Christopher C. Marquardt

• Conducted an independent investigation for U.S. Soccer into allegations against the head coach of the USMNT.
• Conducted an independent investigation for an NBA franchise into allegations against the general manager and team owners.
• Conducted an independent investigation into allegations against the CEO of a publicly traded company.
• Conducted several investigations into allegations of discrimination, harassment, and performance deficiencies by C-suite executives and other senior leaders of private companies and public corporations.
• Lead trial counsel in several cases related to noncompetition agreement claims.
• Lead investigator into complaints against senior leaders of companies and professional sports organizations.
• Lead defense counsel in cases brought under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, and other employment statutes.
• Lead appellate counsel in state and federal court appeals.
• Collective bargaining on behalf of management clients with unions, including Unite Here, UFCW, IATSE, and Workers United.
• Represented multiple clients in administrative matters before the NLRB, EEOC, DOL, Office of Civil Rights, and other agencies.

Chris Marquardt leads the Labor & Employment Group at Alston & Bird. He is a counselor and trial lawyer who prides himself on helping his clients solve complex problems. Chris focuses his diverse practice substantively on commercial litigation and labor and employment matters. He also serves as outside general counsel to educational institutions.

Chris frequently conducts investigations into alleged wrongdoing by senior leaders of client organizations. He has handled high-stakes investigations for professional sports leagues and teams and Fortune 100 companies.

Chris has litigated complex disputes for publicly traded companies, privately held corporations, small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals. He has considerable experience leading all aspects of cases that arise when employees leave a company to work for a competitor. He litigates breach of contract, trade secret misappropriation, employment discrimination, wage and hour, and tort cases with frequency, and counsels clients on compliance with federal, state, and local employment law. He negotiates collective bargaining agreements on behalf of unionized companies and handles administrative matters pending before the NLRB, EEOC, DOL, and Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. He handles appeals in state and federal courts.

Chris served as judicial law clerk to the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee and Gainesville. He has wide-ranging experience litigating disputes in the courts of both Georgia and Florida.

Bar Admissions

• Georgia
• Florida

Education

• Duke University (J.D., 1995)
• Princeton University (B.A., 1992)

Clerkships

• U.S. District Court, Florida, Northern District

Memberships