Two Attorneys in Ogletree Deakins’ Charlotte Office Named to Prestigious “2009 BTI Client Service All-Stars” List

CHARLOTTE, NC – January 14, 2009 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), the nation’s third largest labor and employment law firm, announced today that two attorneys in its Charlotte office— Robert S. Phifer and James B. Spears, Jr.—have achieved the elite designation of “2009 BTI Client Service All-Stars.”

The designation is awarded annually by the world-famous BTI Consulting Group (BTI), America’s leading provider of strategic market research to law firms and professional service firms. BTI bestowed this year’s “All-Star” designation on just 176 attorneys nationwide, each of whom it cited for “excellence in delivery of client service,” as measured by BTI’s continuous benchmarking research. The research utilizes more than 1,900 independent interviews with corporate General Counsel and key business decision-makers who hire law firms. The only way to be considered for the BTI honor is for an attorney to be explicitly named by a client.

Spotlighting the unique value to corporations of this year’s “All-Star” attorneys, BTI said: “2008 brought a spate of challenges in the corporate world. An economic down-turn created a wealth of challenges….Amid this turmoil, 176 attorneys transformed economic crisis into opportunity, helping to drive client satisfaction among large corporations to its highest point in five years. These are the BTI Client Service All-Stars.”   

More about Ogletree Deakins attorneys James B. Spears, Jr. and Robert S. Phifer

Robert S. Phifer, also a shareholder in Ogletree Deakins’ Charlotte office, has more than twenty-five years of experience representing employers in employment-related and benefits-related litigation.  He has twice been involved as counsel in employment law cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including in Gilmer v. Interstate/Johnson Lane Corp., 500 U.S. 20. Mr. Phifer has represented clients involved in manufacturing, construction, service, transportation, trucking, healthcare, financial services, retail, food processing, and the public sector.

James B. Spears, Jr., a shareholder in Ogletree Deakins’ Charlotte office, represents and counsels employers on a broad range of employment matters.  On two occasions, he has appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court, including the landmark decision in Gilmer v. Interstate/Johnson Lane Corp., 500 U.S. 20 (1991), which successfully enforced an employee’s individual arbitration agreement as an alternative to a jury trial under the ADEA.  Mr. Spears handles litigation in federal and state trial and appellate courts. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA 2009, Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite, and other volumes.

About Ogletree Deakins

Ogletree Deakins is the nation’s third largest labor and employment law firm, representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. The firm has more than 430 lawyers located in 33 offices from Miami to Los Angeles. In addition to handling labor and employment law matters, the firm has thriving practices focused on business immigration, employee benefits, and workplace safety and health law.  Ogletree Deakins represents a diverse range of clients, including more than half of the Fortune 50 corporations in the U.S.

For more information, please contact Karen Gonzales, communications manager, at 210-277-3606.