Christopher P. Butler

Chris Butler provides proactive counseling and legal advice to employers on a broad range of human resources and labor and employment matters. Chris frequently defends employers on allegations of age, race, national origin, disability, and sex discrimination; sexual and racial harassment; retaliation; negligent supervision and retention; and breach of contract. Chris also routinely counsels clients on workers' compensation; general liability; the FLSA, the FMLA, and the WARN Act; employee handbooks; drug testing; misappropriation of trade secrets; noncompetition agreements; and government contracts.

Chris is admitted to practice before the state courts of Georgia and Tennessee, as well as various federal district and appellate courts across the country. He is a member of the Georgia, Tennessee, American (Litigation/Labor and Employment Sections), and Atlanta Bar Associations. Chris is also a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the Midtown Atlanta Rotary Club, and the Atlanta Jaycees (JCI-Atlanta). He is a past board member of the Atlanta Bar Association - Labor and Employment Section (2008-2009).

Chris is co-editor of the Georgia Employment Law Letter and editor of the "Discipline and Discharge" chapter of Ford & Harrison's annual Sourcebook. During law school, Chris was research editor of the Law and Psychology Review and studied European Union law at the University of Freibourg in Switzerland. After graduating from law school, Chris practiced in Chattanooga, whereby he was named Young Lawyer of the Year (2000), and served as Secretary/Treasurer of the Chattanooga Bar Association (YLD) and District Representative for the Tennessee Bar Associations (YLD).

Recent Experience

• Recently, Chris successfully defended a housing authority and its individual board members in a reverse-race discrimination and retaliation case on appeal before the Eleventh Circuit.

Recent Publications

• "How a Manager Can Be Responsible for Discrimination Without Any Discriminatory Motive," Labor & Employment Law News, Atlanta Bar Association, Spring 2009

• "Are Undocumented Workers Entitled to Workers' Compensation Benefits? – An Examination of Recent National Trends," In-House Defense Quarterly, Spring 2008