Matt Billips

Mr. Billips was born in Abingdon, Virginia on September 29, 1963. He inherited from his parents and grandparents a strong affinity for public education and employee rights. Both of his parents were educators; two of his grandparents were educators; and his paternal grandfather was a union steward in the West Virginia coal mines.

Mr. Billips started his career with the Office for Civil Rights of the United States Department of Education. He subsequently served as General Counsel for the Georgia Association of Educators and, since 1994, has been in private practice. He has represented hundreds of individuals in employment discrimination, civil rights, education, and personal injury cases. He has been counsel for the plaintiffs in numerous class action and collective action discrimination, overtime, and education cases. He has secured jury verdicts and numerous out-of-court settlements for his clients, many of whom have been police officers or educators.

Mr. Billips has tried numerous discrimination cases in federal court, where he has won over 85% of his jury trials. He has represented individuals in cases across the country, including Georgia, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., New York, Alabama, and Tennessee. He has been called upon by other attorneys to join their cases to serve as trial counsel and is a frequent lecturer at Continuing Legal Education courses on the range of employment law issues. He has been selected by his peers as a "Super Lawyer" in the field of employment law for several years in a row.

Mr. Billips graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1988 after earning his undergraduate degree in Philosophy. He is admitted to practice in Georgia (1989) and Tennessee (1988). He has served on the Board of Directors for the Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and is a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice.

E-mail: billips@bandblawyers.com