Ashley Brightwell is a partner in the firm’s Labor and Employment Group. Ms. Brightwell has extensive experience litigating both single-plaintiff and class-action employment cases, occupational safety and health matters, and public accommodation disability claims.

Ms. Brightwell is a frequent speaker on topics related to the Family and Medical Leave Act, accessibility issues under the Americans With Disabilities Act, severance agreements, and litigation avoidance, having lectured at numerous continuing legal education seminars, meetings of national organizations, and management training courses. Ms. Brightwell also has authored publications on various employment-related topics appearing in The National Law Journal and other nationally recognized legal publications and is a frequent commentator on occupational safety and health topics for a publication for the pulp and paper industry.

Ms. Brightwell received her J.D., with honors, from DePaul University in 1999, where she was a member of the DePaul Law Review, and is a member of the Order of the Coif. Ms. Brightwell received her B.A. in sociology, cum laude, with a minor in communications, from Ohio University in 1996. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Adaptive Learning Center, a non-profit organization whose mission is to maximize the potential of young children with disabilities and create awareness and acceptance between people with and without disabilities through early intervention, support services, and education and consultation, and is a member of the Leadership Council of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta.