Annette A. Idalski practices in the areas of labor and employment litigation, employee relations counseling and management training. She has defended numerous employers nationwide against single and multi-plaintiff lawsuits involving race, gender, age and disability discrimination, workplace harassment, traditional labor matters, wage and hour compliance, restrictive covenants, contract disputes, whistleblower actions, and other employment torts.

Ms. Idalski also proactively counsels employers on employment issues arising out of or concerning complex leaves of absence, hiring and firing, wage and hour compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and collective bargaining matters. She conducts legal compliance audits of clients' human resources functions and prepares employee policies and handbooks and employment agreements. Ms. Idalski has conducted hundreds of training courses and seminars on prevention of litigation with respect to sexual harassment and discrimination under Title VII, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and other state and federal employment laws.

Ms. Idalski is past president of the Georgia Association For Women Lawyers (GAWL) and has served as a board member of GAWL since 2002.

Areas Of Practice

Employment Litigation
Human Resources and Employee Relations Counseling
Management Training

Representative Matters

Lead Counsel in the following cases: Cogburn Heathcare Ctr, Inc. v. NLRB, 437 F.3d 1266 (D.C. Cir. 2006) (Successfully argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that Gissel Bargaining Order should be reversed); Seward v. Alexander Properties Group, No. 1:05-CV-601-SEB-JPG, U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31150 (S.D. IN Nov. 21, 2005) (Obtained complete dismissal of pregnancy discrimination case for property management company at pre-answer stage based on lack of personal jurisdiction); Anthony Mugno v. Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques, Ltd., et al., No. 05-cv-2037 (DRH) (ARL), 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6570 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 30, 2007) (Obtained complete dismissal of claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act and ERISA for technology company).
Obtained directed verdict as lead counsel in jury trial against retaliation claims under Title VII and the Florida Civil Rights Act and the Florida Whistleblower's Act in United States District Court, Southern District Miami.
Obtained summary judgment and significant attorneys' fees award for manufacturing client against age discrimination lawsuit in California Superior Court.
Obtained summary judgment for Michigan employer in multi-plaintiff litigation involving allegations of Title VII national origin discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
Obtained summary judgment for Georgia public employer in multi-plaintiff litigation involving allegations of Title VII sexual harassment and Equal Pay Act
Defended employers in complex restrictive covenant litigation brought by competitors, with results that the clients found favorable.

Professional Activities

Georgia Association For Women Lawyers
- Past President, 2007-2008
- President, 2006-2007
- President-Elect, 2005-2006
- Vice-President, Strategic Partnerships, 2003-2005
- Legislative Co-Chair, 2002-2003
Society of Human Resources Management
- Member, 2003-2005

Admissions

Texas
Georgia
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Education

St. Mary's University School of Law, J.D., 1995
Central Michigan University, B.S., cum laude, 1991

Honors and Awards

Named a "Georgia Super Lawyer," as published in Atlanta magazine and Georgia Super Lawyers magazine, March 2006 and 2007
Named one of "Georgia's Legal Elite," selected by Georgia attorneys and published in Georgia Trend Magazine, December 2005 and 2007
Visionary Award, Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, 2005

Selected Publications

Columnist, "Managing Your Employees," Craftrends Magazine, 2005-2006
Contributing Author, How Arbitration Works, Sixth Edition, American Bar Association, 2004
Published numerous CLE papers on a wide variety of employment law topics

Selected Speaking Engagements

Speaker, "Conducting an Effective HR Audit," 2008 HR Star Conference, Atlanta, May 14, 2008
Speaker, "Key Components for a Successful Human Resources Department," Women Leading Business Symposium, Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, 2005
Speaker, "Human Resource and Legal Issues for Craft, Hobby and Scrapbooking Industry Employers," Memorytrends Trade Show, Las Vegas, 2005
Speaker, "Keeping It Legal," Lorman Education Services, 2004
Speaker, "Managing Human Relations," Southeastern Affordable Housing Management Association Regional Conference, 2003
Speaker, "Family and Medical Leave Act," SHRM Southeast Conference, 2003
Speaker, "How to Structure a Human Resources Department, Part I and II," SHRM-Atlanta Workshop, 2003