Ashley D. Brightwell

• Successfully argued in favor of a district court’s award of summary judgment in a sexual harassment retaliation case before a judicial panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Represented a national financial institution in a class action under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
• Obtained summary judgment and prevailed on the plaintiffs’ appeal of such judgment in an action filed pursuant to the accessibility provision of the Americans with Disabilities Act against one of our nation’s most treasured historic landmarks.
• Lead counsel for a nationwide employer in connection with International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ union campaigns in Florida, Missouri, and Virginia and nationwide strike activity.

Ashley Brightwell is a partner in Alston & Bird's Labor & Employment Group. Ashley has extensive experience representing management in all areas of labor and employment law, including litigating discrimination and harassment suits, counseling employers on their obligations under various federal and state statutes, and representing clients in connection with union campaigns, strikes, and collective bargaining. Ashley's practice also has a safety and health component that involves litigating matters arising under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and similar statutes, counseling employers on OSHA compliance and assisting clients with safety and health audits of their facilities.

Ashley is a frequent speaker and writer on topics related to the Family and Medical Leave Act, accessibility issues under the Americans with Disabilities Act, OSHA compliance, and other topics governing conduct in the workplace. Ashley has been featured in publications and on websites such as the National Law Journal, Law360, Yahoo Finance, and the Wall Street Journal.

Bar Admissions

• Georgia

Education

• DePaul University (J.D., 1999)
• Ohio University (B.A., 1996)