Nichole Hair focuses her practice on defending companies and individuals in civil tort litigation, primarily medical malpractice and employment law, as well as specializing as outside counsel for the hospitality industry. She is also an active part of the National Trial Counsel team. Nichole has been recognized as a Georgia Rising Star and Georgia Super Laywer by Super Lawyers, and she is a former Magistrate Judge for Cobb County.
In the health care realm, Nichole has defended her clients against a broad range of claims including professional and simple negligence, fraud, battery, HIPAA and invasion of privacy violations, contractual disputes, and licensing issues. Nichole has represented health care providers, including Fortune 500 corporations, from pre-suit investigation through trial and appeal, as well as assisting clients in other legal matters such as HIPAA compliance and medical board investigations. She is an experienced litigator and has tried cases to verdict in both federal and state courts.
In employment matters, Nichole represents companies and organizations of all sizes, counseling them with regards to employment issues and defending them in EEOC matters and litigation. Nichole counsels clients on a broad range of employment issues, including Title VII, FLSA, FMLA, ADEA, and ADA. Nichole helps employees navigate the tricky interplay between FMLA leave and the ADA as well as crafting and enforcing employment policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the federal and state laws. Nichole has drafted non-compete and non-solicitation agreements on behalf of her clients and has filed actions to enforce the same. Nichole also has extensive knowledge in litigation prevention through on-site investigations, discrimination and harassment training for managers and employees, and drafting proper policies and procedures for the organization.
Prior to joining Hall Booth Smith, Nichole served as a lead research specialist for the Cardiology Department at Emory University’s School of Medicine where her research focused on vascular inflammatory responses as they pertain to the development of atherosclerosis, angiogenesis, and hypertensive vascular disease. Nichole has also participated in extensive research for Na+ receptors studying the physiological systems involved with the regulation of salts, water, and pH in aquatic organisms.
Nichole received her Juris Doctor with honors from the Georgia State University School of Law, where she was on the Law Review Board as well as Moot Court. Nichole was recognized for her commitment to pro bono work and was nominated as Employment Law Student Scholar of the Year by the Atlanta Bar Association. Nichole obtained her undergraduate degree from Georgia Southern University, majoring in Biology with an emphasis in Molecular Biology, where she was a Bell Honors Scholar and a President’s Scholarship Recipient.
Experience
Aging Services
Nichole represents both long-term care and residential care facilities, physician groups, and insurers in liability, regulatory, and insurance coverage issues. She has defended nursing homes in cases ranging from negligent care, decubitus ulcers, injuries to residents resulting from bed transfers and slip and falls, and cases alleging resident abuse and neglect, among others.
General Liability
Nichole has experience in litigating many different types of civil litigation, including numerous general liability claims. She has represented business owners, hospitals, retail stores, restaurants, homeowners, and other owners and occupiers of land in different types of premises liability actions where injuries ranged from the soft tissue injury to the more significant cases of neurologic impairment.
Medical Malpractice
Nichole concentrates her professional negligence practice on the defense of hospital entities, private practice physicians, and health care systems in Georgia, undertaking the representation of both hospitals and physicians, nurses, and other licensed personnel in medical malpractice litigation. Her experience includes defending clients in claims of alleged negligent care and treatment, negligent misdiagnosis, lack of consent, and wrongful death from the claim stage through resolution.
Products Liability
Nichole concentrates her product liability practice on the defense of pharmaceuticals and medical device companies. She helps her clients prepare for and minimize risks and also defends them against claims of personal injury or property damage.
Recognition
•The Best Lawyers in America , Best Lawyers, 2026
•Awarded in: Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
•Georgia Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2014-2017
Publications
•Legislative History of SB 5229: Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act
Georgia State University Law Review, 2007
In the Press
Daily Report: Nichole Hair on How the Pandemic Has Created a Shift in Client Communications
November 16, 2022
The Daily Report recently reported on a trend of rising client expectations for both law firms and in-house legal departments. According to a report cited in the article, rising client expectations are forcing law firms to embark on measures to control compensation expenses, with many law firms expected to hold budgets flat in 2023 -
