Fisher & Phillips Columbia Attorneys Selected to 2016 Best Lawyers in America

COLUMBIA, SC – Eight Fisher & Phillips LLP attorneys from the firm’s Columbia, S.C., office have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2016®.

The attorneys honored for their work in labor and employment law, labor and employment litigation, employee benefits law, or immigration law included Cheryl L. Behymer, Michael D. Carrouth, G. Daniel Ellzey, Fred Manning II, Stephen C. Mitchell, Jonathan P. Pearson, J. Hagood Tighe, and Karen Luchka Wingo.

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. Their lists are compiled by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which tens of thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers.

Cheryl Behymer is a partner in the Columbia office and co-chair of the firm’s Affirmative Action and Federal Contract Compliance Practice Group. Cheryl defends employers who are responding to administrative charges, actively involved in litigation, or are participating in compliance reviews conducted by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. She is also a Board Member with the Palmetto Center for Women, an affiliate of the YMCA.

Michael D. Carrouth is a partner in the Columbia office. He is certified as a Specialist in Labor Law by the South Carolina Supreme Court. Mike has represented clients in successfully responding to union organizing efforts in 27 states. Mike is a frequent speaker at seminars on labor and employment and litigation matters. He has written several articles, including “The Impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 on Employment Litigation” and “What the General Practitioner Should Know About Employer Liabilities in Conducting Job Interviews.” This is his 10th year listed in Best Lawyers in America.

G. Daniel Ellzey is a partner in the Columbia office. Dan litigates cases involving discrimination, wrongful discharge, ERISA, non-compete, and other employment-related matters in federal and state courts. He also represents companies before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. He represents clients before the National Labor Relations Board, and he advises clients on merger and acquisition matters involving labor issues. This is his 10th year listed in Best Lawyers in America.

Fred Manning II is a partner in the Columbia office. He has extensive experience litigating employment law matters involving civil rights, contracts, and wrongful termination claims. He regularly provides advice and assistance to employers regarding the drafting and enforcement of restrictive covenants, employment contracts and corrective action. Fred is the author of “Public Policy Exception Open to Possible Expansion in Employment At-Will Situations” 48 S.C.L. Rev. 133 (1996). He is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law.

Stephen C. Mitchell is managing partner of the firm’s Columbia office. His practice emphasizes employment litigation as well as traditional labor law. Steve has also assisted employers in handling class action litigation. In the traditional labor law arena, Steve has represented employers throughout the United States in a broad variety of union related matters. Steve is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law.

Jonathan P. Pearson is a partner in the Columbia office. He has represented numerous employers before the National Labor Relations Board in union representation elections and unfair labor practice charges. Jon has been particularly active in assisting employers in union contract negotiations and in dealing with strike-related issues, such as contingency planning and injunction proceedings. He has also served as Chairman of the Employment and Labor Section of the South Carolina Bar. This is his 10th year listed in Best Lawyers in America.

J. Hagood Tighe is a partner in the Columbia office. He practices exclusively in the area of labor and employment law, representing management in traditional labor matters and employment litigation. Hagood has successfully run many union avoidance campaigns, tried labor arbitrations, and litigated unfair labor practices before the National Labor Relations Board. Additionally, Hagood has authored numerous articles in the area of employment law and regularly lectures at seminars regarding employment law.

Karen Luchka Wingo is a partner in the Columbia office and a member of the firm’s Healthcare Practice Group. She represents management and employers in cases pending in both state and federal court, as well as in agency proceedings. She provides training to human resources professionals, managers and supervisors on the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, harassment and discrimination, social networking and electronic workforce issues, and many other employment and labor related subjects. Karen is a frequent lecturer at seminars on a variety of employment related topics, as well as legal ethics.

About Best Lawyers

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey. More than 79,000 leading attorneys are eligible to vote, and Best Lawyers received more than 6.2 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

About Fisher & Phillips LLP (www.laborlawyers.com)

Fisher & Phillips LLP is a national law firm committed to providing practical business solutions for employers’ workplace legal problems. Labor and employment law is all the firm does, offering deep and broad knowledge and experience in the area of the law the attorneys know best. Fisher & Phillips attorneys help clients avoid legal problems, are dedicated to providing exceptional client service, and are there when you need them. The firm has more than 300 attorneys in 31 offices. The offices are in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Gulfport, Houston, Irvine, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, New Jersey, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.