Calvin Garner Sanford

Garner Sanford represents large and small employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, including employment discrimination matters, overtime compliance and other wage and hours matters, employment agreements, union avoidance, collective bargaining, and employment policy development and administration.

A sample of the statutes Mr. Sanford works with on a regular basis include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the National Labor Relations Act, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

Garner represents employers in state and federal courts and before the various administrative agencies that oversee labor and employment matters, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board, and various state agencies.

Garner has a wide range of litigation experience on behalf of employers, including the defense of FLSA actions for overtime or off-the-clock work, defending single and multi-plaintiff employment discrimination cases, harassment cases, enforcing non-competition agreements, defending contract claims brought by employees, defending unfair labor practice charges, labor arbitrations, and employment-related tort cases.

Garner also dedicates a significant portion of his practice to training and counseling employers on ways to avoid or minimize labor and employment liability exposure before a formal claim arises.

In this regard, Garner routinely partners with clients to evaluate significant employment decisions as they are being considered. In addition, Garner frequently drafts and reviews employment policies, contracts, severance agreements, and other employment documentation to meet his clients’ needs while complying with applicable law.

Education:

• J.D., magna cum laude, Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, 1988
• B.S., cum laude, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1984

Admitted to Practice:

• Georgia
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits
• U.S. District Court, Middle, Northern and Southern Districts of Georgia

Experience:

• Numerous federal court employment discrimination cases
• Defense of state court claims, including assault, battery, wrongful discharge, defamation, invasion of privacy, restrictive covenant and trade secret cases
• Wage and hour compliance audits and provides counsel on FLSA compliance
• Audits and counseling on employment policies and practices
• Advises businesses with union contracts, including downsizing, outsourcing, workplace restructuring, successorship, and other collective bargaining compliance issues
• NLRB investigations and related litigation
• Union representation campaigns and decertifications

Professional Activities:

• Georgia State Bar Association (Labor & Employment Law Section)
• Atlanta Bar Association
• Virginia State Bar
• Cobb County Chamber of Commerce