Employment Law - Management Labor Law - Management Litigation - Labor and Employment
Christopher W. "Chris" Deering
Awarded Practice Areas
Biography
Mr. Deering has extensive experience representing employers in successfully avoiding and defending a broad range of employment-related claims. His focus areas include employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, retaliation and harassment, whistleblower issues, restrictive covenants, wage-hour matters (including class and collective actions) and workplace safety. Mr. Deering has litigated such matters throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.In addition, Mr. Deering regularly provides counseling to employers on matters of employee discipline and termination, enforcement and implementation of employment policies, workplace investigations and reductions in force. He has written extensively on issues in the labor and employment law field, and is a regular contributing chapter editor of Employment Discrimination Law, The Developing Labor Law, The Fair Labor Standards Act, and The Family & Medical Leave Act (BNA Books), the principal treatises devoted to labor and employment law issues in the United States.Mr. Deering is recognized as one of the nation’s top labor and employment attorneys in the annual Best Lawyers in America ratings. He graduated magna cum laude from the Cumberland School of Law (Samford University) in 1997. While in law school, he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Cumberland Law Review, was a member of the Moot Court Board, and was selected as a Cordell Hull Fellow. He is also a member of Curia Honoris, Phi Delta Phi, and Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honorary, and is a charter member of the Birmingham Inn of the American Inns of Court.
Overview
- Samford University, J.D., graduated 1997
- Samford University, BA, graduated 1993
- Alabama, Alabama State Bar Association
- Florida, The Florida Bar
- District of Columbia, The District of Columbia Bar
- Alabama State Bar Association - Member
- American Bar Association - Member
- Birmingham Bar Association - Member
- Birmingham Inn of the American Inns of Court - Charter Member
- Cordell Hull - Fellow
- Cumberland Law Review - Editor-in-Chief
- District of Columbia Bar Association - Member
- Florida State Bar Association - Member
- Labor and Employment Law Section of the American Bar Association - Fellow
- Moot Court Board - Member
- Omicron Delta Kappa - Member
- Phi Delta Phi - Member
- Alabama, Alabama State Bar Association
- Florida, The Florida Bar
- District of Columbia, The District of Columbia Bar
- Alabama State Bar Association - Member
- American Bar Association - Member
- Birmingham Bar Association - Member
- Birmingham Inn of the American Inns of Court - Charter Member
- Cordell Hull - Fellow
- Cumberland Law Review - Editor-in-Chief
- District of Columbia Bar Association - Member
- Florida State Bar Association - Member
- Labor and Employment Law Section of the American Bar Association - Fellow
- Moot Court Board - Member
- Omicron Delta Kappa - Member
- Phi Delta Phi - Member
- Samford University, J.D., graduated 1997
- Samford University, BA, graduated 1993
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Employment Law - Management
- Labor Law - Management
- Litigation - Labor and Employment
Awards:
- Curia Honoris
News & Media
Case History
Cases
- Experience
- Successfully represented clients in numerous FLSA collective actions
- Won summary judgment in numerous discrimination, harassment and retaliation cases under federal and state law for clients in many business industries, including manufacturing, construction, healthcare, retail, hospitality, utility, education, transportation, among others
- Successfully upheld the enforcement of a restrictive covenant at the Alabama Supreme Court
- Successfully defended multi-plaintiff sexual harassment and race discrimination cases
- Successfully secured a TRO against a client’s competitor under the Alabama Trade Secrets Act
- Part 2
- Successfully represented clients in preliminary injunction hearings and cases involving business competition and trade secrets
- Successfully defended employer-clients in OSHA catastrophe and fatality investigations, as well as OSHA citation contests
- Sustained claim of pre-emption of Alabama retaliatory discharge claim under Section 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act
- Qui tam and retaliation claim representation of government contractor under federal False Claims Act
- Successfully defended employers in multiple whistleblower cases under various federal statutes
- Other Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh and District of Columbia Circuits
- U.S. District Court, Middle, Northern and Southern Districts of Alabama
- U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Florida
- U.S. District Court, Eastern and Northern Districts of Texas
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