Practice Areas

  • Employment Law

  • Class and Collective Action Litigation

  • Traditional Labor Relations



Education

University of Mississippi School of Law

  • J.D. 2005, summa cum laude
  • Executive Articles Editor, Mississippi Law Journal
  • Outstanding Student Award for highest grade in: Civil Procedure, Torts, Contracts, Constitutional Law and Legal Profession

Mississippi Univ. for Women
(admitting men since 1982)

  • B.A. 1999, magna cum laude

Bar Admissions

  • State Bar of Georgia

  • State Bar of California

  • State Bar of Mississippi


Court Admissions

  • U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Fifth, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits

  • U.S. District Courts for the Northern District of Georgia, the Central and Southern Districts of California, and the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi

  • Georgia Supreme Court and Court of Appeals

  • Mississippi State Courts

Paul G. Sherman

Paul Sherman has practiced labor and employment law exclusively on behalf of management for over 15 years.  Paul is an experienced litigator, having obtained summary judgment and other favorable rulings in dozens of cases, including numerous class and collective action cases.  He has also represented clients in proceedings before federal and state Departments of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and state FEP agencies.  Paul regularly counsels employers on all issues arising out of the employer-employee relationship, including advising clients on compliance with all federal and state employment laws.

Paul has also worked in-house as the sole employment attorney for the world’s largest flooring and countertop manufacturer.  In that role, he provided advice and counsel to human resources and business personnel on the full panoply of employment-related issues, drafted policies, resolved pre-litigation disputes, and managed all the company’s employment litigation.

Prior to entering private practice, Paul clerked for the Honorable David Bramlette in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.  Before that, Paul attended law school at the University of Mississippi, where he served as the Executive Articles Editor for the Mississippi Law Journal and graduated summa cum laude and second in his class.  Paul also obtained the highest grade in numerous subjects in law school, including Civil Procedure, Federal Jurisdiction, and Constitutional Law.

  • Obtained summary judgment in a lawsuit involving allegations that the plaintiff was improperly classified as an outside salesperson under California law.
  • Successfully defended multiple class actions involving allegations that service technicians performed uncompensated work off the clock.
  • Defended Fortune 150 employer in multi-state collective action brought by call center workers who claimed the company violated Fair Labor Standards Act and various state laws by allegedly requiring them to work off the clock before and after their shifts and during meal breaks.
  • Obtained summary judgment in a class action where employees claimed entitlement to compensation for time spent commuting in an employer-provided vehicle.
  • Defended Mississippi municipality in action involving alleged violations of Fair Housing Act resulting from zoning changes.
  • Successfully moved to compel arbitration in the lawsuit brought by a former employee alleging discrimination.
  • Defended Fortune 50 information technology company in a lawsuit brought by a former employee alleging race discrimination. Obtained summary judgment on all claims.
  • Defended accounting staffing agency in collective action lawsuit alleging violations of Fair Labor Standards Act.  Obtained summary judgment on all claims.
  • Successfully defended individual defendants against whistleblower claims brought under Sarbanes-Oxley Act and False Claims Act.
  • Obtained summary judgment for television station in defamation action brought by current employee.
  • Defended insurance company against injunctive action brought by former agents seeking to compete against former employer in violation of non-compete agreements.
  • Defended food services and facilities management corporation before OSHA and the OALJ against whistleblower claims brought pursuant to Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
  • Regularly represents clients before federal and state administrative agencies in wide range of employment matters, including Title VII, ADEA, ADA and various state law anti-discrimination statutes; Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower claims; Surface Transportation Assistance Act claims; retaliation claims for reporting workplace safety violations; and unemployment compensation matters.
  • Routinely advises companies regarding employment policies and personnel decisions, including employee handbooks, discipline and termination decisions, social media policies, and non-competition agreements.
  • Bury v. Force Protection, Inc., No. 2:09-1708, 2011 WL 2535252 (D.S.C. June 6, 2011) (report and recommendation to grant motion to dismiss claim) (adopted in full at 2011 WL 2550849 (D.S.C. June 27, 2011))
  • Bury v. Force Protection, Inc., No. 2:09-1708, 2011 WL 2929827 (D.S.C. July 19, 2011) (granting motion to dismiss individual defendants in Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower case)
  • Curtis v. Time Warner Entertainment-Advance/Newhouse Partnership, No. 3:12-cv-2370, 2013 WL 2099496 (D.S.C. May 14, 2013)
  • Curtis v. Time Warner Entertainment-Advance/Newhouse Partnership, No. 3:12-cv-2370, 2013 WL 2099496 (D.S.C. May 3, 2013)
  • LSSi Data Corp. v. Time Warner Cable Inc., 892 F. Supp. 2d 489 (S.D.N.Y. 2012) (denying motion for preliminary injunction in action alleging cable company violated Telecommunications Act)
  • Masters v. Time Warner Cable Inc., 920 F. Supp. 2d 766 (W.D. Tex. 2012) (granting motion to compel arbitration)
  • Waldo v. Energizer Holdings, Inc., No. CV410-304, 2011 WL 1770788 (S.D. Ga. May 9, 2011) (granting motion to dismiss discrimination claims)
  • Webb v. International Business Machines Corp., 458 F. App’x 871 (11th Cir. 2012) (affirming order granting summary judgment to employer in discrimination case)