Ronald G. Polly, Jr.

Ronald G. Polly, Jr.,
Co-Managing Partner

Biography

Ron Polly is a co-managing partner at Hawkins Parnell & Young and the former chair of the firm’s national Labor & Employment practice, a role he held for over 20 years. Under Ron’s leadership, the team has secured thousands of favorable outcomes for clients ranging from small, privately-held entities to Fortune 500 companies. Ron is highly-regarded for his knowledge and experience in counseling and litigation, achieving successful results for clients both in and out of the courtroom.

Professional Expertise

As a counselor, Ron provides employers with advice and guidance aimed at minimizing litigation risk and exposure while maximizing business growth. Tapping him as their outside general counsel, several established and emerging companies trust Ron to handle substantially all their legal matters, including general labor and employment advice, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, internal investigations, audits (policies, procedures, pay practices, legal compliance), and litigation management. At Hawkins Parnell, Ron has been integral to the firm’s rapid growth, overseeing its expansion into multiple markets nationwide. That management experience, combined with his business acumen, sets Ron apart from his peers in the legal industry and he makes it his mission to understand the ins and outs of his clients’ business and culture. By engaging Ron, clients understand they are getting, in essence, a business partner upon whom they can rely to provide sound, high-quality counsel and representation.

As a litigator, Ron has successfully represented clients throughout the country as lead counsel in cases involving a wide variety of state and federal claims, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, unfair competition, misappropriation of trade secrets, breaches of restrictive covenants, breaches of loyalty and fiduciary obligations, and other business torts. Ron has also successfully defended clients against a range of complex, bet-the-company class action lawsuits. Though he regularly obtains summary judgment and no- or nuisance-pay settlements for his clients, Ron has earned numerous favorable jury verdicts in trials nationwide.

Services

Education

  • University of Kentucky College of Law  (J.D., 1991)
  • University of Virginia  (B.S., 1987)

Bar Admissions

  • Georgia

Courts

  • Supreme Court of Georgia
  • Georgia Court of Appeals
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Professional Affiliations

  • Association of Defense Trial Attorneys
  • ALFA International
    • Member, Strategic Planning Committee (2017-present)
    • Member, Board of Directors (2012-2015)
    • Chair and Chair Emeritus, Labor & Employment Group (2008-2011)
    • Vice-Chair, Labor & Employment Group (2006-2008)
  • DRI
    • Steering Committee, Labor & Employment Group (2001-present)
  • Atlanta Bar Association (1991-present)
  • American Bar Association
  • State Bar of Georgia (1991-present)
  • Snake Nation Social Club (Atlanta History Center)
    • Board Member (2002-2003)
  • The Lawyers Club of Atlanta (1995-present)

Honors

  • Ranked in Chambers USA (2011, 2012)
          - Listed, "Leaders in their Field" (2013)
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (2021-2023)
    • Employment Law - Management
    • Labor Law - Management
    • Litigation - Labor and Employment

Trials

  • Kendrick v. City of East Point, Superior Court of Fulton County
  • Sylvia Cervantez v. CSK Auto, Inc., Fresno County Superior Court
  • Denia D. Barr v. J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
  • Johnny L. Mathis v. Leggett & Platt, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • Joseph Bernard v. SSA Security, Inc., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • Latricia Hughes v. Clayton County School District, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • Lewis Masters v. City of East Point, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division
  • Juanita Redmond v. City of East Point, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Recent Trials/Appeals/Successes

Single Plaintiff Cases

  • Denia D. Barr v. J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (summary judgment in favor of employer in Title VII failure-to-promote action)
  • Eric Snyderman, et al. v. Dixie Homecrafters, Inc., et al., U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (summary judgment in favor of employers in FLSA wage and hour action)
  • Johnny L. Mathis v. Leggett & Platt, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (summary judgment in favor of employer upheld in Title VII discrimination and retaliation action)
  • Joseph Bernard v. SSA Security, Inc., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (summary judgment in favor of employer upheld in Title VII and Florida Civil Rights Act discrimination and retaliation action)
  • Juanita Redmond v. City of East Point, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (defense verdict in sexual harassment case)
  • Brenda Smelter v. Southern Home Care Services, Inc., U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (defense verdict in Title VII hostile work environment action)
  • Sylvia Cervantez v. CSK Auto, Inc., Fresno County Superior Court (defense verdict in California sexual harassment and retaliation action)
  • Timothy K. Goddard v. CSK Auto, Inc., King County Superior Court (summary judgment and attorneys’ fees in favor of employer in Washington breach of contract action)

Class Actions

  • Lindsey Jones v. Res-Care Premiere, Inc., U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri (FLSA wage and hour claims settled on an individual basis)
  • Margaret Anderson v. Southern Home Care Services, et al., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (FLSA wage and hour claims favorably settled)
  • Jason Smith v. ResCare, Inc., U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia (Fair Credit Reporting Act claims favorably settled)
  • Michael Grotte v. Normal Life of California, Inc., et al., San Luis Obispo County Superior Court (California wage and hour claims favorably settled)
  • Leticia Sanchez v. Res-Care, Inc., et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court (FLSA and California wage and hour claims favorably settled)
  • Gloria Nelson v. Res-Care, Inc., et al., Contra Costa County Superior Court (California wage and hour claims favorably settled)
  • Amanda Taylor v. Normal Life, Inc., et al., Ventura County Superior Court (California wage and hour claims dismissed before class certification on motion to dismiss)
  • Aaron Alafa v. Custom Built Personal Training, Inc., Tulare County Superior Court (California wage and hour claims favorably settled)

Board Involvement

  • Board of Trustees, A.G. Rhodes Health & Rehab
  • Board of Trustees, American Porphyria Foundation
  • Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, Tier3 Technologies