
Peter R. Spanos
Partner Atlanta, Georgia
Peter Spanos brings more than four decades of nationwide employment law experience to Taylor English. He represents a variety of local, regional, national, and international employers on complex employment law issues across numerous industries, including technology, manufacturing, healthcare, professional services, nonprofits, real estate, transportation, pharmaceuticals, construction and consulting. Mr. Spanos handles trials in federal and state courts, cases before the NLRB, the EEOC, the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA and state agencies, arbitrations, mediations and appeals.
Mr. Spanos is experienced in traditional labor law, including matters such as collective bargaining, union organizing, union elections, unfair labor practices, grievances and strikes. He also has specialized knowledge of the intersection of antitrust law and labor law.
Throughout his career, Mr. Spanos has worked in all facets of employment law, including employment discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, handbooks and policies, wage & hour compliance and collective actions, trade secrets, unfair competition, post-employment restrictive covenants, whistleblower claims, mergers and acquisitions, shareholder employees, corporate governance, occupational safety and health, employment agreements, severance agreements, non-disclosure agreements, independent contractors, and compensation.
In addition to his labor & employment practice, Mr. Spanos regularly represents non-profits in the areas of general governance, the duties and responsibilities of directors and officers, litigation, and amicus briefs, often acting as outside General Counsel. He provides guidance to both the professional staff and the members of non-profit Boards of Directors regarding complex legal issues, including: employment law; corporate law; membership law; the special considerations of non-profit taxation; federal legislation and lobbying; federal and state regulation of various industries; sports organizations; state regulation of fundraising and gambling; relations between national organizations and state affiliates; codes of ethics for members; meetings, trade shows and conventions; and antitrust compliance.
Prior to joining Taylor English, Mr. Spanos was a member of an international Am Law 100 firm.
Affiliations
- American Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section, 1978-1997
- Antitrust Law Section, 1981-1997
- Forum Committee on the Construction Industry, 1981-1997
- Atlanta Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section
- Buckhead Lions Club, Member, 1981-1998
- District of Columbia Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section Georgia Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section
- Harvard Club of Georgia
- Labor and Employment Law Council, Associated General Contractors, Chairman, 1997-1998
- Lawyers Club of Atlanta, 1981-2000
- Reflections Ministries, Board of Directors, 2005-Present The Telluride Association, Member, 1966-Present
Recognitions
- The Best Lawyers of America, 2020-2022
- Chambers USA: Leading Business Lawyers – Labor and Employment, 2009 – 2019
- Martindale-Hubbell AV® Rated
Practice Areas
- Employment & Labor Litigation
- Employment Counseling
- Labor Relations
- Non-Profit
Education
- University of Michigan Law School, JD, 1976
- Harvard College, AB, 1970
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Georgia
Courts
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
- United States Supreme Court
INSIGHT
Is A Union Resurgence Really Happening?
2022
The National Labor Relations Board announced in early April that union representation petitions increased 57% in the first half of the…
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Amazon Workers Reject Union Again
2022
Some commentators and advocates have maintained that recent union elections at several Amazon facilities in Alabama, New York and New…
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President Biden Advocates for Unions Against Amazon
2022
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11th Circ. Labor Ruling Shows Limits Of ‘Right-To-Work’ Laws
2022
In an article published by Law360 on February 17, 2022, Peter Spanos discusses the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit’s Jan….
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Bi-Partisan Legislation Banning Mandatory Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Claims Passes the House and Senate
2022
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Federal law banning mandatory arbitration of sex harassment claims passes Senate.
2022
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Bi-Partisan Legislation Banning Mandatory Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Claims
2022
A bill that would allow persons claiming sexual harassment or sexual assault under any federal, state or tribal law to opt out of any…
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Significant Labor Law Signals from New NLRB General Counsel
2021
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Mailbox “Interfered with Laboratory Conditions” But Amazon Did Not Threaten or Coerce Workers
2021
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Anticipated Executive Order on Noncompetes, Occupational Licenses and Mergers
2021
The Protecting the Right to Organize Act has not (yet) passed the Senate. While this legislation is pending and perhaps stalled, the…
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Supreme Court Strikes Down California’s Regulation Allowing Union Organizers to Access Agricultural Fields
2021
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NLRB Nominee’s Prior Support for Elements of the PRO Act
2021
It’s no surprise that President Joe Biden nominated a veteran union lawyer and advocate of progressive labor relations policies to the…
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Union Pressure to Pass PRO Act Escalates
2021
As explained in Kimberly Strassel’s Wall Street Journal Op Ed this morning, labor leaders are demanding that the Biden Administration…
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Amazon Warehouse Employees Reject Union
2021
The final tally of the votes in the Amazon warehouse union representation election came out this afternoon. The vote was a significant…
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Union Faces Loss in Amazon Warehouse Election
2021
About one-half of the unchallenged ballots in the Bessemer, Alabama Amazon warehouse union representation election were counted…
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Will PRO Act Pass as Part of Biden’s Infrastructure Legislation?
2021
We have predicted that the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress would seek to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO)…
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Former Union Leader Confirmed as Secretary of Labor
2021
The Biden administration’s agenda to reshape labor and employment laws in the United States moved forward another step yesterday with the…
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PRO Act Passes House Again. What Are the Prospects for a Senate Vote?
2021
The House of Representatives has passed the PRO Act as it did early last year. Support this year included five Republicans and all but…
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Unprecedented Presidential Support for Local Union Election in Alabama
2021
President Biden’s widely recognized video distributed by Tweet on Sunday night was an unprecedented instance of direct support of a union…
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National Minimum Wage Increase Dropped from Coronavirus Relief Legislation
2021
The anticipated increase in national minimum wage to $15 has been dropped from the coronavirus relief legislation pending in the Senate…
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Equality Act …Much more than just LGBTQ as a protected category.
2021
The House of Representatives has again passed the Equality Act which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include LGBTQ as a…
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Biden postpones minimum wage legislation
2021
As reported by Politico, President Biden has admitted to an audience of mayors and governors that the slim Democratic majority in the…
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Lift some above “poverty line” but others lose their jobs…
2021
The just-released and widely quoted Congressional Budget Office evaluation of the economic effects of the Biden administration’s push to…
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Union efforts at Amazon warehouse in Alabama — A taste of things to come?
2021
When automobile manufacturers and their suppliers moved production facilities to Alabama a few years ago, unions such as the…
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Quick steps again taken to move Biden labor & employment agenda ahead.
2021
As has been widely reported this morning, President Biden is rapidly doing whatever can be done by the Executive Branch to implement his…
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