About
About Ben Barrett
In more than 30 years practicing law, Ben Barrett has handled thousands of cases, including defense of personal injury cases, auto collisions, aviation crashes, premises liability, medical malpractice, and numerous employment law cases.
Originally from Ohio, Ben moved to Atlanta, GA, where he cofounded Barrett & Farahany, LLP, in January of 2001. Together with Amanda Farahany, he grew the firm from a two-attorney practice to a firm of twenty people – including ten attorneys. While Ben had always found fulfillment in helping clients in need, it was in these years that he found his true passion in the field of law: plaintiff employment law cases.
Representing clients in Georgia, an employment-at-will state, meant that most clients came to the firm with little to no hope for their cases. Ben founded, lead, and managed the firm’s Trial Practice Group, which litigated all of the firm’s cases that were not resolved pre-lawsuit by the firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Group. The firm was named as one of the “Top Five Litigation Departments” in Atlanta by the Fulton County Daily Report in October 2016, and it was identified by the Daily Report as the best employment litigation firm in Atlanta.
In April of 2015, having built the firm to one of Atlanta’s pre-eminent employment law firms, Ben retired from practicing law and focused on guiding the next generation of attorneys. As adjunct professor at Emory University Law School, he uses his extensive experience as a successful trial lawyer to help educate third-year law students on the subject of advanced trial advocacy in gender discrimination cases. He also devotes volunteer time to coaching high school mock trial teams, and many of his students have gone on to become successful attorneys.
Feeling the pull to fight for clients’ rights in employment cases again, Ben returned from retirement in 2019 and founded Ben Barrett Law. Today, he focuses solely on employment law cases, helping clients with a range of legal issues arising from their employment. In an employment-at-will state such as Georgia, these cases require special attention and a high level of expertise that other attorneys simply do not have. If you think you may have a case, contact Ben Barrett Law today.
Our Philosophy
To deliver the most highly personalized service, we hand-select challenging, complex cases that other attorneys won’t touch. From consultation to trial, we advocate for employees’ rights in Georgia.
Our Principle
We base our practice on the principles of service and care. We take the time to truly know each and every client, and we put all of our energy into creating the best outcomes for them.
Our Definition of Success
We will prosecute your case to the fullest extent possible. If you’ve been wronged by an employer in Georgia, you can count on Ben Barrett Law to fight for you.
What we are expert at
Why Clients Choose Us?
People come to us when they’re facing a seemingly impossible challenge. They’ve been wrongfully terminated or otherwise discriminated against, and all the odds are against them. Not only is it intimidating to go up against your employer (or former employer), but — as an employment-at-will state — Georgia law can be incredibly hostile to employees.
We know how hopeless this can feel, but our clients have a relentless expert in their corner. When you choose Ben Barrett Law, you choose an attorney with more than 33 years of experience and an unmatched passion for making the law work for you and holding unlawful employers and corporations accountable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Employment law is the area of law that covers the rights, obligations, and responsibilities within the relationships of employees and employers. This area of the law covers workplace safety, wage concerns, wrongful termination, and discrimination matters — among others.
You may have heard that Georgia is an employment-at-will state, or a “right to work” state. Essentially, this means that, as an employee, you may leave a position for any reason or no reason. It also means that you may be terminated for any reason or no reason at all. This leaves many people wondering how they could possibly win an employment law case in Georgia. However, while Georgia is an employment-at-will state, this does not mean that employees have no rights. For example, employers may not discriminate against employees on the basis of race or national origin. Likewise, employers are still bound by the FMLA.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires certain employers to hold jobs for certain employees — for up to 12 weeks — while those employees take time away from work for qualified reasons.
A number of reasons might qualify you for a period of leave under the FMLA. Some examples of qualifying reasons could be taking time off to:
- Recover from a serious medical condition
- Care for a family member with a serious medical condition
- Care for a newborn
- Transition in or out of active military duty (for yourself or a spouse)
- Adopting or fostering a child
- Attending a funeral
- Non-migraine headaches
- Cold or flu
- Cosmetic surgical treatments
Per the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), sexual harassment is a form of discrimination, which violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. At its most basic, sexual harassment is a form of discrimination, based on a person’s sex. Sexual harassment includes any unwelcome physical or verbal conduct of a sexual nature. This includes requests for sexual favors, as well as unwelcome sexual advances and other verbal and physical acts. For this conduct to qualify as sexual harassment, it must be unwelcome, and it must create an offensive, hostile, or intimidating environment.
Under federal law, a person is determined to be disabled if they fulfill one of these three qualifications:
- They have a physical or mental condition that limits one or more major life activities (e.g., hearing, seeing, talking, walking, or learning)
- They have a history of a qualifying condition, such as cancer that is currently in remission
- They are a minor with a mental or physical impairment that has lasted or is expected to last for more than six months
- Hearing impairment
- Vision impairment
- Acquired brain injury
- Mental health conditions
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Chronic neurological conditions
- Locomotor disabilities
- Speech and language disabilities