FordHarrison LLP, one of the country’s largest management-side labor and employment law firms, is pleased to announce that Frank L. Day, Jr., Memphis, TN; Russell W. Jackson, Memphis, TN; Patrick L. Ryan, Atlanta, GA; Jacquelyn L. Thompson, Washington, D.C.; and Rachel Ziolkowski Ullrich, Dallas, TX have been named partners in the firm effective January 1, 2019.
“Every attorney in this group has been a major contributor to the success of the firm and has earned this promotion through hard work. We take pride in the diversity of this partner class, and recognize that there is always more work to be done to build a more inclusive and diverse partnership. We are excited to see what this new generation of FordHarrison partners will achieve,” said Al McKenna, Managing Partner of FordHarrison.
Frank Day devotes his practice to helping clients accomplish business objectives through employment law litigation and counseling. He has successfully represented national retailers, health care providers, and various other public and private employers in matters arising under Title VII, the ADA, FMLA, ADEA, USERRA, and numerous other federal and state statutes. He has extensive litigation experience in many different forums, and has helped many clients prevail on summary judgment and at trial. Frank frequently serves as a faculty member at employment law seminars, and he has published articles in the ABA Employment Law Newsletter, the Tennessee Bar Journal, and the University of Memphis Law Review. For more on Frank, visit: https://www.fordharrison.com/FrankDay.
Russell Jackson represents management in employment-related matters on federal, state, and local levels. Russell’s representation includes claims relating to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, restrictive covenants, wage and hour violations, unemployment compensation, and other aspects of the employee-employer relationship under federal and state employment laws including Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, NLRA and the OSH Act. He also works closely with employers to ensure compliance with complex laws governing the employment relationship. Russell is known for his extreme responsiveness, aggressive strategy and creative problem-solving techniques when defending clients in lawsuits and assisting clients in resolving day-to-day employment issues. He has successfully defended clients in federal and state courts against claims of race discrimination, race harassment, sex discrimination, sexual harassment, disability discrimination, age discrimination, national origin discrimination, retaliation as well as various state law claims. For more on Russell, visit: https://www.fordharrison.com/RussellJackson.
Pat Ryan is a member of the firm’s wage and hour practice group and concentrates his practice on class action litigation, arbitration, counseling, and government investigations. Pat has extensive experience in handling litigation brought under the FLSA and state wage and hour laws and regulations. He has litigated a wide-array of employment matters, from single plaintiff actions to nationwide class and collective action cases with more than 1,800 opt-in plaintiffs. Pat also represents employers in wage and hour investigations brought by the U.S. Department of Labor, including conducting internal investigations, defending “on-site” visits, and advising clients on effective resolution. Additionally, Pat advises employers to ensure proactive compliance with federal and state law. He’s conducted numerous wage and hour audits, including exemption, independent contractor, pay practice and time keeping reviews, for clients in various industries—such as technology, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, education, construction, and healthcare. Pat also advises clients on background check policies under the FCRA and applicable state law, as well as defending employers against discrimination and retaliation claims brought under Title VII. For more on Pat, visit: https://www.fordharrison.com/PatRyan.
Jacki Thompson guides clients through all facets of traditional labor law, including collective bargaining negotiations, unfair labor practice cases before the NLRB, advising on legal issues related to unionization, and picketing. As a member of the firm's Airline Group, she assists airline and airline carrier service providers in grievance resolution matters, including grievance arbitrations and mediation. Jacki has also negotiated collective bargaining agreements under the RLA and has represented management in union representation matters before the NMB. She also defends employers in employment litigation before the EEOC, various state agencies, and in state and federal courts against a variety of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation cases. In addition, Jacki counsels employers on employee terminations, how to avoid/resolve labor and employment disputes and litigation, and Title VII, FMLA, FLSA, and ADA compliance. For more on Jacki, visit: https://www.fordharrison.com/JacquelynThompson.
Rachel Ziolkowski Ullrich is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Rachel represents employers in all areas of labor and employment law, including jury trials, arbitrations and a variety of administrative hearings (EEOC, Texas Workforce Commission, DOL, and other state and federal agencies). She is a litigator who has significant trial experience in state and federal court. Rachel also provides training and counseling services to clients in all areas of labor and employment law including employee discipline and terminations, medical leave and workplace accommodation issues, wage and hour issues, policy creation and implementation and labor relation issues. Rachel routinely advises clients on the creation and enforcement of restrictive covenants such as non-disclosure, non-solicitation and non-competition agreements, including obtaining temporary restraining orders and temporary/preliminary injunctions to prevent departing employees or competitors from violating restrictive covenants or using clients’ trade secrets. She also defends companies unfairly accused of trade secrets misappropriation and related claims. Rachel has represented companies in a wide range of industries including retail, hospitality, oil & gas, automobile dealerships, assisted living, printing, insurance, manufacturing, aviation, technology and non-profit. For more on Rachel, visit: https://www.fordharrison.com/RachelUllrich.