Source: https://www.huntermaclean.com/practice-area/employment/
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 14:31:08+00:00

Document:
HunterMaclean’s employment practice group is best known for its expertise in working with and for employers, that is, businesses, nonprofits, governmental entities, and their management teams. HunterMaclean’s employment practice group forges long-term relationships with clients of all sizes, working collaboratively to achieve clients’ business goals, improve employee relations, and avoid legal claims and liability.
We provide employer-centered advice and counsel on sensitive discipline and termination questions to senior management and human resource professionals, conduct employment audits and training to help clients stay current on ever-evolving legal requirements, and draft and review employment policies and handbooks. We also help clients respond to governmental inquiries, including I-9 audits, wage/hour investigations, and EEOC and DOL investigations. Additionally, we prepare employment contracts and confidentiality and restrictive covenant agreements to meet the unique and challenging requirements of Georgia law. When an employment problem becomes an administrative investigation, arbitration, or lawsuit, our attorneys vigorously represent the client before the appropriate administrative agency or arbitral forum or in the state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout Georgia, South Carolina, or elsewhere in the Southeast.
Our Georgia employment attorneys are very involved in the community and stay current with evolving human resources trends. In addition to serving in leadership positions in local and state-wide SHRM (Society of Human Resource Manager) chapters and local, nonprofit personnel committees, and state-wide Employer Committees sponsored by the Georgia Department of Labor, HunterMaclean’s employment attorneys are also frequent speakers at employment law and human resources seminars and continuing legal education programs. Our employment group has worked with other Georgia counsel and the Georgia legislature to change long-standing Georgia law governing the interpretation of restrictive covenant agreements in Georgia, bringing the state in line with the majority of other states and making Georgia’s business climate more attractive for companies located here and those looking to relocate to Georgia.
HunterMaclean’s employment practice has been described as a model firm with respect to quality and value representation. Our attorneys are widely-recognized experts in the employment field and are passionate about helping clients achieve their business goals and create good places to work.
HunterMaclean employment attorneys practice in all divisions of the United States District Court, Southern District of Georgia, including Augusta, Dublin, Waycross, Brunswick, Statesboro, and Savannah. The Firm has clients throughout the region, including the cities of Hinesville, Jesup, Valdosta, Darien, and St. Mary’s.
HunterMaclean attorneys litigated the seminal mandatory arbitration case in the Eleventh Circuit establishing that companies may create binding arbitration agreements with their employees through internal dispute resolution policies. Caley v. Gulfstream Aero. Corp., 333 F. Supp. 2d 1367 (N.D. Ga. 2004), aff’d, 428 F.3d 1359 (11th Cir. 2005), cert. denied, 547 U.S. 1128 (2006).
HunterMaclean attorneys represented the prevailing parties in the then seminal cases in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals concerning Georgia’s stringent requirements for enforceable non-compete agreements. Keener v. Convergys Corp., 205 F. Supp. 2d 1374 (S.D. Ga. 2002), question certified to Georgia Supreme Court, 312 F.3d 1236 (11th Cir. 2002), certified question answered, 276 Ga. 808 (2003), aff’d in part and rev’d in part, 342 F.3d 1264 (11th Cir. 2003); Palmer & Cay, Inc. v. Marsh & McLennan Cos., 404 F.3d 1297 (11th Cir. 2005).
Huene v. The Landings Club, Inc. Obtained a dismissal of member’s lawsuit against a private club because the club is not subject to constitutional due process restrictions, nor does Title III of the ADA apply.
Bacon v. Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation. Obtained a favorable order dismissing plaintiff’s claims of age discrimination in a contentious arbitration proceeding.
Hart v. Camden Urgent Care. Plaintiff voluntarily dismissed federal FLSA lawsuit after HunterMaclean filed a detailed motion for summary judgment.
Washington v. Waffle House, Inc. Very favorable settlement of claims arising out of assault by security guard after protracted litigation where client had significant exposure to liability.
Hobby v. Momentum Resources II, Inc. Superior Court granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s claim of disability discrimination based on Georgia law.
Cooksey v. South Atlantic Forest Products, Inc. Superior Court granted defendant’s temporary restraining order to enforce employment covenants.
Wagner v. Murphy Oil USA. Jury verdict for the defendant in FLSA case affirming that that former store manager was properly classified for wage/hour purposes and therefore exempt from overtime.
Matos v. Fulcrum Properties, Inc. Summary judgment for defendant on state tort claims. Jury verdict for defendant on Title VII and § 1981 claims of racial/national origin harassment, disparate treatment, and retaliation.
A frequent area of confusion for business owners and managers concerns the difference between employees and independent contractors. Attorney Wade Herring sheds some light on the issue in this article for the Savannah Morning News.
Although many people prefer not to talk about their salary with their colleagues, some companies go so far as to have policies against it, which is at odds with existing law. All employees, whether they work in the government or private sector, have a right to discuss compensation as a result of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935.
How Should Federal Contractors Prepare for the New Federal Minimum Wage?
Per an executive order issued by President Obama on February 12, 2014, government contractors entering into new federal construction or service contracts are required to pay employees $10.10 per hour. The order also dictates that the minimum hourly wage for federal contractors’ tipped employees be raised to $4.95 an hour. What does the executive order do, to whom does it apply, and what is the timeframe?
HunterMaclean partner Wade Herring discusses how a recent ruling by the Georgia Department of Labor (DOL) will change how employers respond to unemployment benefits claims.
In an article for the Society for Human Resource Management, employment attorney Wade Herring II discusses the state and federal laws regarding issuing final payments.
HunterMaclean partner Wade Herring, II explains the law surrounding separate pay in Georgia.
The federal government has created a new version of the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. This article gives a section-by-section overview of the new form, as well as links to download the updated form and the new USCIS employer handbook.
HunterMaclean Partner Wade W. Herring II discusses the laws surrounding bullying in the workplace, details recourse for employees who are victims of a hostile work environment and examines why bullying is bad business.
HunterMaclean Partner Kirby G. Mason discusses the EEOC’s new recommendations for employers using criminal background checks to make hiring and other employment decisions.
All employers are faced with similar employment law issues: How should we conduct our hiring and screening process? When should an employee be disciplined or terminated? Can we conduct a pre-hire drug test? How should the employee be classified under the Fair Labor Standards Act for pay purposes? What types of conduct are prohibited in the workplace? What laws governing the workplace apply to us?
Technology companies, however, are confronted with several unique issues because of the rapid pace of innovation and change in the technology industry. Some of those issues include the retention of talented employees and the preservation of the company’s most valuable assets — the technology and intellectual property it is producing. Employee retention and the protection of a company’s intellectual property are often addressed through restrictive covenants and invention agreements. The laws governing these types of agreements vary widely from state to state. This article provides a brief overview of the types of covenants and agreements typically utilized by technology companies and a description of how they are interpreted in Georgia.
When it comes to screening job candidates, criminal background checks and credit report reviews have been standard procedure for many Savannah area companies for years. However, a growing number of area companies are now requiring job candidates to pass a social media background check, marking the latest frontier in a larger national employment trend.
Social media is here to stay and, by any measure, is having a major impact on the way employers screen and hire job applicants. According to the 10th Annual Sources of Hire Study released by CareerXroads in March of 2011, more than 88 percent of employers surveyed reported that they consider social media to be an important part of their overall direct-sourcing efforts.
By Shawn A. Kachmar, published in Products Liability Perspectives 2, no. 3 (Fall/Winter 2006).
All businesses, large or small, routinely confront recruiting and retention problems.
Such problems are magnified in small or medium-sized businesses where a star employee’s departure can have a significant impact on the bottom-line. Most small and medium-sized businesses cannot afford the highest pay or best benefits package in their industry, but are still competing with market giants for talent.
Presented by Wade W. Herring, II, at the Destination Workplace Health Conference in Savannah, Georgia, on February 22, 2018.
Presented by Wade W. Herring, II, at the City Manager’s Leadership Meeting in Savannah, Georgia, on November 17, 2017.
Presented by Wade W. Herring, II, at Employment Law: 2017 Comprehensive Guide, a seminar by the National Business Institute in Savannah, Georgia, on August 2, 2017.
Presented by Wade W. Herring, II, to the Liberty County Employer Committee in Hinesville, Georgia, on April 26, 2017.
Presented by Wade W. Herring, II, at the American Fidelity Assurance Company’s Defense Counsel Summit on April 14, 2017.
Presented by Wade W. Herring, II, to the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce in Brunswick, Georgia, on September 13, 2016.
Presented by HunterMaclean Attorneys at the GACCE 2016 Executive Leadership Conference in Jekyll Island, GA, on July 21, 2016.
Presented by Wade W. Herring, II, as part of Georgia Southern University’s series on Legal Awareness in the Workplace in Brunswick, Georgia, on December 1, 2015.
Presented by Shawn A. Kachmar in Savannah, Georgia, on November 17, 2015, as part of Georgia Southern University’s series on Legal Awareness in the Workplace.
Presented by Shawn A. Kachmar in Statesboro, Georgia, on October 20, 2015, as part of Georgia Southern University’s series on Legal Awareness in the Workplace.
Presented by Wade W. Herring, II, at the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce Lunch and Learn on October 6, 2015.
Presented by Wade W. Herring, II, as part of Georgia Southern University’s series on Legal Awareness in the Workplace in Brunswick, Georgia, on September 22, 2015.
Presented by Shawn A. Kachmar in Savannah, Georgia, on April 21, 2015, as part of Georgia Southern University’s series on Legal Awareness in the Workplace.
Wade W. Herring, II, presented to the 2015 conference of HPIP (High Performance Insulation Professionals) on identifying, defining, and preventing discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
Presented by Wade W. Herring, II, in Brunswick, Georgia, on March 10, 2015, as part of Georgia Southern University’s series on Legal Awareness in the Workplace.
Presented at Employment LAW: 2014 Comprehensive Guide, a seminar by the National Business Institute, in Savannah, Georgia, on December 10, 2014, by Wade W. Herring, II.
Presented at Employment LAW: 2014 Comprehensive Guide, a seminar by the National Business Institute, in Savannah, Georgia, on December 10, 2014, by Shawn A. Kachmar.
Presented at HunterMaclean’s main office in Savannah, Georgia, on November 12, 2014, by Wade W. Herring, II.
Presented at the Employment Law Update in Georgia seminar in Savannah, Georgia, on October 23, 2012, by Wade W. Herring, II.
Presented at the Employment Law Update in Georgia seminar in Savannah, Georgia, on October 23, 2012, by Shawn A. Kachmar.
Rebecca Sczepanski spoke with Mary Mayle from Savannah Morning News about how the recent changes in DOMA will affect businesses.

References: v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 § 1981