Charles Powell

Charles A. Powell has represented employers throughout the Southeast against employment discrimination and harassment, non-competition and wage and hour litigation lawsuits for more than 23 years. He has a strong record of successfully defending employers against various employment and labor law claims, including:

• A retail chain in a jury trial involving allegations of  sexual harassment and state law tort claims
• A hospital in a jury trial over claims of racially discriminatory promotion, discharge and retaliation
• A manufacturing client in a discriminatory discharge jury trial
• A hotel and restaurant in a trial involving allegations of disability discrimination

He also successfully defeated class certification efforts in a racial harassment case filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and has experience litigating wage and hour collective claims involving misclassification and off-the-clock issues.

Additionally, Charles offers counseling on compliance with federal and state labor and employment laws to numerous types of employers, ranging from small businesses to publicly held companies.

Education :

• J.D., University of Alabama School of Law, 1992
• M.P.A., University of Alabama, 1989
• B.A., Vanderbilt University, 1987

Courts :

• U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida

Professional & Community Affiliations :

• Member, Labor and Employment Law Section, American Bar Association
• Member, Equal Employment Opportunity Committee, American Bar Association
• Member, Railway and Airline Labor Law Committee, American Bar Association
• Member, Employer Council, American Bar Association, 2009-2015
• Founding board member, Create Birmingham
• Former chair, McWane Science Center