Rich is General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at ACS Solutions. In this role, he oversees the legal affairs of the company and is responsible for a wide range of legal issues that relate to the company’s activities and operations, including employment matters, contract review and negotiation, litigation, and compliance. He is also responsible for the management and oversight of ACS Solutions' outside legal service providers. Relying on over 20 years of experience practicing law, Rich focuses on delivering the highest quality legal services to the business’s internal clients, acting as a business partner who happens to have legal expertise.
Practice areas
| State | Status | Acquired | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| GA | Active Member in Good Standing | 1995 | 12/19/2021 |
| Legal answers | 0 |
| Legal guides | 0 |
| Award name | Grantor | Date Granted |
|---|---|---|
| America's Most Honored Lawyers | American Registry | 2021 |
| America's Most Honored Lawyers | American Registry | 2020 |
| Rated AV-Preeminent for 15 Years | Martindale-Hubbell | 2019 |
| Key Leader Award | ACS Solutions | 2017 |
| America's Most Honored Professionals | American Registry | 2016 |
| Super Lawyer | Super Lawyers Magazine | 2015 |
| Georgia's Top Rated Lawyers | Wall Street Journal, Atlanta-Journal Constitution | 2015 |
| Best Lawyers in America -- Employment Law, Management | U.S. News & World Report | 2015 |
| Best Lawyers in America -- Employment Law, Management | U.S. News & World Report | 2014 |
| Georgia's Top Rated Lawyers | Wall Street Journal, Atlanta-Journal Constitution | 2014 |
| Georgia's Top Rated Lawyers | Wall Street Journal, Atlanta-Journal Constitution | 2013 |
| Best Lawyers in America -- Employment Law, Management | U.S. News & World Report | 2013 |
| Global Awards 2012 Winner - Unfair Competition Law, Georgia | Corporate INTL | 2012 |
| Georgia's Top Rated Lawyers | Wall Street Journal, Atlanta-Journal Constitution | 2012 |
| Rising Star | Super Lawyers | 2010 |
| Rising Star | Super Lawyers | 2009 |
| Rising Star | 2006 | |
| Rising Star | 2005 | |
| AV-Peer Review Rated | Martindale-Hubbell | 2004 |
| Order of the Coif | 1995 |
| Title | Company name | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| General Counsel | ACS Solutions | 2015 - Present |
| Partner | Elarbee Thompson | 2004 - 2015 |
| Associate | Elarbee Thompson | 1997 - 2004 |
| Law Clerk to the Hon. Gerrilyn G. Brill | U.S. District Court, N.D. Ga. | 1995 - 1997 |
| Association name | Position name | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas More Society | Member | 2006 - Present |
| Federal Bar Association | Member | 1998 - Present |
| State Bar of Georgia | Member | 1995 - Present |
| Emory College Alumni Board | Executive Board Member | 2013 - 2015 |
| Emory College Alumni Board | Board Member | 2012 - 2013 |
| Emory Annual Giving Board | Board Member | 2009 - 2012 |
| Arbor Montessori Board of Trustees | Board Member | 2005 - 2009 |
| Lawyers Club of Atlanta | Member | 2000 - 2007 |
| Publication name | Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| HireGenics White Paper | Co-Employment Risk in the Age of Direct Sourcing | 2021 |
| ACS Connect | COVID-19 and the Workplace | 2020 |
| ACS Solutions Ethics and Compliance Week | Minimize Cyber Security Risks When Working Remotely | 2020 |
| ACS Solutions Ethics and Compliance Week | Keeping Employees Safe and Productive During the Pandemic | 2020 |
| ACS Solutions Ethics and Compliance Week | Be Committed to Employees' Mental Health | 2020 |
| ACS Solutions Ethics and Compliance Week | Our Commitment to Racial Justice | 2020 |
| ACS Solutions Ethics and Compliance Week | Preventing Unlawful Harassment | 2019 |
| ACS Solutions Ethics and Compliance Week | Living our Core Values | 2019 |
| ACS Ethics and Compliance Week | Code of Conduct and Business Ethics | 2019 |
| ACS Connect | Preventing Workplace Violence | 2018 |
| ACS Connect | Responding to Data Breaches | 2018 |
| ACS Connect | Win in the Workplace: Respect | 2018 |
| ACS Connect | Be a Servant Leader | 2017 |
| ACS Connect | What is the Attorney-Client Privilege | 2017 |
| Elarbee Thompson Elert | Non-Compete Agreements for Entry-Level Employees? | 2015 |
| Plastic Surgery Practice | In Defense of Your Practice: 8 Ways to Defend Your Practice Against Unfair Competition | 2014 |
| Elarbee Thompson Elert | Don’t Be a Victim of Economic Espionage | 2014 |
| Atlanta Injury Law Blog | When Do Social Media Posts Violate Employees’ Non-Solicitation Provisions? | 2014 |
| Elarbee Thompson White Paper | Attracting Patients by Proactively Managing Your Online Reputation | 2014 |
| Elarbee Thompson Elert | Uncovering the Identity of Anonymous Internet Posters | 2014 |
| Quoted in Plastic Surgery Practice | Dispatches from the Review Wars | 2014 |
| Quoted in Plastic Surgery Practice | Dispatches from the Review Wars: Part II | 2014 |
| Aesthetic Surgery Journal | Manage Your Online Reputation -- or Someone Else Will | 2012 |
| GDA Action | Social Media and the Dental Practice | 2011 |
| Restaurant Startup and Growth Magazine | Hurt on the Job: What Restaurant Owners Should Understand About Workers' Compensation | 2010 |
| Emory Lawyer Magazine | Paying it Forward Through Mentoring | 2010 |
| Restaurant Startup and Growth Magazine | The 'Slacker's Protection Act'? Combating FMLA Abuse in the Independent Restaurant | 2008 |
| Worklaw® Network-Sponsored ACC Info-Pak: General Counsel's Summary of Employment Law in the 50 States | Asserting and Overcoming Non-Compete Agreements Across the States and in Canada | 2007 |
| Legal Briefing | Take Steps to Prevent Teenage Harassment | 2007 |
| Service First | Dramatic Reduction in Labor Costs Cause for Celebration? | 2007 |
| Restaurant Startup and Growth Magazine | All Are Welcome Here, Preventing Customer Racial and Religious Discrimination Claims Against Your Startup | 2006 |
| Legal Briefing | Employee's Deletion of Computer Files May Violate Hacker Law | 2006 |
| The Flame, The Magazine of the National Franchisee Association | Teenage Sexual Harassment: Three Steps to Limiting Potential Liability | 2005 |
| Legal Briefing | Employers Increasingly Targeted for Class Actions | 2005 |
| HR Atlanta | Is Mandatory Arbitration of Employment-Related Claims Right for Your Company? | 1999 |
| School name | Degree | Graduated |
|---|---|---|
| Emory University School of Law | JD - Juris Doctor | 1995 |
| Emory University | BA - Bachelor of Arts | 1992 |
| Conference name | Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| CWP Webinar | COVID-19: Navigating the Employment Law Changes and Challenges | 2020 |
| Lunch and Learn Series | Life of an Employment Discrimination Case | 2017 |
| Vegas Cosmetic Surgery | Protecting your Reputation: How to monitor your image | 2015 |
| Sales Management Association Webcast | Managing Unfair Competition: Sales Organizations and the Law | 2014 |
| National Association Management Group Webcast | Keeping Your Confidential Information Confidential: A Step-By-Step Guide | 2014 |
| Employment Learning Innovations Webcast | Your Evolving Workplace: The Impact of Social Media on Internal and External Stakeholders | 2014 |
| Brookhaven Rotary Club | Defending Your Company's Online Reputation | 2014 |
| Dana Barrett Radio Show | Protecting Your Company's Online Reputation | 2014 |
| Columbus Breakfast Briefing | Columbus's Top HR and Employment Law Professionals: Secrets of Their Success | 2013 |
| Columbus Breakfast Briefing | How to Prevent Workplace Retaliation Claims | 2013 |
| Columbus Breakfast Briefing | Tracking Employee Performance - Crossing the "T's" and Dotting the "I's" | 2012 |
| Columbus Breakfast Briefing | Practical Guidance for Investigating Workplace Complaints | 2012 |
| Elarbee Thompson Webinar Series | Georgia's Restrictive Covenant Act | 2011 |
| Columbus Breakfast Briefing | Social Media and the Workplace | 2011 |
| Columbus Breakfast Briefing | Responding to Recent Changes in Labor and Employment Law | 2010 |
| Industry Liaison Group National Conference | The Impact of Civil Unions and Transgender Issues in the Workplace | 2009 |
| Lockheed Martin Annual Paralegal Conference | Understanding the ADA Amendments Act | 2009 |
| Restaurant Manager Conference | Preventing Employment Law Claims | 2007 |
| Division Manager Meeting | Employment Law Issues Facing Restaurant Industry | 2005 |
| Division Manager Conference | Employment Law for the Hospitality Industry | 2004 |
| Senior Manager Meeting | Preventing Unlawful Harassment | 2004 |
| Managing the 21st Century Workplace | Drafting Enforceable Restrictive Covenants and Protecting Trade Secrets | 2003 |
| Breakfast Meeting Series | Restrictive Covenants | 2003 |
| Semi-Annual Labor and Employment Law Seminar | Restrictive Covenants in Employment Agreements: Should You??? | 2001 |
| Semi-Annual Labor and Employment Law Seminar | Avoiding Problems with Theft, Drugs, and Guns in the Workplace | 1999 |
| Case name | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Remote Tiger, Inc. v. American CyberSystems, Inc. | Summary judgment granted |
| American CyberSystems, Inc. v. Staffing Fusion, LLC, et al. | Permanent Injunction issued in favor of my client |
| William S. Brandon v. Lockheed Martin Corporation | Summary judgment granted |
| Marniesheia Perrymond v. Lockheed Martin Corporation | Summary judgment granted |
| Jacqueline J. Stroud v. Synovus Financial Corp. | Motion to Dismiss granted |
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