Chad A. Shultz

He has represented management in state and federal court in 29 states during his 20 plus years with FordHarrison. Chad is adept at helping employers prevent employment challenges and solving disputes that do arise through litigation, arbitration and mediation. He is a certified mediator and has served in this capacity to successfully resolve numerous employment law matters. Chad also assists companies by serving as "settlement counsel" on complex or difficult to resolve matters with the sole focus of quickly settling claims before they reach the courtroom (for more information, see Chad's article from ExecutiveCounsel magazine). 

Chad co-authored the book Manage Your Employees or Get Out of the Way: Ten Rules for Preventing Lawsuits, now in its second edition, and developed a manager training program to accompany the book.  Chad has also written and produced other training programs including "Communication & Documentation: The Key to Effective Management" (a complete DVD program utilizing deposition clips), a Harassment Prevention Video Program (in English and Spanish), and a video-taped sexual harassment Mock Trial training program (previews available at www.fhsolutionsgroup.com).

Chad serves as the Secretary on the Executive Board for the Atlanta Legal Aid Society.  He is also a Trustee on the National Board for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and serves on the Board for the A.R. "Gus" Barksdale Boys & Girls Club in Conyers, Georgia.  He serves on the Board of F&H Solutions Group LLC, a human capital consulting company affiliated with FordHarrison.  Additionally, Chad is an Adjunct Professor at Emory Law School teaching an Employment Discrimination Lab class, a position he has held since 2009.

After graduating from law school, Chad clerked with the Federal District Court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  He then earned an advanced degree in litigation (LL.M.) from Emory University Law School before joining FordHarrison in 1989.

Recent Experience

• Obtained summary judgment in California state court in a whistleblower case for a large hospital. 
• Successfully resolved an FLSA collective action on behalf of an international publishing company. 
• Successfully defended several grievances through arbitration for clients in the hospital and airline industries.
• Won a jury trial in an FMLA interference and retaliation case. 
• Won summary judgment for a national transportation company in a sexual harassment case prosecuted by the EEOC.
• Successfully concluded a class action asserting sex discrimination in a failure to hire case.
• Obtained a favorable judgment in an ERISA retaliation case.

Recent Publications

• Manage Your Employees or Get Out of the Way: Ten Rules for Preventing Lawsuits, 2013. 
• "Retaining Separate Settlement Counsel in Employment Litigation," ExecutiveCounsel, April/May, 2011. 

Honors and Awards

• The Best Lawyers in America – Labor & Employment Law
• "Georgia Super Lawyers" – Employment Litigation and "Super Lawyers – Corporate Counsel Edition" by Law & Politics magazine
• AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell