tennessee Bar Association and various sections and committees of the American Bar Association.
*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.
- 50%Employment Litigation: Defense
- 30%Employment & Labor: Employer
- 20%Business Litigation
Employment Discrimination, Wrongful Termination, Retaliation, Employment Law - Employer, Wage & Hour Laws, Whistleblower, Sexual Harassment, Labor Law, Trade Secret, Non-Compete Agreements
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2013, 2015 - 2021
Additional Sources of Information About John W. Simmons
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White Papers
- Mr. Simmons authored the following: Plan of Attack: Evaluating and Litigating Non-Compete Cases, Employment & Labor Relations Law (ABA Section of Litigation, Spring 2007, Vol. 5, No. 3); and the international employment 2001 and 2002 year-in-review articles for the Section of International Law and Practice’s quarterly publication, The International Lawyer (Summer 2002, Vol. 36, No. 2; Summer 2003, Vol. 37, No. 2). Mr. Simmons was a past editorial board member of The Mississippi Labor Letter (1995-2000).
About John W. Simmons
First Admitted: 1986, Tennessee
Professional Webpage: https://www.simmonslawfirmpllc.com
Educational Background
- J.D. (cum laude), University of Mississippi, 1986; B.B.A., Mississippi State University, 1983
Bar/Professional Activity
- Mr. Simmons is a past chair of the Employment Law Committee of the Section of International Law and Practice of the American Bar Association. He is also a member of the ABA’s Section of Labor and Employment Law and the ABA’s Section of Litigation. He is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, and the Mississippi Bar Association. Admitted to Practice: Mississippi; Tennessee; U.S. District Court Eastern District of Arkansas; U.S. District Court Northern District of Mississippi; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Mississippi; U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee; U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee; U.S. District Court Western District of Tennessee; U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals Eighth Circuit
Pro bono/Community Service
- Mr. Simmons has participated in presentations on global employment, labor relations and human rights workplace practices; crisis litigation; the impact of employment issues on transnational business transactions; the prevention of sexual abuse of children in churches, schools and other similar organizations; the impact of employment and labor issues in business turnarounds; EEO training for managers and supervisors; issues in wage and hour litigation; update on non-compete litigation; update on workplace safety matters; and fair pay and equal pay litigation issues.
Other Outstanding Achievements
- Mr. Simmons carries the peer rating of “AV” as reflected in Martindale-Hubbell.
Scholarly Lectures/Writings
- Mr. Simmons has participated in presentations on the prevention of workplace harassment; overtime claims and collective actions; the prevention of sexual abuse of children in churches, schools, and other similar organizations; best practices for the hiring process; defending workers’ compensation claims; current topics in employment law (including social media issues); the enforcement of non-compete and confidentiality agreements; OSHA compliance programs; contingent workforce issues; religious discrimination and harassment; and business restructuring and employment issues.
Videos
- This video explains the rules of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs' rules for allocating the employees of a federal good and services contractor among a contractors several affirmative action plans as required by Executive Order 11246 and the accompanying regulations. , OFCCP's Rules on Allocating Employees Among an Employer's Multiple Affirmative Action Plans , 2022
- This video gives 10 important points for complying with the Tennessee Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which requires an employer to engage in an interactive process to provide a reasonable accommodation to the medical based needs of employees or applicants for employment which arise from pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions., Explaining the Obligations of Tennessee Employers under the Tennessee Pregnant Workers' Fairness Act, 2022
- This video is for Tennessee human resources professionals, managers and legal counsel and explains the Tennessee law that prevents Employers from demanding employee passwords for their own personal email and social media accounts and further prevents employers from demanding an employee access the account so the employer can see what is in it., Tennessee Employers' Obligation to Respect Employees' Online Privacy , 2022
- This video provides 10 points that companies in Tennessee can take to prevent or address misappropriation of confidential business information or trade secrets by current or former employees., Protecting Confidential Business Information in Tennessee , 2022
Industry Groups
- Chemical
- Distribution
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Manufacturing
- Professional Services
- Staffing
Last Updated: 5/15/2022