Christopher C. Marquardt

• Lead trial counsel in several cases related to noncompetition agreement claims. 
• 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 has a diverse trial practice that focuses substantively on commercial litigation and a wide array of labor and employment matters. He also serves as outside general counsel to educational institutions. 

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 for two years 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, and he is listed in The Best Lawyers in America^©.

Bar Admissions

• Georgia
• Florida

Education

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

Memberships