Overview

Corey advises clients and litigates disputes involving the hiring and defection of high-level employees. When his clients are hiring, he drafts and negotiates agreements to protect investments in executives and other essential employees, including non-compete, non-solicitation and non-disclosure agreements. When disputes arise regarding the hiring or defection of important employees, Corey litigates issues involving contract enforcement and interpretation, trade secret protection, employee poaching, the duty of loyalty, and computer protection laws.

Corey has also developed a knack for helping employers navigate the complexities of wage and hour laws. In the hospitality industry and beyond, he advises clients on white-collar exemptions from state and federal overtime and minimum wage laws. He counsels other clients on the use of independent contractors and related joint employment issues. Corey has experience litigating these and many other disputes in state and federal courts, as well as alternative dispute resolution venues like mediation and arbitration.

Corey doesn’t spend all of his time on the front lines of employment law. He is also committed to providing pro bono legal services for those in need, and supporting organizations doing that work full-time. Leading the Fisher Phillips Atlanta office’s pro bono initiatives, Corey formed partnerships with the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta and the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation’s Domestic Violence Project, through which Fisher Phillips attorneys provide consultation and direct representation to Atlanta-area non-profit organizations and survivors of domestic violence. Corey also represents asylum seekers through the Georgia Immigration and Asylum Network and serves on the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta’s Advisory Committee.

Before law school, Corey hopscotched the country in political campaign management and government relations roles, with a formative stint as the fried chicken guy at an Iowa pizza buffet. He is still obsessed with politics and fried chicken, but his wife occasionally convinces him to join her at restaurants with green things (preferably fried) on the menu.

Experience

In departing employee case, successfully convinced Alabama court to apply Georgia law in dispute, thereby invalidating non-compete covenant and allowing client’s new business to operate in Georgia. DJR Assocs., LLC v. Hammonds, 241 F. Supp. 3d 1208 (N.D. Ala. 2017).
As a member of the University of Georgia School of Law’s Appellate Litigation Clinic, Corey earned a victory for a pro bono client in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. After full briefing and oral argument, the court reversed the district court, allowing Corey’s client to proceed with his § 1983 8th Amendment claim in a published decision. Brooks v. Warden, 800 F.3d 1295 (11th Cir. 2015).

Honors & Leadership

Honors & Awards

Selected for inclusion in the Daily Report’s 2019 “On the Rise” class
2015 ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law Award for Excellence in the Study of Labor and Employment Law
2015 Donald P. Gilmore, Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence in the Study of Labor & Employment Law