Deborah Sudbury

Deborah A. Sudbury has represented employers for more than 30 years in a wide range of labor and employment-related matters, including more than 30 high-stakes class actions and more than 40 sensitive executive or Board-level investigations. She is the administrative partner and leader of the Labor & Employment Practice in the Atlanta Office.

Deb is currently representing a large transportation company in a class gender discrimination matter and a food product company in nationwide wage-hour litigation. She also recently represented a national retailer in wage-hour litigation and defended an international manufacturer against high-stakes class race charges.

She also defended several large defense contractors in defeating class certification in a race case and helped a Fortune 50 company craft a statistical strategy to defeat an age discrimination class. Deb has worked with labor economists and other experts to develop legal strategies that have led to the defeat of class certifications. She has extensive jury and bench trial experience in both federal and state courts.

Deb is regularly recognized as a leading labor and employment lawyer. She is a frequent speaker on employment law and class action topics and authored a book on plant closing laws and articles on employment law issues.

Deb has been and continues to be active in a wide variety of local civic and charitable organizations, including National Black Arts Festival, Leadership Atlanta, Communities in Schools, the Woodruff Arts Center, the Atlanta College of Art, the Hambidge Center, and the Atlanta International School.

EDUCATION:

• Georgetown University (J.D. cum laude 1984);
• Illinois State University (B.A. with highest honors 1981)

BAR ADMISSIONS : California, Illinois, and Georgia

EXPERIENCE:

• Major university undergoes internal investigation involving graduate business school student selectivity data
• Dick’s Sporting Goods prevails on preemptive motion to deny class certification in nationwide off-the-clock case
• IBM defends against putative nationwide age discrimination class action arising out of reductions-in-force
• Large retailer resolves sensitive racial discrimination matter with confidential investigation
• Insurance company defends against class action claims of race discrimination
• Private corporation defends against EEOC investigation of discrimination allegations
• Defense contractor undergoes internal investigation of upper management
• Westinghouse successfully defeats class certification in race discrimination action.