Six Fisher & Phillips Attorneys Selected to the Best Lawyers in America 2013
August 23, 2012
COLUMBIA, SC – August 24, 2012 – Fisher & Phillips LLP announced today that six attorneys in the Columbia office, and 81 attorneys nationwide, have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2013® (Copyright 2012 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.). All of the attorneys were honored for their labor and/or employment work unless otherwise noted.
Columbia attorneys selected for inclusion are partners Jonathan P. Pearson, Michael D. Carrouth, G. Daniel Ellzey, Fred Manning II, Stephen C. Mitchell and J. Hagood Tighe.
Jon Pearson is managing partner of the Columbia office. His practice emphasizes employment litigation of all types before state and federal courts, as well as traditional labor law. He has handled lawsuits and administrative charges involving wrongful discharge, Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA and FLSA, as well as many other types of employment-based claims. Jon has also 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 regularly represents employers with occupational safety and health issues, including litigating contested citations before state and federal agencies. Jon is experienced in representing hospitality employers and is responsible for the South Carolina information at HospitalityLawyer.com. Jon is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law and as a Certified Mediator. He has also served as Chairman of the Employment and Labor Section of the South Carolina Bar. Jon is AV Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been included in the South Carolina Super Lawyers list since 2008. He has been listed in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Business Lawyers since 2003 and in The Best Lawyers in America since 2006.
Mike Carrouth is certified as a Specialist in Labor Law by the South Carolina State Supreme Court and he practices before state and federal courts, the National Labor Relations Board, and state and federal administrative agencies. Mike has successfully represented employers in responding to union organizing drives in 27 states. He has also helped employers successfully respond to a number of national, multi-site organizing campaigns targeting up to 32 facilities at one time. Mike’s practice also includes handling jury trials involving discrimination cases, non-compete agreements, FMLA issues, and wrongful discharge matters. 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. Mike has been selected for inclusion in South Carolina Super Lawyers since 2008. He has been listed in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Business Lawyers since 2005 and in The Best Lawyers in America since 2007. In 2011 he was selected by his peers to be one of Greater Columbia Business Monthly’s Legal Elite.
Dan Ellzey practices both labor and employment law. In the employment area, Dan counsels clients on all state and federal employment laws (Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, etc.), major staff reductions and facility closures, labor law implications of mergers and acquisitions, OSHA compliance, and wage and hour matters. Dan litigates cases involving discrimination, wrongful discharge, ERISA, non-compete, and other employment-related matters in federal and state courts. He also represents companies in trials before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In the labor area, Dan advises companies across the nation on union avoidance and proactive employee relations plans. Dan has been involved in some of the highest profile union campaigns and elections in the United States. He represents clients before the National Labor Relations Board, and he advises clients on merger and acquisition matters involving labor issues. Dan is certified as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law by the Supreme Court of South Carolina. He is AV Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized in South Carolina Super Lawyers since 2008. Dan has also been listed in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Business Lawyers since 2004 and in The Best Lawyers in America since 2006. He was selected by his peers to be one of Greater Columbia Business Monthly’s 2010 Legal Elite.
Fred Manning has extensive experience litigating and advising clients on all state and federal employment laws (Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, etc. He regularly provides advice and assistance to employers regarding the drafting and enforcement of restrictive covenants, employment contracts and corrective action. Fred has assisted employers throughout the United States in union related matters. He also has extensive experience in representing private colleges and universities in matters relating to employment and faculty and student issues. 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. While in law school, he served as the Associate Editor-in-Chief for the South Carolina Law Review. Fred is AV Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and he was listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2012.
Stephen Mitchell’s practice emphasizes employment litigation as well as traditional labor law. He has handled administrative charges and lawsuits in state and federal courts involving wrongful discharge, Title VII, ADA, ADEA, ERISA, FMLA, FLSA, employment testing, as well as other types of employment based claims. 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. He is AV Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized in South Carolina Super Lawyers since 2009. He has also been listed in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Business Lawyers since 2007 and in The Best Lawyers in America since 2010.
Hagood Tighe practices exclusively in the area of labor and employment law, representing management in union matters and employment litigation. In recent years, his practice has included both class action and collective action litigation. While he maintains an active litigation practice, he also focuses on providing practical and proactive advice designed to minimize the risk of litigation. He also provides training for supervisors and managers on harassment, EEO compliance, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and many other areas. Additionally, Hagood has authored numerous articles in the area of employment law and regularly lectures at seminars regarding employment law. Hagood is a recipient of the Silver Compleat Lawyer Award from the University of South Carolina School of Law Alumni Association. This award recognizes alumni who have made significant contributions to the legal profession and who exemplify the highest standard of professional competence, ethics, and integrity. Hagood is AV Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been included in South Carolina Super Lawyers. He has been listed in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Business Lawyers since 2007 and in The Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Hagood was selected by his peers to be one of Greater Columbia Business Monthly’s Legal Elite in 2010 and 2011 and in 2011 the same publication named him one of the 50 Most Influential People for 2011. He is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law.
About Best Lawyers
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 36,000 leading attorneys cast almost 4.4 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, 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 represents employers nationally in labor, employment, civil rights, employee benefits and immigration matters. The firm has more than 275 attorneys in 27 offices. Founded in 1943, it is one of the first U.S. law firms to concentrate its practice exclusively upon representation of employers in labor and employment matters. In addition to the Columbia office, the firm has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Irvine, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, New England, New Jersey, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington D.C.
