Over the past 25 years since her graduation from the University of Georgia School of Law, Janet E. Hill has developed her expertise in civil rights, employment, and workers’ compensation litigation. She has successfully represented hundreds of plaintiffs in all federal district courts in Georgia, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and various superior courts. Even while attending law school, Ms. Hill worked as a law clerk assisting a local law firm in class-action litigation on behalf of African-American employees against the Westinghouse Corporation. By the time the record multi-million dollar settlement was reached ten years later, Ms. Hill had become partner in one of the law firms. This case and the clients she represented shaped her career, teaching her the values of perseverance and hard work, necessary values in the fight for justice and enforcement of her clients’ rights. In 1995, Ms. Hill succeeded in nullifying the corrupt mayorial election in Jeffersonville, Georgia on behalf of the first African-American woman to run for mayor in that town. She has obtained substantial settlements, in addition to obtaining substantial jury verdicts on behalf of her clients. Her appellate advocacy has recently resulted in developing Eleventh Circuit law under the Family and Medical Leave Act, in the case of Hurlbert v. St. Mary’s Health Care System, Inc., 439 F.3d 1286(11th Cir. 2006).

Though Ms. Hill’s practice focuses on litigation, she recognizes the value of parties resolving legal disputes without trial whenever possible. Trained at the W.J. Usury, Jr. Center for the Workplace at Georgia State University, she serves as an arbitrator and mediator for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, the State Bar of Georgia’s fee arbitration program, and private parties in employment-related matters.

Ms. Hill also recognizes that employers can avoid claims of employment discrimination and other violations of employment laws by having fair and equitable employment policies. She provides consultation services to small employers to assist them in developing personnel policies and procedures appropriate to the individual business and industry and which comply with applicable laws.

Ms. Hill’s advocacy is not limited to representing clients. Throughout her twenty five year career she has been active in organizations such as the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the National Employment Lawyers Association (the only national group of attorneys dedicated to representation of individuals in employment matters), volunteering thousands of hours of time to scholarly, legislative and educational activities designed to protect existing employment law and to advance more worker friendly legal theories and laws. These activities include writing amicus briefs to the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court on behalf of the Workers’ Compensation Claimant’s Lawyers section of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association in cases where workers’ rights were at issue; presenting educational seminars to attorneys, employees and employers on developments in employment law; and meeting with local, state and national public officials on employment related issues.

Ms. Hill has served on the Executive Board of the National Employment Lawyers Association for more than a decade and was NELA’s President for two years from 2004-2006. In her role as President and since becoming Immediate Past President, Ms. Hill frequently has been consulted and interviewed by the media on employment law related issues. She has appeared in such diverse media outlets as the Wall Street Journal; National Public Radio’s weekly radio program Sound Money; weekly news magazine, U.S. News and World Report; weekly law publications, Lawyers Weekly, LawCast, and Lawyers USA, New England IN House; and Chinese Language Newspapers, Sing Tao Daily, The China Press USA and World Journal, among others.

Ms. Hill continues to be active in NELA, serving on various committees, including the Convention Planning Committee for NELA’s 2007 and 2008 Annual Conventions.