Erica Mason serves as regional and national employment counsel to large and medium-sized companies throughout the United States, primarily in the hospitality, retail and manufacturing sectors, as well as hospitals and physician's groups. Ms. Mason defends clients from claims of alleged racial, age, national origin, disability and religious discrimination, harassment and/or retaliation; testing and public accommodations; wage and hour disputes; and restrictive covenants disputes brought under state and federal law. She has extensive experience successfully defending enforcement actions brought by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleging single-plaintiff or pattern-and-practice violations of federal anti-discrimination laws, as well as private Rule 23 class actions and Section 216(b) collective-actions brought under Title VII, ADEA, ADA, Equal Pay Act and the FLSA, and lawsuits brought against franchisors and professional employer organizations (PEOs) under a "joint employer" or "integrated enterprise" theory of liability.
In addition to assisting clients in litigation, Ms. Mason also advises employers on litigation avoidance techniques and compliance issues, including drafting and implementing employment policies, processes and training; advising on single-employee or large scale terminations, and implementing and assessing risk related to reductions-in-force; conducting internal investigations into alleged unethical or unlawful conduct; comprehensive employment practices audits; and drafting employment contracts, confidentiality and restrictive covenant agreements. Ms. Mason also trains clients on EEO, diversity and inclusion, implicit bias, respectful workplace norms, leadership skills training and a number of other employment-related issues.
- Recipient, Hispanic National Bar Association "Top Lawyers Under 40 Award" (2016)
- Recipient, Georgia Super Lawyer "Rising Star in Labor and Employment Defense" (awarded to less than 5% of attorneys in Georgia), (2010 - 2014, 2016)
- Recipient, Barry W. Ford Diversity Award (2014)
- Listed, "Georgia Legal Elite in Labor & Employment Law," Georgia Trend magazine (2012)
- Included on "40 Under 40: Georgia's Best & Brightest" list - Awarded to 40 outstanding Georgians under the age of 40 who have made a mark in business, government, politics, nonprofits, the arts, finance and the military, Georgia Trend magazine (2012)
- Recipient, Phenomenal Women's Health, Inc.'s 2012 Community Service Award
- Featured in Fulton County Daily Report's "New Partners Edition" (2012)
- Appointed by MCCA to serve on the MCCA/ABA Bias Interrupters Working Group (2016-2017), comprised of influential law firm and in-house lawyers with a demonstrated commitment to diversity and women’s advancement, and whose goal is to develop best-practice
- Appointed ABA President-Elect Linda Klein to serve on the ABA’s Standing Committee on the American Judicial System, Subcommittee on Federal Courts, which acts as a clearinghouse for all ABA activities related to the preservation and improvement of the Ame
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
