Littler Leaps into 2015 with Growth in Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA (January 15, 2015) — Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has added Daniel E. Turner, Tracey T. Barbaree, Beth A. Moeller and Lauren H. Zeldin as shareholders in the Atlanta office. The group, which joined Littler from the Atlanta office of Ogletree Deakins, brings decades of employment law experience and a strong reputation in Atlanta and nationally for successfully resolving numerous employment litigation matters.

“The addition of high quality lateral attorneys has been an important component of strengthening our domestic and global employment law platform and we are excited to welcome Dan, Tracey, Beth and Lauren to our growing Atlanta office,” said Tom Bender and Jeremy Roth, co-managing directors of Littler, in a joint statement. “Bringing in such a highly-regarded group of employment lawyers with a successful track record in class and collective actions, as well as employment litigation matters, will be a terrific complement to our world class team of employment and labor law counselors and litigators.”

Littler’s Atlanta office is home to a talented and diverse group of attorneys with wide-ranging experience in labor and employment law issues. Named 2014 Litigation Department of the Year for Labor & Employment by the Fulton County Daily Report, the Atlanta office provides innovative and proactive counsel to clients on all types of employment-related litigation. The firm’s strong and significant presence in the Atlanta market has attracted other high-profile attorneys, including labor management relations attorney Jeffrey Mintz, and is bolstered by several attorneys with national leadership positions, including Lisa "Lee" Schreter, chair of Littler's Board of Directors and co-chair of the Wage and Hour practice, and Dionysia Johnson-Massie, co-chair of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and a former member of the Board of Directors.

L. Traywick Duffie, Littler’s Atlanta office managing shareholder, added that “this group’s collective experience and proven track record will be a significant asset to our existing and new clients in Atlanta and across the globe. The knowledge and perspective that this group brings will further expand our already impressive capabilities in those areas where the employment litigation practice continues to see expediential growth, including class actions and collective actions involving claims of discrimination, wage and hour violations and retaliation. The fact that such a talented and established group chose to move their practices to Littler is indicative of the firm’s solid platform and of our vibrant and growing Atlanta office.”

About Daniel Turner

A seasoned litigator and recognized as a leading lawyer in Georgia and nationally, Turner has significant experience handling complex litigation and has been lead counsel in more than 50 employment class and collective actions across the country. He also counsels and represents employers on a variety of matters, including discrimination and harassment claims, wage and hour disputes, retaliation lawsuits, managing employee leaves of absence and restrictive covenant cases. He has also served as lead counsel in numerous single and multi-plaintiff cases under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and has both jury and non-jury trial experience in federal and state courts.

“Littler has an impressive group of attorneys in the Atlanta office. Our team was drawn to the firm’s significant capabilities in practice areas that complement our specialties, as well as Littler’s innovative approach to client service and vast global reach,” said Turner.

Turner has been recognized as a leading employment lawyer by the International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, Georgia Super Lawyers and Chambers USA. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Georgia State University College of Law and his B.A., cum laude, from University of West Georgia.

About Tracey Barbaree

Barbaree’s practice focuses on defending employers in class and collective actions across the country, as well as litigating single and multi-plaintiff cases under federal and state civil rights, employment discrimination, and wage and hour laws.   Prior to joining Littler, she served as a co-chair of Ogletree Deakins’ Class Action practice group. Barbaree has both a strong record of securing the dismissal of claims before trial and has tried multiple jury and non-jury cases to defense verdicts.

She has been recognized by Georgia Super Lawyers, Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America for her employment law practice. Barbaree received her J.D., with honors, from Ohio State University College of Law, where she was a managing editor of The Ohio State Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. She earned her B.A., magna cum laude, from Vanderbilt University.  Barbaree also currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at Georgia State University College of Law and speaks on employment law trends to professional groups.

About Beth Moeller

Moeller represents employers in all aspects of employment, wage and hour and civil rights matters before administrative agencies and in federal and state court litigation. She routinely defends employers in complex collective and class actions, as well as in cases under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Moeller regularly conducts audits for employers to examine job classifications and compensation practices and counsels employers on a wide range of employment issues. issues involving litigation avoidance, wrongful discharge, ERISA litigation, hiring and termination, leaves of absence and trade secrets, among other personnel matters.

Moeller received her J.D., with honors, from University of Oklahoma College of Law, where she served as assistant managing editor of the Oklahoma Law Review and was a member of the ABA Moot Court Team. She earned her B.A., magna cum laude, from Oklahoma State University. Moeller also has been named a Rising Star by Georgia Super Lawyers each year since 2009.

About Lauren Zeldin

Zeldin has extensive experience in employment discrimination and wage and hour litigation. She represents employers in federal and state courts and before various administrative agencies in discrimination claims involving race, sex, age, national origin, religion and disability. Zeldin also counsels employers on preventing class and collective actions, creating and implementing workplace policies and practices, investigations of harassment and discrimination complaints, and affirmative action compliance for government contractors. Additionally, she has experience conducting wage and hour audits and counseling on job classifications under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

An active member of the Atlanta pro bono legal community, Zeldin is engaged with Georgia Appleseed, having served on the organization’s Executive Committee and Young Professionals' Council, and has worked with the Truancy Intervention Project to provide representation to children in juvenile court. She received her J.D., with high honors, from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her B.A., cum laude, from Duke University. Zeldin has been named a Rising Star by Georgia Super Lawyers from 2012 to 2014.

About Littler

Littler is the largest global employment and labor law practice, with more than 1,000 attorneys in over 60 offices worldwide. Littler represents management in all aspects of employment and labor law and serves as a single-source solution provider to the global employer community. Consistently recognized in the industry as a leading and innovative law practice, Littler has been litigating, mediating and negotiating some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record for over 70 years. Littler Global is the collective trade name for an international legal practice, the practicing entities of which are separate and distinct professional firms. For more information visit: www.littler.com.