Sarah Sloan Batson

Sarah Sloan Batson is a skilled litigator and employment attorney who guides employers through a wide variety of complex disputes and compliance issues. Sarah practices in federal and state court and arbitrates in North and South Carolina. Sarah’s colleagues describe her as tenacious and smart – she has superb instincts and devotes herself to her clients’ needs. Sarah wants to understand her clients’ business strategies and workforce to deliver legal advice and strategies suited to help clients achieve their goals and succeed.

Sarah skillfully walks clients through tricky internal investigations and compliance issues, and she embraces a challenge. Sarah ensures client responsiveness and effectively manages a litigation team best suited for the client's needs. Sarah also serves as a trusted advisor to employers navigating FLSA, FMLA, ADA, ADEA, OSHA, and other regulatory issues.

Sarah enjoys advising schools, colleges and universities on various education law matters, including issues related to compliance and best practices regarding Title IX and The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), board governance, drafting and reviewing policies, and addressing disciplinary matters for faculty, staff and students.

Key areas of her practice:

• Agribusiness
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Class action
• Communications: Strategic and Crisis Communications
• Credit Unions
• Data & Intellectual Assets
• Discrimination
• Education Law
• Employees & Technology
• Employee training programs
• Fair Labor Standards Act
• Family Medical Leave Act
• Farm Credit Services
• Privacy & Data Security
• Restrictive Covenants/Non-Competition
• Sexual harassment
• Technology
• Title IX
• Wage-and-hour
• Whistleblower claims

She also represents clients on other matters including:

• Internal investigations & regulatory investigations
• Trade secrets
• Contract disputes
• Minority shareholder disputes and business divorce
• Other complex commercial disputes

Community & Professional

• South Carolina Bar
• Junior Achievement of Upstate South Carolina, Board Member
• Greenville Young Lawyers, Member
• South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers Division, Member
• Cinderella Project, Greenville, SC, Volunteer and Committee Member
• Hands on Greenville, Volunteer and Team Leader
• University of South Carolina School of Law Honor Council, Chair (2008-2009)
• John Belton O'Neal Inn of Court, Student Member (2008-2009)
• University of South Carolina School of Law Christian Legal Society, Member (2007-2009)
• Federal Bar Association, Employment & Labor Law Committee
• Defense Research Institute, Employment & Labor Law Committee

• Prevailed on interlocutory appeal in North Carolina Court of Appeals on attorney-client privilege issues and work product doctrine
• Litigated an appeal through the Fourth Circuit, and drafting and filing a petition for a writ of certiorari before the United States Supreme Court of novel issues of federal jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act
• Prosecuted claims for breach of his employment agreement and misappropriation of trade secrets by former employee and obtaining a preliminary injunction within days of filing the complaint
• Defended employers against wrongful termination clams
• Defended nationwide employers in federal claims alleging violation of the Family Medical Leave Act, including claims of interference and retaliation
• Defended a foreign corporation against South Carolina antitrust and unfair trade practices claims
• Defended employment discrimination and FLSA class action claims in federal court
• Successfully represented minority shareholders in oppression action involving ownership interests in multi-million dollar corporations, resolved in favor of our clients through arbitration
• Successfully represented minority member of LLC in state court, asserting counterclaims in action brought by other members, and obtaining compensation for the value of her membership interest
• Successfully represented the majority member of an LLC in litigation arising from the minority member’s oppression claims and negotiating favorable terms of a buy out in the face of the minority member’s termination from the company
• Represented a local franchise in contract dispute with its franchisor
• Handled commercial lease disputes in a variety of cases for owners and tenants
• Represented a lender in collecting equipment serving as collateral on secured note
• Defended a corporation in breach of contract action in arbitration proceedings
• Drafting commercial contracts for manufacturing clients' use in negotiating agreements with customers, suppliers, and service providers
• Drafted and reviewed employment contracts, including contracts with independent contractors
• Defended multiple million dollar breach of contract, SC Unfair Trade Practice Act, and related claims in state and federal court and asserting substantial counterclaims
• Represented private school in defending state unemployment tax exemption

• Recognized by TALK Greenville Magazine, Top Lawyers, 2022
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Labor and Employment since 2020
• Greenville Business Magazine's Legal Elite of the Upstate in Labor & Employment, 2015-2018, 2022
• "Rising Star", South Carolina Super Lawyers, 2014-2018
• "Best and Brightest 35 and Under", Greenville Business Magazine, 2012
• Connections: Women Leaders of the Upstate, Class of 2011
• Recognized by Chambers USA, Labor & Employment, South Carolina, 2018-2022