Elaine Walsh has represented employers in all facets of labor and employment law for 30 years. She has substantial experience representing corporate clients in complex employment matters, including the defense of employers in discrimination, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), and wage and hour litigation involving individual and class and collective claims. Elaine's trial experience includes successfully defending major clients in bench and jury trials. She advises Firm clients on executive employment and separation agreements, investigations of employee conduct, policy oversight, and counseling issues, including issues arising under state and federal antidiscrimination laws, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and WARN. She routinely advises clients on noncompetition provisions and provides guidance on employment matters arising in transactions. She is a frequent speaker on various employment issues.
Elaine has performed pro bono work for individuals and for nonprofit organizations. She has served on the boards of numerous community organizations, including the Atlanta Children's Shelter, the Atlanta Speech School, CHRIS Kids (a mental health and family services organization), the Center for Puppetry Arts, and the Emory University Board of Visitors. Elaine is a past president of the Junior League of Atlanta and a graduate of Leadership Atlanta.
Experience
- Emory University (J.D. with distinction 1988; Order of the Coif; Law Journal); Duke University (A.B. cum laude 1985)
- Georgia; South Carolina; U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Georgia and the District of South Carolina; and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fourth, and Eleventh Circuits
The Best Lawyers in America: Employment Law — Management; Litigation — Labor & Employment (2023 and 2024)
The Legal 500 US (2019 and 2020)
- Law Clerk to Judge Robert F. Chapman, United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit (1988 term)