John W. Sheffield

John is a partner and member of the Labor & Employment Practice Group. He represents employers in all aspects of employment litigation in the areas of discrimination, Americans with Disabilities Act matters, age discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, breach of contract, wage and hour issues, and other related claims in federal and state courts. John also represents clients before administrative agencies and at settlement negotiations and alternative dispute proceedings. He regularly counsels clients concerning personnel policies and practices, and provides in-house training and seminars on a variety of labor and employment issues.

John is a graduate of Emory University (B.A., 1989) where he was an Emory Scholar, and the University of Alabama School of Law (J.D., 1992), where he was a member of the Alabama Law Review. He is a member of the bar of all federal district courts in Alabama and the Sixth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeal.

He is a frequent speaker on employment discrimination matters and is an active member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee of the Labor and Employment Section of the American Bar Association and the Alabama State Bar Labor and Employment Section. He is also a member of the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association and the Economic Development Association of Alabama. 

John is an avid fan of  NASCAR and the DEI Racing Team.

Significant Cases and Matters Handled:

• Doyle Hayes v. Sams Club: Obtained a jury verdict in favor of Sam's Club in a suit filed by a former store manager. Hayes claimed that he had been terminated due to his age.
• Cooper v. Brandenburg Industrial Services, Inc.: Obtained dismissal of an age discrimination lawsuit. The ruling was upheld on appeal by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Ronald Davis, et. al v. Delphi Automotive Systems, LLC: Obtained dismissal of five plaintiff harassment lawsuit. The ruling was affirmed by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Hale v. SCB Computer Technology, Inc.: Successfully handled the appeal of the trial court's dismissal of an Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit.

• American Bar Association, Equal Employment Opportunity Committee of the Section of Labor and Employment
• American Bar Association, committee on Employment and Labor Relations Law of the Section of Litigation
• Alabama State Bar, Labor & Employment Section
• Birmingham Bar Association
• American Employment Law Council
• Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association

• American Employment Law Council, October 2004, "The Retaliation Gambit; Strategies for Negating the Plaintiff's Bar's Favorite Claim"
• Alabama Bar Institute for Continuing Legal Education, February 2005, "Current Retaliation Developments From Title VII to Sarbanes Oxley"
• Council on Education in Management, Alabama FMLA Update, June 2004 and December 2004; "Update on the ADA and State Disability Laws; Managing and Accommodating Employees With Disabilities"
• Alabama State Labor and Employment Meeting, October 2001; "Discovery and Evidentiary Issues In Employment Discrimination Cases From the Defendant's Perspective"
• Time Off In Alabama: State And Federal Laws On Employee Leave, Vacations and Holidays, December 2001 and December 2000; "Americans With Disabilities Act"
• Hot Issues in the Workplace, Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Birmingham Society for Human Resource Management, April 2001; "Handling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace"
• An Update on the Americans With Disabilities Act, July 2000
• An Introduction to Alabama Labor and Employment Law, July 2000
• "The Americans With Disabilities Act," Alabama Association of Health Underwriters, July 2000
• "Update on the Americans With Disabilities Act," Alabama Retail Association Meeting, June 2000
• American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law; EEO Basics, September 2000; "Preliminary Issues and Discovery"
• The Americans With Disabilities Act in Alabama, 1999, "Cutting Edge Issues and Developments"
• Expanding Horizons in Employment Law, April 1998; "Age Discrimination: OWBPA and ADEA"
• Current Issues in Employment Law, December 1997; "The Interplay Between FMLA and ADA and Recent Developments under Both Statutes"
• Alabama State Labor and Employment Meeting, 1997; "Alabama's Age Discrimination in Employment Act"
• ABA EEO Basics, 1997; "Ethical Issues in Employment Discrimination Law"
• ABA Annual Meeting, 1995, "Motions in Limine in Employment Discrimination Cases"

• Author, "Navigating Current Trends Under the ADA," Employee Relations Law Journal, Summer 2005
• Author, "A Practitioner's Guide to the Alabama Age Discrimination Act of 1997," The Alabama Lawyer, March 1998.

Areas of Practice:

Employment Counseling
Employment Law
Employment Litigation
Labor & Employment
Labor and Employment Regulatory Compliance
Labor Law
Labor-Relations and Union Avoidance
Litigation
Workplace Health & Safety

Law School:

The University of Alabama School of Law, J.D., 1992

Education:

Emory University, B.A., 1989

Admitted to Practice:

• Alabama, 1992
• United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
• United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama

Email: jsheffield@johnstonbarton.com
Phone: 205-458-9481
Fax: 205-458-9500

Legal Secretary:

Sandie Martin
slm@johnstonbarton.com
205-458-9426