Our Employment attorneys are skilled at managing the relationship between employee and employer. Whether a small start-up with limited staff or a giant manufacturer with thousands of people on the payroll, we have the tact and experience to find the best possible resolution for you.

What We Do

Our Employment Law Practice Group assists clients with a variety of day-to-day personnel and workplace issues, including:

  • Allegations of discrimination and harassment under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII, the Age Discrimination and Employment Act, and other anti-discrimination statutes
  • Assisting and advising clients in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Department of Labor investigations and charges
  • Claims of unpaid overtime and wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act and North Carolina Wage and Hour Act
  • Drafting, review, and negotiation of contractual agreements between employers and employees, such as non-compete agreements and non-solicitation agreements
  • Due diligence reviews of employer policies, procedures, and other handbooks to ensure that employers are complying with state and federal employment laws
  • Trainings and seminars for clients to assist with risk management and mitigation

Our Experience

Our team of lawyers has experience representing clients in front of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, United States Department of Labor, North Carolina Department of Labor, and North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings. If the matter cannot be resolved in one of these forums and a lawsuit is ultimately filed, you’ll have aggressive and experienced advocates on your side during the entire litigation process.

We continuously represent clients in front of the federal and state courts of North Carolina and we will zealously work to defend your best interests, whether that means conducting discovery, taking depositions, filing dispositive motions, taking your case to trial, or resolving it through negotiations or mediation.

Our Philosophy

The group is led by chair Benton Toups and includes a team of highly accomplished lawyers who are committed to delivering the highest quality legal service. They’ve earned an excellent reputation among employers across North Carolina by:

  • Being accessible and responsive to client needs
  • Always keeping clients informed
  • Knowing and understanding each individual workplace
  • Watching budgets closely
  • Providing excellent client service and value

Contact Us Today For More Information!

The Employment Law Practice Group covers all of North Carolina from our offices in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Wilmington. To contact an attorney, call Benton Toups in our Wilmington office, Patrick Flanagan in our Charlotte office, and  Marshall Wall in our Raleigh office.


Most Recent Posts

  Post

Our Top 10 Resources of 2022

Throughout the year, Cranfill Sumner LLP’s attorneys work diligently to bring the most up-to-date information on North Carolina legal updates… Read More

  News

Elizabeth Stephens Joins Cranfill Sumner LLP

Cranfill Sumner LLP today announced that Elizabeth Stephens has joined the firm’s Raleigh office as an associate attorney. She focuses her practice on municipal law, labor and employment matters, and general civil litigation.… Read More

  News

Marshall Wall Presents During FDCC Podcast

Marshall Wall, Managing Partner of Cranfill Sumner LLP, served as host and presenter for the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC) podcast about the current status and developments in Labor Law under the new Biden Administration.… Read More

  News

Benton Toups to Present at Employment Law Panel

On Jan. 19, Benton Toups, Chair of the Cranfill Sumner Employment Law Practice Group, served as a presenter for an attorney panel discussion for the 2020 Employment Law Year in Review. The panel addressed questions from the audience about the unprecedented year we just completed as well as about what we can expect as we transition into a new year, a new administration and in many ways a whole new world.… Read More

  News

Pat Flanagan Presents at Labor and Employment Law Seminar

On Oct. 30, Pat Flanagan spoke at the 36th Annual North Carolina/South Carolina Labor & Employment Law Program, which was presented by the North Carolina Bar Association. The day-long webcast featured attorneys discussing a wide range of topics about labor and employment law.… Read More

  News

Paul Gessner Joins Cranfill Sumner Raleigh Office

Cranfill Sumner LLP (Cranfill Sumner) today announced that Paul Gessner has joined the firm’s Raleigh office as Of Counsel. Gessner will join the Municipalities and Public Entities Practice Group and the Employment Law Practice Group.… Read More

  News

Benton Toups Leads NCRLA Webinar

NCRLA Logo

Benton Toups led the “A Whole New World – Predicting Employment Claims in the Wake of COVID-19” webinar on Aug. 19. It was produced by the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association and Cranfill Sumner LLP.… Read More

  News

Benton Toups Presents PLAN Webinar

Benton Toups, a Partner at Cranfill Sumner LLP (Cranfill Sumner), was a featured presenter at the “A Whole New World – Predicting Employment Claims in the Wake of COVID-19” webinar presented by PLAN.… Read More

  News

Pat Flanagan Joins NCADA Board of Directors

NCADA Logo

Pat Flanagan, an attorney at Cranfill Sumner LLP, has been elected to the board of directors for the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA). Pat’s term begins in June 2020 and continues for three years.… Read More

  News

Benton Toups Featured in NCRLA Magazine

“Furlough vs. layoff: Deciding between the two,” an article by Benton Toups, was featured in At Your Service, a publication of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA). The article appears in the Spring 2020 edition of the publication.… Read More

  News

Marshall Wall Discusses Employment and COVID-19 on WRAL Webinar

Marshall Wall, Managing Partner of Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP, participated in the “Here To Help: Local Business Virtual Conference Series” webinar on May 28. Marshall served on a panel that discussed “Emerging Legal and Insurance Issues related to COVID-19.”… Read More

  Post

Second Round of CARES Act Funding

In less than two weeks, the Paycheck Protection Program exhausted its initial $349 billion funding.  Shortly thereafter, Congressional leaders began talking… Read More

  Post

COVID-19: FAQs for Employers

We are in uncharted territory.  Life in America, and many other places around the world, is essentially on hold.  Children are out… Read More

  News

Zack Anstett Featured on NCBA Blog

Zack Anstett, an attorney at Cranfill Sumner LLP (Cranfill Sumner), recently authored an article for the Labor and Employment Law section of the North Carolina Bar Association.… Read More

  News

Katie Hartzog Discusses Employment Law in Panel Discussion

Katie Weaver Hartzog participated in an Employment Law panel discussion at the Campbell University School of Law on March 28. The panel was sponsored by the Business Law Association at Campbell Law and included five legal professionals discussing current issues faced by employers and businesses regarding compliance with state and federal employment laws.… Read More

  News

Katie Barber-Jones Presents About Workplace Harassment

NCADA Logo

Katie Barber-Jones presented “History repeats itself.  Workplace harassment and discrimination” at the recent 2019 Winter Workshop, an event sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys. The workshop was held at The Solution Center in Durham on Jan. 25.… Read More

  News

Benton Toups Featured in Greater Wilmington Business Journal

Clocking system clock

Benton Toups, Vice Chair of the Employment Law Practice Group at Cranfill Sumner LLP, was recently quoted in the Greater Wilmington Business Journal. In “Harassment In The Spotlight,” Benton discusses legal issues surrounding sexual harassment in the workplace.… Read More

  News

Dan Hartzog, Jr. to Present at UNC Law Symposium

close up of surveillance camera

On Nov. 4, Dan Hartzog, Jr. will be a featured presenter at the North Carolina Law Review Symposium. The event’s topic is “Badge Cams as Data and Deterrent: Law Enforcement, the Public, and the Press in the Age of the Digital Video,” and Dan will be providing insight from his role as the town attorney for Hope Mills, N.C. Dan will speaking as part of a panel discussion on the use of body cameras by law enforcement agencies in North Carolina.… Read More

  News

Meredith FitzGibbon Joins Cranfill Sumner Charlotte Office

Meredith Fitzgibbon Hamilton | Employment Law Attorney | Municipalities & Public Entities Attorney

Cranfill Sumner LLP (Cranfill Sumner) today announced that Meredith FitzGibbon has joined its Charlotte office as an Associate Attorney. FitzGibbon focuses her practice on civil litigation, with an emphasis on employment law and defense of municipalities and public entities.… Read More

  News

Katie Hartzog Presents at NCRLA Expo

Photo of Downtown Raleigh skyline at Night

Katie Weaver Hartzog, a partner in the Raleigh office of Cranfill Sumner LLP, presented the “Top Reasons Employers Get Into Legal Trouble with Employees” at the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) Expo on Aug. 30. … Read More

  News

Tips for Hiring Your Seasonal Help

NCRLA Logo

Stephanie Gaston Poley and Virginia Wooten are featured in the July 2016 edition of At Your Service, the magazine for the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association. Their article, “Tips for Hiring Your Seasonal Help,” explains the legal issues that must be considered when hiring seasonal staff. … Read More

  News

Dan Hartzog Jr. Named Hope Mills Town Attorney

Dan Hartzog, Jr. | Attorney Raleigh

Dan Hartzog, Jr., a municipal and employment law attorney at Cranfill Sumner LLP (Cranfill Sumner), has been named the town attorney for Hope Mills, N.C. Hartzog will assume the town attorney duties on July 1, 2016 in addition to maintaining his current practice at Cranfill Sumner.… Read More

  News

Cranfill Sumner to Host CE By the Sea

Questions and Answers street sign

On May 20, the Wilmington office of Cranfill Sumner LLP (Cranfill Sumner) will host CE By the Sea. The half-day seminar will be held 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Cranfill Sumner office in Wilmington. Complimentary CE Credit is available for Workers’ Comp Adjusters (3 hours) and Human Resources Professionals (3 hours – pending).… Read More

  Result

No Facts to Support Hostile Work Environment Claim

Case Results for NC Law

Dan Hartzog, Jr. obtained dismissal of a federal lawsuit alleging that plaintiff was subjected to a hostile work environment in retaliation for protected speech. The majority of allegations were conclusory and not supported by proper factual allegations.… Read More

  Result

All Claims Against City Dismissed in Lawsuit Brought by Former Police Officer

Case Results for NC Law

Dan Hartzog, Jr. obtained dismissal of all claims in a lawsuit brought by a former police officer for a City. The officer had been fired from the City for attending court for a personal matter while on duty, arriving late on three occasions, and failing to prepare proper paperwork for a warrant before submitting a statement saying the warrant had been obtained.… Read More

  News

Benton Toups Recognized for Pro Bono Service

Benton L. Toups | Alternative Dispute Resolution Attorney Wilmington

Benton Toups, Vice-Chair of the Employment Law Practice Group at Cranfill Sumner, was recently awarded a Pro Bono Publico award by the New Hanover County Bar Association and the Legal Aid of NC, Inc.… Read More

  Result

Disability for PTSD Claim Dismissed

Case Results for NC Law

Katie Weaver Hartzog obtained dismissal of plaintiff’s claims against a Community College in which he alleged he was discriminated against based on his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder disability, which he obtained during his service in Afghanistan.… Read More

  Result

Community College Teacher Loses on Claims of Employment Discrimination

Case Results for NC Law

Dan Hartzog, Jr. obtained dismissal in an employment discrimination claim brought by a former community college teacher. Plaintiff brought claims for gender discrimination, race discrimination, and negligent infliction of emotional distress against a community college and two individual defendants.… Read More

  News

Benton Toups to Speak at Topsail Chamber Event

Benton L. Toups | Alternative Dispute Resolution Attorney Wilmington

Benton Toups addresses the Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce about “What Employers Need to Know About Labor Law” and the basics of employment laws, how they impact small businesses and the increase in statutory regulation that comes with growth.… Read More

  Result

Cranfill Sumner Attorneys Successfully Defend Fire Department

Case Results for NC Law

Paul Derrick and Katie Weaver Hartzog successfully defended a local fire department and its chief facing claims for wrongful discharge, violations of civil rights, violations of union organizing rights, and First Amendment restraint in the US District Court for the Eastern District of NC. … Read More

  Result

Sexual Harassment and Defamation Claims Dismissed against City

Case Results for NC Law

Katie Weaver Hartzog obtained summary judgment on behalf of a City in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of N.C. with regard to plaintiff’s claims of Title VII retaliation and constructive discharge, defamation, and interference with prospective contract. … Read More

  Result

Bolick Defends College Facing Claims of Sexual Harassment

Case Results for NC Law

Ryan Bolick obtained summary judgment on behalf of a college in the Middle District of North Carolina dismissing Plaintiff’s Title VII claims of sexual harassment. Plaintiff alleged that certain actions of her supervisor, including winking and leaning over her desk created a hostile work environment.… Read More

  Result

Bolick Wins Summary Judgment for County Board of Elections

Case Results for NC Law

Ryan Bolick obtained summary judgment on behalf of a County Board of Elections in the Eastern District of North Carolina as to all Plaintiff’s claims under Title VII for failure to promote based on alleged discrimination of race, gender and retaliation.… Read More

  Result

Derrick and Jolly Defend Fire Department in Federal Suit

Case Results for NC Law

Paul Derrick and Melody Jolly represented a local fire department and its chief in this action involving claims for sexual harassment, gender discrimination, retaliatory discharge, and First Amendment restraint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of NC. … Read More

  Result

Firefighter Kept Loaded Gun in his Locker

Case Results for NC Law

Dan Hartzog, Jr. obtained summary judgment on all claims in a lawsuit brought by a firefighter against a City. The case involved a firefighter who was terminated after a loaded gun was discovered in his locker on City grounds.… Read More