A. Craig Cleland Shareholder Atlanta 404-870-1718 craig.cleland@ogletreedeakins.com Craig Cleland defends employers in litigation including class and collective actions and counsels them in risk management and compliance. He is the former Chair and Co-Chair of the Firm s Class Action Practice Group. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgia State University College of Law, where he teaches Complex Litigation. Craig is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers as well as a Fellow of the Trial Lawyer Honorary Society of the Litigation Counsel of America. He has been recognized as a BTI Client Service All-Star twice one of a small number of employment lawyers in the U.S. who combine exceptional legal expertise with practical advice, business savvy and creative, effective solutions. In 2014, Craig was selected as Best Lawyers in America 2014 Atlanta Litigation Labor & Employment Lawyer of the Year. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America, Atlanta Super Lawyers (Top 100 Georgia Lawyers), Chambers USA s Leading Business Lawyers, and Georgia Trend Legal Elite. In addition to defending employers in litigation, Craig serves as a mediator or as settlement counsel in complex or difficult cases, and he is a graduate of the Harvard Law School Mediation Program. Also, Craig is a contributor to Black s Law Dictionary, Garner s Modern American Usage, Lindemann & Grossman s Employment Discrimination Law, and Kearns s Fair Labor Standards Act. During law school, Craig was the Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and Best Oralist in the McKenzie- McPhail Moot Court Competition. After graduating in 1992, he clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Marvin H. Shoob in Atlanta for two years. He then practiced at Paul Hastings LLP including one year as Senior Employment Counsel at Georgia-Pacific Corp. from 1994 to 2002, when he joined Ogletree Deakins, where he has practiced since. Before law school, he was a lay chaplain, teacher, and coach at The Lovett School in Atlanta for six years. Craig has served on several Atlanta nonprofit boards, including as chair. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. Admitted to Practice Georgia U.S. District Court, Middle, Northern and Southern Districts of Georgia U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth, Sixth, Eighth, and Eleventh Circuits U.S. Supreme Court Georgia Supreme Court Georgia Court of Appeals Georgia Superior Court
Education J.D., cum laude, Georgia State University, 1992 S.T.M., with honors, Yale University, 1983 M. Div., with honors, Vanderbilt University, 1981 (Folkerth Scholar) B.A., cum laude, Valdosta State University, 1978
Honors and Awards Fellow, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers Fellow, Trial Lawyer Honorary Society, Litigation Counsel of America Best Lawyers in America 2014 Atlanta Litigation Labor & Employment Lawyer of the Year (peer selected) Best Lawyers in America (2007 to present) Atlanta Magazine Super Lawyers Top 100 Georgia Lawyers BTI Consulting Client Service All-Star, 2013 and 2010 Regularly listed in Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA Leading Business Lawyers, Atlanta Magazine Super Lawyers, and Georgia Trend Legal Elite Martindale AV Preeminent Rating Practice and Industry Groups Class Action Employment Law Healthcare Higher Education Hospitality Litigation Experience Successfully defended numerous Fortune and other companies in a wide range of industries in high-stakes litigation in federal and state courts around the country. Defeated class certification and obtained decertification in employment-discrimination, wage-and-hour, ERISA/benefits, Fair Credit Reporting Act, RICO, and other employment-related
litigation. Negotiated and obtained approval of favorable settlements in class- and collective-actions and other cases. Served as lead trial counsel in multiple single-plaintiff cases and arbitrations and in a class action. Successfully represented employers in federal and state appellate courts. Professional Activities and Speeches Professional Activities: Atlanta Bar Association (Board Member, Labor & Employment Section) Atlanta Legal Aid Society (Advisory Committee) American, State of Georgia, and Atlanta Bar Associations Federal Bar Association American Employment Law Counsel Care & Counseling Centers of Georgia (Past Board Chair) All Saints Episcopal Church (Past Vestry Member) Speeches: The Seminar Group, 11th Annual Labor & Employment Conference - ''Ethical Issues in Employment Law'' - Atlanta - October 2014 Strafford CLE Webinar - ''Offers of Judgment in Employment Litigation After Genesis'' - September 2014 - December 2014 American Conference Institute Employment Discrimination Litigation Conference (moderator) - ''Federal District Court Judges Panel'' - New York City - May 2014 Association of Corporate Counsel (Georgia Chapter) - ''Update on Class Actions'' - Atlanta - May 2014 American Conference Institute 18th Annual National Forum on Wage Hour Claims and Class Actions (Moderator) - ''Federal District Court Judges Panel'' - New York City - May 2014 State Bar of Georgia 43rd Annual Labor and Employment Law Institute - ''Recent Developments in Class Action Litigation'' - Atlanta - December 2013 Strafford CLE Webinar - ''Challenging Certification in Employment Class Claims: Leveraging Dukes and Comcast'' - November 2013 The Seminar Group 10th Annual Labor & Employment Conference - ''Ethical Issues in Employment Law'' - Atlanta - October 2013 American Conference Institute 19th Annual National Form on Wage Hour Claims and Class Actions - ''Latest Trends in Mediation and Settlements'' - San Francisco - September 2013 Strafford CLE Webinar - ''Offers of Judgment in Employment Litigation After Genesis'' - September 2013
The Seminar Group 9th Annual Labor & Employment Conference - ''Ethical Issues in Employment Law'' - Atlanta - October 2012 American Conference Institute 16th Annual National Forum on Wage Hour Claims and Class Actions - ''Mediation and Settlement of Wage & Hour Claims The Latest Use of ADR to Resolve Claims and Avoid Costly Litigation'' - San Francisco - October 2012 American Conference Institute 15th Annual National Forum on Wage Hour Claims and Class Actions - ''Settlement and Mediation of Wage and Hour Cases'' - New York City - May 2012 Harvard Club ALM In-House Counsel Labor and Employment Law Forum - ''Employment Discrimination and Statistics: Hot Topics & Trends'' - New York City - March 2012 ABA Section of Labor & Employment National Conference on EEO Law - ''Does the Cat[ s Paw] Have Any More Lives?'' - San Francisco - March 2012 Atlanta Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Advanced Employment Law Seminar - ''Practical Issues Around Termination'' - Atlanta - March 2012 Stafford CLE webinar - ''Wage-and-Hour Class and Collective Action Settlement Strategies'' - February 2012 National Asian Pacific American Bar Association - ''Dukes v. Wal-Mart - The Impact on Class Action and Employment Litigation'' - Atlanta - November 2011 American Conference Institute - ''Wage-and-Hour Class Actions (Moderator for In-House Counsel Panel)'' - San Francisco - September 2011 American Conference Institute - ''Class and Collective Action Settlement Making the Decision, Calculating Damages, and Assessing Settlement Structure and Administration'' - New York - May 2011 Stafford CLE webinar - ''Wage-and-Hour Class and Collective Action Settlement Strategies'' - March 2011 American Conference Institute - ''Ensuring Ethical Conduct in Managing, Litigating, and Settling Class and Collective Actions'' - New York - January 2011 Strafford, CLE Webinar - ''FLSA Collective Action Litigation Strategies'' - October 2010 The Seminar Group - ''Retaliation Update'' - October 2010 Ogletree Deakins Immigration Seminar - ''Employment Issues for Expats'' - Atlanta - September 2010 Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar - ''Class and Collective Actions Recent Developments'' - Las Vegas - May 2010 American Conference Institute - ''Settlement Considerations in Wage-and-Hour Class and Collective Actions'' - New York - May 2010 Strafford, CLE Webinar - ''Wage and Hour Collective and Class Actions: The Continuing Litigation Threat'' - March 2010 American Conference Institute, EPLI Conference - ''Staying Ahead of the Curve in Wage & Hour Litigation'' - New York - January 2010
Our Insights Supreme Court Weighs In On FLSA Class Action Issues April 17, 2013 Media Media Quotes 2014 - BNA (contributor) - ''The Fair Labor Standards Act - Litigation and Collective Actions'' December 2013 - Atlanta Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Newsletter - ''Mediation-Q&A with Employees' Counsel Ed Buckley and Employers' Counsel Craig Cleland'' June 2013 - Practical Law Journal - ''GC Agenda'' 2012 - Employment Discrimination Law (Chapter Editor) - ''Reverse Discrimination And Affirmative Action (5th ed. 2012 & First and Second Supps.)'' December 2011 - January 2012 - Practical Law Journal - ''GC Agenda'' June 22, 2011 - BLR HR Daily Advisor - ''What Does the Wal-Mart Decision Mean for Your Organization?'' July 26, 2010 - Atlanta Business Chronicle - ''Wage and Compensation Claim Filings Surge'' May 01, 2010 - Corporate Counsel Magazine - ''What's Next'' April 01, 2010 - Law 360 - ''The Quickest Route to Defeating Class Certification'' Spring 2010 - Corporate Counsel - ''What's Next-Labor & Employment'' February 23, 2010 - Law 360 - ''Plaintiffs' Tactics Expose CAFA's Gray Areas'' 2009 - West Publishing Co. - ''Black's Law Dictionary (9th edition), contributor'' 2009 - Oxford University Press (Critical Reader) - ''Garner's Modern American Usage (3d ed.)'' Published Works 2014 - ''The Fair Labor Standards Act - Litigation and Collective Actions'' - BNA (contributor) 2012 - ''Reverse Discrimination And Affirmative Action (5th ed. 2012 & First and Second Supps.)'' - Employment Discrimination Law (Chapter Editor) 2009 - ''Black's Law Dictionary (9th edition), contributor'' - West Publishing Co. 2009 - ''Garner's Modern American Usage (3d ed.)'' - Oxford University Press (Critical Reader)