Billy chairs the firm's Labor and Employment Law group. He represents management in all aspects of the employer-employee relationship, including wage and hour litigation, equal employment opportunity, wrongful discharge litigation, enforcement of non-competition agreements, FMLA compliance and ADA Title III litigation.
He practices in both state and federal courts and before the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry and the Virginia Employment Commission.
Experience
· Successfully represented a Health Maintenance organization in a Title VII race discrimination claim in federal court. After a four-day jury trial, the jury found in favor of the employer on all counts.
· Successfully represented an executive formerly employed by a government contractor in a breach of fiduciary duty and breach of non-compete agreement lawsuit in Queen Anne's County, Maryland Circuit Court. After a three-day jury trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the executive on all counts.
· Successfully represented a hospital and one of its managers in an assault and battery claim brought by a former employee. After a three-day jury trial, the jury found in favor of the employer and the manager on all counts.
· Successfully represented several employers in multiple plaintiff collective actions for unpaid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
· Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a publisher in a Title VII gender discrimination lawsuit in Columbus, Ohio federal court.
· Obtained summary judgment in Greensboro, North Carolina federal court on behalf of a national portrait business being sued for disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
· Successfully represented a home security business in a defamation claim by a former employee.
· Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a government contractor in an age discrimination claim by an applicant who had been denied employment.
· Successfully represented a local television station in Norfolk federal court in a breach of contract claim by a former employee.
· Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a hospital in Norfolk federal court in three companion cases alleging race discrimination under Title VII.
· Successfully represented a local municipality in a federal court claim by a former police officer claiming that he was discharged in violation of his First Amendment rights. After a four-day trial, the court found in favor of the municipality.
· Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a regional governmental authority in a lawsuit brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act in federal court.
· Obtained partial summary judgment and then a favorable verdict in federal court on behalf of a Peninsula Sheriff in a wrongful discharge suit by two of the Sheriff's deputies. The two deputies claimed that they were wrongfully discharged because they did not support the Sheriff's candidacy during his re-election campaign.
· Obtained summary judgment in state court on behalf of an international corporation in a lawsuit by a former executive claiming commissions relating to the sale of a business division.
· Enforced a noncompetition agreement in Richmond Circuit Court on behalf of a regional manufacturer. After the Court issued a preliminary injunction enjoining the former employee from soliciting former customers, the former employee agreed to a settlement in which he paid the employer's attorney's fees.
Professional Recognition
Best Lawyers in America, Labor & Employment Law (2003-present)
Virginia's "Legal Elite," Virginia Business magazine (2000-present)
Selected by Super Lawyers magazine in 2006-present
Benchmark Litigation: The Guide to America's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys, Employment Litigation
AV Peer Review Rating by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell
"Top Forty Under 40," Inside Business (1999)
Memberships
American Bar Association: Labor and Employment Law Section
Virginia Bar Association: Labor Relations and Employment Law Committee
Federal Bar Association
Norfolk Portsmouth Bar Association
Hampton Roads Society for Human Resource Management
Leadership
The Norfolk Forum: President
Virginia Bar Association, Labor Relations and Employment Law Section: Council Member
National Multiple Sclerosis Society: Former Chair, Hampton Roads Chapter
Norfolk Civil Service Commission: Former Chair
Hampton Roads Society for Human Resource Management: Former Director/Legal Counsel
Lee's Friends (Cancer Support Agency): Former Director
CIVIC Leadership Institute: Former Director
City of Norfolk: Former Chair, Grievance Panel
University of Virginia Club of Tidewater: Former President
Regional Jefferson Scholars Selection Committee, University of Virginia: Former Chair
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