Matthew W. Clarke

Matthew W. Clarke is a partner in the Litigation Section of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.

Mr. Clarke has significant expertise and experience in employment law, which encompasses employment discrimination and litigation, employment contracts, employee handbooks and policies, termination and separations, hiring practices, wage and hour issues, unemployment compensation and other aspects of the employer/employee relationship governed by state and federal laws. Mr. Clarke regularly counsels clients on compliance issues and dispute avoidance. When litigation becomes necessary, Mr. Clarke regularly represents employers in employment litigation matters pending in state and federal courts. Mr. Clarke also represents clients in matters pending before the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Georgia Department of Labor and the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor. Mr. Clarke’s employment law practice also includes extensive experience litigating matters concerning restrictive covenants (non-competition and non-solicitation agreements and the like) and other state law claims.

Mr. Clarke also has extensive expertise litigating and arbitrating a wide array of commercial disputes, including national franchising disputes, professional liability and malpractice claims, products liability and toxic tort claims, and other complex business litigation and arbitration proceedings.

Mr. Clarke is a frequent speaker on various employment, arbitration and litigation issues. He also regularly conducts presentations before clients and other civic groups on various legal matters. He was a recent speaker at a Georgia Institute for Continuing Legal Education seminar for attorneys on the use of arbitration provisions in business and employment agreements, and his article entitled “Alternative Dispute Resolution — Considerations in Using ADR Provisions in Business and Employment Agreements” was published by the ICLE. Mr. Clarke’s and Ms. Lisa Ballentine’s article on employment agreements entitled, “But it’s Not in My Contract!” - When Employers Should (and Should Not) Use Employment Agreements was recently published in the national Employee Relations Law Journal.

Mr. Clarke graduated in 1989 from the University of Georgia with a B.B.A. degree in international business. While there, he received the Honors Program Academic Achievement Award. In 1992, Mr. Clarke received his J.D. degree, cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law. During law school he served as a member of the Moot Court Board and the ABA Moot Court Team.

Mr. Clarke serves on the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer Foundation (AVLF), a non-profit organization that provides free legal representation to low-income people through the generosity of attorneys in our community.

Mr. Clarke is admitted to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, as well as the Georgia Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.