Educational and Legal Credentials:
Barton earned his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, with Honors, from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2000. He continued on to earn his law degree, with Honors, from Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in 2007.
Legal Background:
Barton has a passion for helping employers grow their businesses by building better workplaces. As their trusted advisor, he provides common-sense legal advice to guide them in growing their business, protecting important assets, and managing risk when it comes to employees, customers, and trade secrets.
A former Big 4 consultant and engineer, Barton seamlessly navigates what others find to be the complicated inner workings of a business, efficiently recognizing and advising clients on their legal issues.
Barton’s passion extends to employees who have suffered egregious wrongs by those in power. Recently, after a client’s whistleblower lawsuit was dismissed on the statute of limitations, Barton and his colleagues successfully appealed the dismissal to the Supreme Court of Georgia. The Justices unanimously reversed the trial court (and the Georgia Court of Appeals), in a matter of first impression, to protect the rights of Georgia public school teachers. In addition, Barton successfully obtained a nearly seven-figure settlement for a client who alleged that he had suffered retaliation and discrimination under Title VII and FMLA.
An imbalance in power, whether as an employer or an employee, can lead to legal strife. Barton works relentlessly to provide his clients with an environment where growth and success thrive. A guiding principle, Barton keeps the following wisdom at top of mind: “Deep and simple is far more essential than shallow and complex.” - Fred Rogers.
“The truth is, most businesses get started without building a foundation of prevention, and that is something against which I advise. It is important to create and implement these foundational controls at any phase of your business.”
Industries Served/Services and Skills:
Barton guides businesses through the various human resources issues that arise, including hiring and separation of employees, preparation of employment handbooks and policies, preparation/analysis of non-competes and employment agreements, FLSA and compensation issues, independent contractor pitfalls, and discrimination issues and employee grievances.
He also represents businesses in employment and competition disputes covering many areas, including non-compete/non-solicitation agreements, misappropriation of trade secrets/confidential information, breaches of fiduciary duties, partnership disputes, FLSA/overtime claims, and discrimination/retaliation under equal opportunity laws.
Personal Background
In his time away from helping clients, Barton enjoys life with his wife and two young daughters. He has learned the ins and outs of hunter/jumper equestrian from his younger daughter, and his older daughter has led him to become a proud cheer dad. He loves the game of golf and dreams of finding time to play more often and improve his game.
“What motivates me most is creating a workplace that is free of the toxic qualities that often lead to litigation. I help build the structure that creates a place where people want to come to work.”
