Ben Mathis is the Managing Partner of Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP. He also leads the Firm's Labor & Employment National Practice Section. His practice also includes commercial litigation and directors and officers defense. He has practiced throughout the country and has been lead counsel in cases in 45 states.
Mr. Mathis has been selected one of the "Premier Top 100 Trial Attorneys in the State of Georgia" by the American Academy of Trial Attorneys. He has been named the "Atlanta Lawyer of the Year for Labor and Employment Law-Management" by Best Lawyers in America, a Georgia "Super Lawyer" by Atlanta Magazine, a Georgia "Legal Elite" by Georgia Trend Magazine, one of Georgia's "Top Rated Lawyers" by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, a Leading Lawyer by Chambers USA, and a “Star Litigator” by Benchmark Litigation.
He was nominated by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and was selected as a defense representative to the Federal Rulemaking Advisory Committee in Washington, D.C. He has testified before United States Senate and House Committees on multiple occasions as a legal expert on pending legislation. He also has served as Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia.
Mr. Mathis has tried cases throughout the country for three decades including jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations, as well as handling injunctions, representation and ULP matters. His appellate practice includes cases before many of the federal appellate courts (2nd, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th circuits), as well as the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court.
He has defended employers in virtually every type of employment law case including hundreds of individual, collective and class action state and federal lawsuits. His Directors and Officers practice includes suits under the False Claims Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, RICO, Fair Business Practice Act, ERISA and non-ERISA fiduciary actions, shareholder derivative suits, breach of fiduciary duty claims, restrictive covenant, trade secret and confidential business information suits and many other business law and partnership disputes.
Mr. Mathis has a distinguished record of leadership in law and business groups, both nationally and in Georgia. He has served the Bar as President of the Federal Bar Association, Atlanta Chapter; Chairman of the Employment Section of DRI, the nation's largest defense bar association; President of the Professional Liability Attorney Network (PLAN), a group of the country's preeminent professional liability law firms; and Vice-Chair of the Civil Rights Section of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC), a select, invitation-only group of the nation's leading defense attorneys.
His civic service includes Chairman of the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce and member of the Board of Directors for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He has served as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, a Trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation, and a member of the Board of Advisors for Georgia Tech's Scheller College of Business. He also was a member of the Executive Cabinet of the United Way of Cobb, and he is a long-time member of the Atlanta Lawyers Club.
Mr. Mathis is a recipient of the Outstanding Volunteer Award by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, the Dedicated Service Award by DRI, Outstanding Board Member by the Cobb Chamber, and the "Good Guy" award by the Georgia Chamber.
Mr. Mathis received his undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology (B.S. in Management, with honor) and his law degree from the Washington & Lee School of Law (J.D., cum laude), where he was a member of the Law Review.
He is married to Mary Anne Ackourey and has four children, Ben, Joe, Annabelle and Patty.
