Justin Barnes

Justin R. Barnes is office managing principal of the Atlanta, Georgia, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He is the co-leader of the Wage and Hour practice group. He represents employers in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies on a variety of labor and employment related issues, focusing on collective and class action wage and hour disputes and complex single plaintiff wage and benefit disputes.

Justin’s practice is focused primarily on defending complex wage and hour class and collective actions and single plaintiff cases in state and federal courts across the country. Justin has assisted clients in defending state and federal wage and hour claims in several states. He has substantial experience representing a wide variety of clients and industries in complex wage and hour matters, including the manufacturing, hospitality, technology, and retail industries, among others.

In addition to his wage and hour practice, Justin also frequently practices before the United States Courts of Appeals. He has argued before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Justin routinely handles other employment matters for clients, ranging from defending claims of discrimination to employment related contract disputes. Justin also provides day to day advice and counsel on mitigating the risk of employment claims, and he frequently speaks on a variety of workplace related issues, including wage and hour compliance, electronic discovery, and social media.

Prior to joining Jackson Lewis in 2009, Justin clerked for a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, in Atlanta, Georgia from 2007 to 2009. During his clerkship, Justin honed his legal skills and learned what it takes to be an outstanding (and perhaps more importantly – not so outstanding) advocate for clients.

During law school, Justin was a member of the Intellectual Property Law Journal and the Moot Court Board. He also served as a teaching assistant and writing fellow, teaching legal research and writing to first and second-year law students.