Fisher Phillips Attorneys Selected to 2018 Super Lawyers, Rising Stars Lists

ATLANTA (February 23, 2018) – Five attorneys with Atlanta-based Fisher Phillips LLP are listed in Georgia Super Lawyers 2018, 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, Joseph Shelton, John Thompson and Joshua Viau were recognized for their work in employment and labor law, and Michael Elkon was recognized for his employment litigation defense.

Martin Heller, Matthew Simpson and Jack Stapleton were listed as Rising Stars, an honor based on a multiphase selection process of attorneys who 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 included 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 (“Bert”) Brannen is managing partner in the Atlanta office.  He has successfully represented employers in proceedings before the NLRB, EEOC, OFCCP, Wage and Hour Division, OSHA and other government agencies. Brannen regularly advises employers about increasing employee engagement, assists them with the administration, negotiation, and arbitration of collective bargaining agreements and counsels them on how to comply with applicable labor and employment laws. Brannen is a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been named a Super Lawyer by Georgia Super Lawyers every year 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.

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

John Thompson is senior counsel 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 assists employers in preventive efforts designed to ensure compliance, and he handles both investigations conducted by government agencies and litigation in the wage and hour area. Thompson has been repeatedly selected for inclusion in Georgia Super Lawyers.

Joshua Viau is of counsel in the Atlanta office. He has spent his entire legal career advising employers on day to day human resource and labor relations issues with a focus on avoiding problems before they turn into emergency situations such as a government agency audit, EEOC charge, litigation, an unfair labor practice charge, or a union organizing campaign or election petition. Viau was recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyer in 2015 and 2016 and Georgia Super Lawyer – Rising Star from 2006 to 2014. 

Martin Heller is of counsel in the Atlanta office. Heller represents public and private employers on a national, regional, and local basis in all aspects of employment litigation, including wage and hour claims, employment discrimination claims, family and medical leave claims, and employment based contractual disputes. He has been listed in Georgia Super Lawyers – Rising Stars since 2015.

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 United States Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Matt has extensive experience defending class and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Fair Credit Reporting Act. Simpson has been listed as a Rising Star in Georgia Super Lawyers since 2011.

Jack Stapleton is an associate in the firm's Atlanta office. He represents management in a wide range of employment-related matters, including discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, wage and hour claims and collective actions. His practice also focuses on counseling and litigation in the area of trade secrets, non-competition agreements and restrictive covenants.