About Eric

Eric specializes in all areas of complex litigation and trial work. He has broad experience both from working as lead trial counsel in many high profile cases and as in-house chief litigation counsel for the U.S. subsidiary of a Fortune 20 financial services company. His practice focuses on defense in all aspects of employment, banking, housing, insurance and financial services litigation, with a primary concentration on defense of class actions and individual lawsuits in federal and state courts, and training to avoid litigation, all while fulfilling customer privacy obligations. Eric also provides advice to clients on their practices and procedures related to mortgage servicing, mortgage insurance, employment, life insurance, annuity and mutual fund sales, affirmative action, fair housing, consumer lending and debt collection.

Professional and Civic Involvement

  • Guest Lecturer on Fair Lending Issues with George Benston at The Goizueta Business School at Emory University
  • American Bar Association
  • State Bar of Georgia
  • Atlanta Bar Association
  • Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation
  • Literacy Volunteers of Atlanta
  • Special Olympics Georgia
  • Bleckley Inn of Court, Barrister 1998-1999
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Honors

  • Barrister, Bleckley Inn of Court (1998-1999)
  • Selected as a Georgia Super Lawyer by Law & Politics Media and Atlanta Magazine (as outside counsel in 2004 and in-house counsel 2006)

Representative Engagements

  • As In-House Counsel:
  • Managerial responsibility for approximately 350 active litigation files. This litigation ran the gamut from employment matters to complex securities litigation to class action consumer cases.
  • Developed significant legal subject matter expertise with Life Insurance, Retail Annuities, Mutual Funds, Re-insurance, Employee Benefits and Retirement Service/Defined Contribution Plans.
  • Particular focus on class action litigation, complex regulatory investigations and consumer litigation.
  • As Outside Counsel:
  • Managed engagement with several mortgage servicers on all mortgage insurance dispute issues.
  • Representation of defendants in a wide variety of employment and consumer claims involving race and gender discrimination, including jury trial and arbitration experience.
  • Extensive experience with cases involving statistical analyses and complex decision modeling, including class claims of employment discrimination and discriminatory loan and insurance pricing.
  • Representation of defendants in complex litigation, including more than 30 class actions; co-trial counsel in successful defense of Title VII class action against the State of California and its teacher licensing examination.
  • Experience as lead attorney in numerous trials (both jury and bench) arbitrations and mediations.
  • Counseling of clients in litigation avoidance, "Best Practices," and compliance issues.
  • Experience in federal and state regulatory investigations and enforcement actions concerning lending and housing discrimination issues and fair trade practice concerns.
  • Substantive litigation experience with lending, house and employment discrimination, securities, telecommunications, public utilities, investment partnerships, and health care issues.
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Publications and Presentations

  • Speaker, "Defending Broker-Dealer Arbitration: Electronic Discovery Do's and Don'ts" Broker-Dealer/Investment Advisor Symposium, May 5, 2009
  • Speaker - Managing the Big Picture: Multiple Problems, Claims and Proceedings (with in-house counsel under fire); part of the Corporate and Business Organization Litigation Seminar, Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, November 16, 2007
  • Speaker, Author, Moderator - "Employment Litigation and the Fundamentals of Electronic Discovery in Employment Class Actions" Employment Law Strategies Forum, San Francisco Renaissance Parc, November 4, 2004
  • Speaker, Author - "Employment Class Action Lawsuits: Preparation and Avoidance - A "Check-Up" For Your Organization In Today's Legal Environment," Georgia Hospital Association, January 13, 2003
  • Speaker, Author, Moderator - Current Lending Compliance Issues, "Defending Lending Class Actions/Complex Litigation," Georgia Bankers' Association, Atlanta, Georgia, August 28, 2003
  • Speaker, Author - "Use of Statistics in Class Actions: Making It All Add Up," Georgia Bar Association, 2002
  • Panel participant - "Fair Lending Enforcement Actions," Texas Bankers Association, 1999
  • Speaker, Author - "Alternative Dispute Resolution: Issues and Answers," American Cement Institute 1998
  • Speaker, Author - "Matters of Life and Debt: Defending Credit Card Lawsuits," International Economic Research Council, 1997
  • Speaker, Author - "The Price is Wrong? Defending Lending Discrimination Lawsuit," Consumer Bankers Association's Fair Lending Forum, 1997
  • Speaker, Author - "Defending Fair Lending Class Action Lawsuits," Consumer Financial Services Committee of the ABA, 1996
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