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.
Key areas of her practice:
- Restrictive Covenants/Non-Competition
- Discrimination
- Fair Labor Standards Act
- Wage-and-hour
- Class action
- Family Medical Leave Act
- Employee training programs
- Sexual harassment
- Whistle blower claims
- Americans with Disabilities Act
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
Additionally, Sarah enjoys advising and training schools, colleges and universities, including questions related to compliance and best practices regarding Title IX and The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 2009, summa cum laude
- Dean's Medallion (awarded to the valedictorian)
- Order of the Coif
- Chief Justice of Order of the Wig and Robe
- South Carolina Law Review, Editorial Board
- Honor Council, Chair
- Christian Legal Society, Member
- John Belton O'Neal Inn of Court, Student Member
University of South Carolina, Darla Moore School of Business, B.A. 2006, summa cum laude (valedictorian), Double Major in Business Administration and Finance
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- US Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States District Court of South Carolina
- United States District Court, Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina
- 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
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Labor and Employment in 2020
- Greenville Business Magazine's Legal Elite of the Upstate (2015-2018)
- "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, 2018-2020
Overview
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.
Key areas of her practice:
- Restrictive Covenants/Non-Competition
- Discrimination
- Fair Labor Standards Act
- Wage-and-hour
- Class action
- Family Medical Leave Act
- Employee training programs
- Sexual harassment
- Whistle blower claims
- Americans with Disabilities Act
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
Additionally, Sarah enjoys advising and training schools, colleges and universities, including questions related to compliance and best practices regarding Title IX and The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
- 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
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Labor and Employment in 2020
- Greenville Business Magazine's Legal Elite of the Upstate (2015-2018)
- "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, 2018-2020
Notable
- 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
Speaking & Writing
- 2020 Employment Law Certificate Series
December 9, 2020
- Deferred Compensation Plans: Options and Considerations
October 8, 2020 - Farm Credit Tips
July 24, 2020 - The CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program Expands the SBA 7(a) Loan Program- Updated April 3, 2020
April 1, 2020 - Think Twice About Claiming Essential Critical Industry Status
March 25, 2020 - Supreme Court Clarifies FLSA Exemption for Sales, Service Advisors, Partsmen, and Mechanics
July 18, 2018 - Webinar to Focus on Preventing Harassment and Discrimination Claims in the Workplace
November 29, 2017 - Don’t Let a Legal Claim Eclipse This Solar Event
August 16, 2017 - Internal Investigation and Recommendations to Uber on Workplace Environment
June 14, 2017 - Simplifying Employee Performance Feedback Documentation
April 26, 2017 - Employer’s Guide to Preliminary and/or De Minimis Activities Under the FLSA: Booting Up Before Clocking In
April 5, 2017 - Title IX Meets VII: Grappling with Gender-Based Harassment and Discrimination in Education
March 1, 2017
- "Hiring & Firing: Best Practices for Saying Hello and Goodbye in the Workplace," Nexsen Pruet's Employment Law Briefing- Greenville, February 6, 2019
