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R. Read Gignilliat bio photo

R. Read Gignilliat

Partner


Atlanta

t:404.582.8442

f:404.240.4249

Email

Service Focus

  • Litigation and Trials
  • Counseling and Advice
  • Workplace Investigations
  • Class and Collective Actions

Industry Focus

  • Public Sector
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Overview
Credentials
Recognitions
Affiliations

Overview

For more than three and a half decades, Read Gignilliat has helped private and public sector employers navigate their most challenging workplace issues – both inside and outside the courtroom. A partner in Fisher Phillips’ Atlanta office, he represents clients in lawsuits, federal and state administrative proceedings, civil service, merit board, and personnel board proceedings and appeals, as well as mediations and arbitrations, and provides practical, day-to-day guidance on the full spectrum of employment law matters. He is known for combining deep legal knowledge with a practical, solutions-oriented approach designed to help clients achieve their business and operational goals while reducing risk.

Employers turn to Read for strategic advice on personnel policies, employee handbooks, employment agreements, grievance and appeal procedures, dispute resolution programs, and non-compete and trade secret issues. He also develops and delivers customized management and employee training on workplace harassment prevention, internal investigations, whistleblower protections, and other compliance topics.

A trusted advisor to cities, counties, sheriffs and other constitutional officers, regional commissions, water and sewerage authorities, library systems, housing authorities, pension boards, and other state and local governmental entities, Read co-chairs the firm’s Public Sector Industry Group and is a member of the Litigation and Trials Practice Group. His track record includes numerous appellate victories – several before the Georgia Supreme Court – on issues ranging from the enforceability of employment agreements to constitutional questions affecting public employers.

Credentials

Education

  • J.D., 1987, University of South Carolina
  • B.S., 1984, University of South Carolina

Bar Admissions

  • Georgia
  • South Carolina

Court Admissions

  • Georgia Court of Appeals
  • Georgia Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Recognitions

  • Best Lawyers in America
  • Georgia Trend Magazine’s Legal Elite
  • Georgia Super Lawyers
  • Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers
  • AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Affiliations

Professional Activities

  • Atlanta Bar Association
  • The National League of Cities
  • International Municipal Lawyers Association
  • State Bar of Georgia (Labor & Employment Law and Local Government Sections)

Community Activities

  • 300 Club of Atlanta
  • 200 Club of the Coastal Empire
  • Georgia Historical Society
  • South Carolina Historical Society
  • Lower Altamaha Historical Society
  • St. Andrews Society of Columbia, SC

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