Brian Sutherland
Partner
Brian J. Sutherland is an accomplished trial and appellate civil rights lawyer who has won justice for clients at every level, from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Brian has deep experience, having represented hundreds of clients in a wide variety of employment discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower, sexual harassment, overtime and minimum wage, and civil rights cases. He has tried multiple cases to juries in the state and federal courts of Georgia, winning substantial relief for working people. For example, Brian won an award of $622,000 for a 911 operator after the jury found violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
More recently, Brian served as lead counsel at the U.S. Supreme Court for Gerald Bostock, the plaintiff in the landmark case of Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, which banned workplace discrimination against LGBTQ people nationwide. Prior to Bostock, employees could be fired on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity in several states, but Brian and his co-counsel persuaded the Supreme Court that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ people from workplace discrimination too. Brian was interviewed by national media and invited to the National Press Club to discuss sex discrimination and the Bostock case.
Brian has also represented clients in other civil rights cases. His first job as a lawyer was as a Staff Attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project in Atlanta, representing voters and communities of color in voting rights cases. Brian has since continued to represent those seeking to safeguard the fundamental right to vote in Georgia and elsewhere. He represented the NAACP, the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO), and voters in Gwinnett County in a case brought under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which recognized the right of voters of color join together in coalitions for voting rights lawsuits. As an Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, he helped the Washington State Attorney General’s Office secure a $2.2 million settlement and other relief for immigrants who alleged that a nationwide bus company unlawfully allowed federal agents onboard to question and detain them.
Brian graduated summa cum laude in 2006 from the Seattle University School of Law, an institution known for preparing lawyers to pursue social justice as part of the Jesuit Catholic tradition of Seattle University. After working as a Staff Attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project, he served as a Trial Attorney for the U.S. E.E.O.C. in Miami, Florida, where he litigated cases for the federal government on behalf of victims of employment discrimination and retaliation. Brian then joined and later became partner at Buckley Beal, a highly regarded plaintiff’s employment and business litigation firm in Atlanta. From 2020 to 2022, he served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, participating in litigation against the Trump Administration and other civil rights cases. He has also published in law journals about civil rights issues and co-authored a book about Georgia employment law.
Brian is a member of the State Bars of Georgia and Washington State, and is admitted to practice in the Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court, the federal courts of Georgia and Washington State, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court. He is also a member of the Atlanta Bar Association and the St. Thomas More Society of Atlanta. In his spare time, he enjoys bicycling, sailing, and chasing his two young sons around the yard.
Awards
5 Star Reviews
At Beal Sutherland Berlin & Brown, your satisfaction is our priority! See for yourself what our clients have to say about working with us.
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“Tremendous experience with Rachel and her team.”- Brian J.
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“a professional service and excellent compliance and efficiency”- Carlos M.
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“This Firm did in fact win one for the average Joe & I highly recommend them.”- Shawn F.
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“Definitely exceeded expectations.”- Marcus C.
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“- Susan C.
”Rachel was amazing and made the process better than expected.
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“Rachel was honest never giving false hope. She explained things in detail and addressed concerns.”- Former Client
In the News
- Engineers' Counsel Requests $220K In Forced Labor Suit, Law 360, September 2024
- Fighting an Employee: Here's When Brian Sutherland Says Employers Should Throw in the Towel, Law.com, August 2024
- Hyundai Logistics Unit Accused of ‘Bait and Switch’ Visa Scheme, Bloomberg Law, June 21, 2024
- Kia, Hyundai Still Face RICO Claims In Foreign Labor Suit, Law360, May 28, 2024
- $400 a Day: Frivolous Litigation Leads to Sanction, About $10K Attorney Fees, Law.com, May 21, 2024
- Stryker Worker Appeal Puts Focus on Early Leave for Child Birth, Bloomberg Law, May 16, 2024
- Georgians With Disabilities Deserve Their Day in Court, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 22, 2024
- Beal Sutherland Berlin & Brown Named Litigation Department of the Year Finalist, Best Mentor Finalist and On the Rise Honoree in 2024 Southeastern Legal Awards, Law.com, April 18, 2024
- Georgia Health Facility to Face Trial on Transgender Bias Claim, Bloomberg Law, April 4, 2024
- Transgender Woman's Discrimination Claims Against Behavioral Health Hospital Cleared for Trial, Law.com, April 2, 2024
- Transgender Woman's Healthcare Bias Case Teed Up For Trial, Law360, April 1, 2024
- Mexican Workers Exploited at Georgia Factories, Lawsuits Claim, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 1, 2024
- Letter to the Editor: General Assembly Needs to Protect ADA Rights of State Employees, Law.com, March 29, 2024
- Foreign Workers Sue Over Alleged Illegal Recruiting Scheme, Law360, March 27, 2024
- Mexican Nationals Allege ‘Bait-and-Switch’ Scheme That Misled Them Into Manual Labor Job, Law360, March 22, 2024
- Case Dismissed: $10K in Attorney Fees Awarded and Anti-SLAPP Motion Granted, Law360, February 20, 2024
- Engineers Say Auto Parts Maker Traffics Mexican Labor, Law360, October 26, 2023
- Ex-Cop Sues West Point, Law.com, July 25, 2023
- Ga. Cases To Watch In The Second Half Of 2023, Law360, July 21, 2023
- Workers Fight Kia Bid To End Labor, Pay Class Claims, Law360, June 6, 2023
- Mexican Engineer Says RICO Work Visa Row On Solid Ground,Law360 - May 22, 2023
- Engineers Recruited by Carmakers End Up on the Assembly Line, Bloomberg - April 25, 2023
- EEOC Transgender Bias Lawsuit Bolsters Agency Enforcement Plan, Bloomberg Law - April 5, 2023
- Mexican Worker Says Hyundai Misled Him About Tech Job, Law360, – Oct. 17, 2022
- Fired for Being Gay? Ex-Court Employee Gets $825k to Settle Employment Lawsuit, Daily Report
- Walmart Pregnancy Accommodation Ruling Puts Pressure on Congress, –Aug. 19, 2022
- Hall & Lampros Nabs “Mastermind” of High Court LGBTQ Case – April 13, 2022
- LGBT Battle for Bathroom Access, Pronouns Pivots to Worker Suits, Bloomberg Law, – July 19, 2022
- Abortion-Related Workplace Discrimination Still Banned Post-Roe, Bloomberg Law, – July 6, 2022
- Anxiety, PTSD Drive Rise in Mental Health Employment Bias Claims, Bloomberg Law, – April 11, 2022
- Greyhound Inks Deal Ending Border Agent Bus Sweep Suit, Law360.Com, – Sept. 27, 2021
- Bid to Halt Health Discrimination Rule Draws Judge’s Scrutiny, Bloomberg News, – Aug. 14, 2020
- In Georgia Case, High Court Holds LGBT Employees Are Protected by Sex Discrimination Law, Fulton County Daily Report, – June 15, 2020
- Supreme Court Brief: Atlanta Firm Advocating for LGBT Protections | Rare Intervention Grant | Verrilli Leads for Sandy Hook Victims | Big Law Arbitration Clauses, National Law Journal, – Oct. 10, 2019
- Gerald Bostock has his day in court, Washington Blade, – Oct. 9, 2019
- National Press Club, LGBTQ Rights and Workplace Discrimination, – Oct. 8, 2019
- LGBT workers head to Supreme Court for blockbuster discrimination cases: ‘I’ll be that person to stand up’, CNBC, – Oct. 7, 2019
- Georgia man who says he was fired for being gay takes case to U.S. Supreme Court, WSB-TV, – Oct. 7, 2019
- The Supreme Court Will Judge Employers’ Shady Excuses for Firing LGBTQ People, Vice News, – Oct. 7, 2019
- Supreme Court to decide whether employers can legally fire workers because they’re LGBTQ, NBC News, – Oct. 4, 2019
- Georgia man brings gay rights case to U.S. Supreme Court, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, – Oct. 4, 2019
- Fired After Joining a Gay Softball Team, This Man Is Fighting Back, The Advocate, – Oct. 4, 2019
- Gerald Bostock Was Fired. He Wants His Supreme Court Case to Help Change LGBTQ Rights in America, The Daily Beast, – Sept. 20, 2019
- LGBTQ Workers Tell High Court Title VII Protects Them, Law360.Com, – Sept. 10, 2019
- U.S. Supreme Court to hear Georgia case on gay, lesbian workplace bias, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, – Apr. 22, 2019
- 11th Circuit Case Is in the Scotus Mix on LGBT Workplace Discrimination, Law.Com, – April 22, 2019
- 11th Circuit Eases Standard Used by Employees to Make Preliminary Case for Bias, But Splits on Timing of Analysis, Daily Report, – March 21, 2019
- Georgia Law Limited Interpreters at the Polls, New Election Lawsuit Alleges, Daily Report, – Nov. 28, 2018
- Buford school board apologizes over slurs in tape, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, – Aug. 29, 2018
- 11th Circ. Draws Judge’s Ire With En Banc Review Refusal, Law360.Com, – July 18, 2018
- Fired Banks County 911 Operator Awarded $622K for ADA, FMLA Claims, Daily Report, – Dec. 17, 2018
- SCOTUS Asked to Ignore Circuit Split on Sexual Orientation Discrimination, Daily Report, – Aug. 10, 2018
- Appeals court again rules gays, lesbians not a protected class, WRAL.COM, – July 20, 2018
- Full 11th Circuit Declines to Take Up LGBT Workplace Protection Case, Daily Report, – July 19, 2018
- Advancing Justice Seeks To Protect Limited English Proficient Voters in Georgia, Asian American Advancing Justice, – Nov. 27, 2018
- Eleventh Circuit Case Asks SCOTUS for LGBT Protection in the Workplace, Daily Report, – June 28, 2018
- Court Rejects Georgia Officials’ Efforts To Block Voting Rights Lawsuit, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100, – May 17, 2017
- Minority Groups Sue Gwinnett County, Allege Voting Rights Violations, Daily Report, – Aug. 8, 2016
- Lawyers’ Committee Files Major Lawsuit Against Gwinnett County, Georgia Alleging Violation of the Voting Rights Act, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, – Aug. 8, 2016
- Interview on the Monica Pearson Radio Show, – Aug. 23, 2015
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