Judy O’Brien is a member of Sutherland’s Litigation Practice Group and head of the firm’s Pro Bono and Public Service Committees. She practices primarily in the areas of employment and education litigation.

Judy’s education practice has been extensive and diverse. Besides serving as the board attorney for a large urban school district in the metropolitan Atlanta area for many years, Judy also has handled specialized litigation on behalf of large and small school districts in Georgia and elsewhere. In addition, she has represented various private schools, a college, and other education-related organizations. Areas of experience include school personnel matters (fair dismissal, employment discrimination, ERISA, wage and hour claims, teacher certification, teacher contracts, etc.), student matters (student discipline, disciplinary tribunals, FERPA, student speech rights, etc.), state and federal constitutional issues, school policy issues (charter schools, school councils, etc.), Open Meetings and Open Records laws, school tax laws (SPLOST, TADs, property taxes), No Child Left Behind Act, reapportionment, voting rights, religion in the schools, and other specialized aspects of Georgia school law.

In the employment area, Judy has handled a full range of employment litigation in federal and state courts, representing employers in lawsuits brought under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, ERISA and other federal and state statutes, as well as claims based on breach of contract and tort theories. She also has extensive experience representing employers in cases pending before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state employment agencies. Judy places special emphasis on preventing litigation by advising clients on personnel problems as they occur and by conducting training sessions for her clients’ managers and supervisory employees.

Judy is invited to speak frequently on her areas of practice.

Judy was a law clerk for Judge Elbert P. Tuttle on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth (now Eleventh) Circuit. She also taught at Emory School of Law for several years.