Find Lawyers in Greenville, South Carolina for Employment Law - Management
Practice Area Overview
Employment law is the practice area of lawyers who advise employers about workplace related issues.
Regulations governing the way employees are hired, managed, disciplined, and terminated are complex and constantly evolving. These laws affect companies differently depending on size, industry, and workforce makeup. Businesses must ensure that employment policies, training program, and everyday practices are in compliance – or risk crippling lawsuits. Employment law practices emphasize preventive counseling to minimize liability and potential business interruption for employers. Employment law audits are frequently utilized to expose problem areas before they become legal nightmares.
Despite the best efforts of conscientious employers to comply with the law and to treat employees fairly, lawsuits can occur. Such suits present problems both obvious – large verdicts, for example – and more insidious – such as the waste of management’s time and resources which can interfere with productive, efficient business operation. This ever-increasing scope of employment litigation intersects with virtually all types of business litigation including class actions, products liability, premises liability, traditional torts, and business contract disputes of all types. The employment litigation practice continues to expand with each new right or legal obligation enacted by federal and state legislators or recognized by the courts.
Thomas (“Tom”) Bright has spent his entire legal career practicing labor and employment law representing management. As a litigator, Tom has handled cases ranging from sexual harassment matters, to wage payment matters, to all nature of employment discrimination matters. He has handled cases for clients in his home state of South Carolina, throughout the southeast, and in states like New York, Minnesota, California, Utah, Missouri and Texas. Tom has also advised clients through ad...
Deborah C. Brown Debbie Brown is a member of GWB’s Workplace Practices Group and focuses her practice on the defense of employment and workers’ compensation cases. As a certified employment specialist by the South Carolina Supreme Court, Debbie is able to assist employers, including employers in workers’ compensation cases, with a wide array of employment issues. Debbie also conducts seminars in both employment law and workers’ compensation for other Bar members and cl...
Mr. Daniel has since 1976 handled labor and employment problems in a wide array of industries. He has extensive experience in representing management in union organizational attempts as well as in conducting due diligence in mergers and acquisitions. He has represented management in numerous decertification matters. Mr. Daniel also has experience in the areas of contract negotiation, administration, and bargaining. He has tried cases before the NLRB and handled appellate cases under the NLRA....
Chris Gantt-Sorenson is a shareholder in Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd's Greenville office and serves as the employment law practice team leader, working exclusively with all types of employers, providing advice and counsel and representation when an employee or employees file a claim or a lawsuit. Chris advises employers and human resource professionals on issues that arise in the workplace daily. She defends clients in employment-related claims and litigation before administrative agencies, such ...
Gray Geddie is one of the founding shareholders of the firm. He served as the firm’s Managing Shareholder from January 2001 through January 2010. Under his leadership, the firm experienced unprecedented growth in terms of geography, professionalism, and client service. Ogletree Deakins is now the third largest labor and employment law firm in the United States. Following his term as Managing Shareholder, Gray returned to his practice in the Greenville office. He is a Fellow in the Colle...
Ted Gentry focuses his practice on counseling colleges and universities and on appellate litigation. Ted’s career handling complex litigation gives him valuable insights into the ways that today’s decisions affect tomorrow’s disputes. Ted has served education clients for over two decades, and has extensive appellate experience, including cases before the South Carolina Court of Appeals, the South Carolina Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and t...
Phillip Kilgore has been in the practice of litigation and labor and employment law in the Greenville office of Ogletree Deakins since 1986. Phillip has extensive litigation experience, representing clients in state and federal courts and administrative tribunals. He has handled a wide range of cases from traditional employment discrimination claims to tort claims and from environmental claims to shareholder derivative actions and minority shareholder disputes. Phillip also is an expert in ad...
Chris Lauderdale is a principal in the Greenville, South Carolina, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He has represented employers in labor and employment matters for 30 years. Chris regularly defends employers in multi-plaintiff and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Rule 23 class actions alleging violations of state wage payment, minimum wage, and overtime laws. He has defended more than 80 such asserted class and collective actions. This experience includes defending food ...
Ellison F. McCoy is the office managing principal of the Greenville, South Carolina, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He is engaged exclusively in the practice of employment law on behalf of management. Ellison has represented employers in litigation matters before state and federal administrative agencies and various state and federal trial and appellate courts. During his legal career, Ellison has handled a wide-variety of employment matters involving claims such as discrimination based on race...
Mr. McDonald is a shareholder in the Greenville office and practices primarily in the area of employment litigation. He was certified as a specialist in employment and labor law by the Supreme Court of South Carolina in 2006. Mr. McDonald represents a variety of employers in employment litigation matters ranging from breach of employment contracts to cases involving discrimination in areas of race, sex, age, and disability in both individual and class actions. He also counsels employers regar...
Andy Satterfield is a Shareholder in the Greenville office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He practices in the areas of management labor and employment law and has substantial experience representing employers in the manufacturing, professional services, restaurant, health care, retail, and banking industries. Mr. Satterfield has handled cases involving employment discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, age, genetic information, and disability; sexual harassment; wrongful discharg...
Stephanie E. Lewis is the Managing Shareholder of the Greenville, South Carolina office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Ms. Lewis frequently represents employers in employment litigation and matters pending before and against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She has handled all aspects of employment law but has particularly focused on sexual harassment, pay discrimination, and disability discrimination issues. She regularly presents on employment-related topics to Bar and industry groups an...
Mr. Shetterly is the managing shareholder in the Greenville, South Carolina office. He has a blended practice, focusing on litigation and proactive advice to clients. In litigation, he focuses on the ultimate objective of the client and tries to streamline the approach to litigation to hone in on the core objectives and outcome determinative issues.Mr. Shetterly routinely provides training and real world advice to human resources teams, general counsels, and supervisors on best practices, par...
Mr. Smoak is a founding partner of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart.During more than 44 years of representing companies in labor and employment matters, he has personally handled approximately 300 union organizing and decertification campaigns. He has extensive experience in the development and implementation of preventive labor relations programs for clients in all regions of the country. He is among the one percent of U.S. lawyers listed in The Best Lawyers in America, and has a...
Fred Suggs is a certified specialist in labor and employment law by the South Carolina Supreme Court. He is a founding lawyer of Ogletree Deakins, having been with the firm since its inception. Mr. Suggs helps companies avoid work-related legal exposure by giving preventive advice and providing training for managers at client locations. Mr. Suggs speaks regularly at employment law conferences, Bar Programs for other lawyers, Association of Corporate Council Meetings, SHRM Conferences for Huma...
Stephen Woods represents companies in all aspects of labor and employment law. He assists national, regional, and local clients on counseling/preventive, EEOC and employment litigation, and traditional labor (union) issues and questions. He is the chair of the firm's Background Check Advice Group and the shareholder-author of the firm's O-D Comply: Background Check subscription materials.Stephen lives by a client-centric mantra which combines prevention and practicality to create innovative, ...
Laura Ahrens is an associate in the Greenville, South Carolina, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Laura represents employers in workplace law matters, and enjoys collaborating with her clients to find practical solutions to the variety of issues that arise in the workplace. Laura is a member of the firm’s Litigation practice group. She represents employers in various employment and labor matters, including claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation brought under Title VII and the ...
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