Ogletree Deakins Opens New Orleans Office, Continuing Its Aggressive National Expansion

ATLANTA, GA – April 27, 2009 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the nation’s largest labor and employment law firms, announced today it will open a New Orleans office on Friday, May 1, to help meet the growing need of New Orleans-area businesses for labor and employment law services. Mark N. Mallery, who has been practicing labor and employment law in New Orleans for more than twenty years, will be the Managing Shareholder. He will be joined by his colleagues Elizabeth Harper Emmett and Monique R. Gougisha, both Tulane Law School graduates with a combined fifteen years of labor and employment law experience. Emmett and Gougisha will hold associate positions with the firm.

Mark N. Mallery provides counsel to and represents employers in all aspects of employment and labor relations, including state and federal harassment and discrimination cases, breach of contract claims, wrongful termination claims, defamation actions, retaliation claims, wage and hour cases, whistleblower claims, employee benefits claims, FMLA claims, unfair labor practices, and labor arbitrations. He also has served as lead counsel in helping employers deal with crisis-management situations, including obstacles caused by Hurricane Katrina and deadly plant explosions.  Mallery is listed in International Who’s Who of Management Labour and Employment Lawyers; Best Lawyers in America; Louisiana Super Lawyers; Chambers USA, America’s Leading Business Lawyers; Corporate Counsel, the Business Magazine for the Chief Legal Officer; Louisiana Life Magazine’s Top Attorneys in Louisiana; and New Orleans Magazine’s Louisiana’s Top Lawyers.  

Elizabeth Harper  Emmett is involved in all phases of employment defense litigation, including witness interviews, depositions, brief writing, hearings, and appeals, with particular emphasis on Title VII, ADA, and FMLA cases in federal court. She provides advice to employers on a variety of labor and employment issues, and handles EEOC charges throughout the U.S. She also drafts non-compete and severance agreements, and gives presentations to human resources personnel on FMLA and ADA issues. 

Monique R. Gougisha represents management clients in federal and state court employment litigation, and in proceedings before various state and federal administrative bodies. She is a frequent speaker on employment law topics, and a contributing author to publications such as the Louisiana Bar Journal and HR Magazine.

“We’re excited to continue our accelerated national expansion by bringing our services into New Orleans,” said Gray Geddie, Ogletree Deakins’ Managing Shareholder. “The city’s business community still is rebuilding after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the deep recession, and also must now deal with the significant new and forthcoming workplace laws and regulations. With Ogletree Deakins’ growing national presence, we believe we can make a beneficial contribution to the rebuilding of the business community in New Orleans and the entire Gulf region.”

With the addition of the New Orleans office, Ogletree Deakins now has 35 locations across the United States, positioned to assist employers with their growing labor and employment law needs.

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 450 lawyers located in 35 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 and/or to interview Mark N. Mallery, please contact Dave Carew, publicist, at 615-332-0718 or Karen Gonzales, communications manager, at 210-277-3606.