Benton Toups, an attorney with Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP (Cranfill Sumner), has been named the Chair of the Cranfill Sumner Employment Law Practice Group.
“We congratulate Benton on being named the Chair of the Employment Law Practice Group. Benton is a respected attorney whose professionalism and leadership will help guide the Employment Law Practice Group as it continues to grow,” said John D. Martin, Managing Partner of the Wilmington office of Cranfill Sumner.
Benton is a Partner based in the Cranfill Sumner Wilmington office. He focuses his practice on Employment Law, Business Litigation and ERISA Litigation.
Benton represents municipalities, private employers and executives before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, the North Carolina Industrial Commission, and several state and federal courts. He has extensive experience assisting with claims of harassment and discrimination under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the North Carolina Retaliatory Employment Discrimination Act (REDA), as well as claims for unpaid wages and overtime pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act. Benton is well versed in negotiating and drafting employment contracts, including non-competition, non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements, and he has successfully represented clients in multiple preliminary injunction hearings in which the enforceability of such agreements was at issue.
Benton routinely counsels clients on best practices for human resources management and claims avoidance and is a sought-after speaker and writer on such topics. Benton is a certified mediator and in that capacity is often sought out by other attorneys to assist them in resolving their cases. Recognized by his peers as a subject-matter expert year after year, Benton is consistently named to the “Super Lawyers” and “Legal Elite” lists. He has also received an “AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell, signifying the highest degree of both professional competence and ethical standards.
Benton is a graduate of Louisiana State University and the Louisiana State University School of Law.
