Attorneys Selected to 2016 Georgia Super Lawyers, Rising Stars Lists

ATLANTA, GA (February 19, 2016) - Seven attorneys with Atlanta-based Fisher Phillips are listed in Georgia Super Lawyers 2016, while three of the firm’s attorneys have been listed as Rising Stars.

Each year, lawyers nominate their peers for these prestigious lists. Candidates must then pass a rigorous selection process of evaluations based on indicators such as peer recognition and professional achievement in order to be named to the Georgia Super Lawyers list.

Attorneys D. Albert Brannen, Michael Elkon, Thomas Rebel, Joseph Shelton, John Thompson, and Joshua Viau were recognized for their work in employment and labor law. Kim Thompson was recognized for business immigration law.

Matthew Simpson, Terri Stewart, and Ted Boehm were listed as Rising Stars, who also are chosen based on a multi phase selection process and must be 40 years old or younger and in practice for 10 years or less. While up to 5 percent of lawyers in Georgia are named annually to the Super Lawyers list, only 2.5 percent are in the Rising Stars list.

Georgia Super Lawyers has long been recognized as a comprehensive list of the top lawyers in the state that can be used as a resource for clients seeking legal counsel.

D. Albert Brannen is the managing partner in the Atlanta office. Since 1982, he has represented employers exclusively in successfully solving labor and employment law problems in the workplace. He also has a depth of experience advising employers on union related matters and in assisting employers with the administration, negotiation, mediation and arbitration of collective bargaining agreements. Brannen has been included in Georgia Super Lawyers since 2005.

Michael Elkon is a partner in the Atlanta office. He specializes in providing advice and handling litigation relating to covenants not to compete, non-solicitation and non-disclosure provisions, employee raiding, trade secrets, the duty of loyalty, deceptive trade practices under state and federal law, the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act, and state computer protection statutes. Elkon has been recognized as a Rising Star or Super Lawyer by Georgia Super Lawyers every year since 2010.

Thomas P. Rebel is a partner in the Atlanta office. His practice includes litigating employment related disputes involving wrongful discharge, Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, OSHA, the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, as well as other types of employment based claims. Rebel has been included in Georgia Super Lawyers every year since 2004.

Joseph Shelton is a partner in the Atlanta office. His practice focuses on the defense of employment discrimination claims in trial and appellate courts, as well as litigation in the area of employee defection issues. Shelton also frequently advises employers with all aspects of state and federal employment laws, assists employers in drafting employment agreements, restrictive covenants, personnel policies, and separation agreements. He has been selected for inclusion in Georgia Super Lawyers since 2012.

John Thompson is a partner in the Atlanta office. His practice focuses on wage and hour law, emphasizing issues relating to minimum wage, overtime, timekeeping, and wage-payment requirements. He has also addressed wage-hour topics in presentations to numerous employer groups and in articles appearing in both human resources publications and industry journals. Thompson has been repeatedly selected for inclusion in Georgia Super Lawyers.

Kim Thompson is a partner in the Atlanta office. She serves as chair of the firm's Global Immigration Practice Group and co-chair of the International Employment Practice Group. Kim's practice focuses on immigration and nationality law; she began practicing in this area in 1990. Thompson is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the ABA-affiliated association for attorneys practicing immigration law. She has been selected for inclusion in Georgia Super Lawyers every year since 2005.

Joshua Viau is a partner in the Atlanta office. His practice focuses on representing companies in a variety of labor and employment matters including defending employers in employment-related litigation, especially in the areas of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, compliance with leave and wage and hour laws and regulations, and contract disputes involving restrictive covenants and trade secrets. Viau was recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyer in 2015 and Georgia Super Lawyer – Rising Star from 2006 to 2014.

Ted Boehm is of counsel in the Atlanta office. He represents management in all aspects of labor and employment law in state and federal courts as well as before state and federal agencies, including the Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This is the second year Boehm has been listed as a Rising Star in Georgia Super Lawyers.

Matthew Simpson is a partner in the Atlanta office. He represents management in all areas of labor and employment law in state and federal courts as well as before state and federal agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and United States Department of Labor. Simpson has been listed as a Rising Star in Georgia Super Lawyers since 2011.

Terri Stewart is a partner in the Atlanta office. She represents management in all areas of labor and employment law in state and federal courts as well as before state and federal agencies. Stewart also frequently advises employers on reductions in force, drafts employment agreements, personnel policies, separation agreements and releases, and conducts on-site training on topics such as employment law compliance and avoidance of harassment claims. She has been listed as a Rising Star in Georgia Super Lawyers since 2011.