Ben Glass is a shareholder in the Charleston office and has an active litigation practice, appearing in federal and state courts throughout South Carolina, in both single plaintiff and collective actions, and appearing frequently before the U.S. EEOC, DOL and NLRB. From the beginning of his legal career, Ben has been involved in cutting edge litigation, forming part of the trial team that defended the first ADA case that went to trial in the District of South Carolina, which resulted in a defense verdict. More recently, Ben successfully argued before the Supreme Court of South Carolina for clarification and narrowing of the public policy exception to the at-will employment doctrine. Ben has an active litigation practice, having handled more than 200 cases and taken more than a dozen cases to trial during his career. In the last several years, Ben has focused more of his time on defending wage and hour collective actions and other multi-plaintiff cases, as well as managing regional and national portfolio arrangements for large Firm clients. He also counsels clients about employment policies and compliance with state and federal employment laws.
Ben also maintains a traditional labor practice, assisting clients with labor strategy and campaigns, collective bargaining negotiations, grievance arbitrations, and unfair labor practice charges. In recent years, Ben has had the opportunity to combine his two practices, litigating matters against, and in front of, The National Labor Relations Board. Ben briefed all arguments before the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit during the successful challenge to the National Labor Relations Board’s Notice Posting Rule brought by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce of the United States. Ben also drafted an amicus brief on behalf of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance in the Appeal made by Boeing Co. of the Order of a Regional Director directing an election among a small unit of flight line employees.
As an experienced litigator, labor lawyer, and business partner, Ben approaches every matter with the same focus on being prepared for the worst, while working with his clients to find practical and creative paths to an earlier and easier resolution. Ben also recognizes that labor and employment issues and litigation are only a part of the business experience for his clients, and he strives at all times to be an advisor and business partner, rather than simply a hired professional. While he is prepared to take every case to trial or wage aggressive union election campaigns, Ben recognizes that the best resolution for his clients rarely involves going that far.
