Debbie Whittle Durban
South Carolina
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Meridian, 17th Floor
1320 Main Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Tel: 803.255.9465
Email:
debbie.durban@nelsonmullins.com
Web:
www.nelsonmullins.com
Key Experience:
- Has defended employers against individual and class claims of employment discrimination on the basis of age, race, national origin, disability, religion, and sex, including sexual harassment; wage and hour claims, Family and Medical Leave act issues, enforceability of covenants not to complete, breach of employment contracts; retaliation; wrongful discharge; trade secrets, ERISA, and other employment-related suits
- Has represented companies regarding compliance with ADA public accommodation standards
- Has counseled employers on compliance issues and development of strategies designed to avoid litigation
- Has drafted and revised policies and handbooks for employers and institutions of higher education
Honors & Recognition:
- Benchmark Litigation, Labor and Employment Star (2021)
- S.C. Supreme Court Pro Bono Honor Roll (2019, 2020)
- The Best Lawyers in America, Labor and Employment Litigation (2013–2022)
- South Carolina Super Lawyers (2010–2021)
Education:
- University of South Carolina School of Law, JD, cum laude (1999)
- University of South Carolina, BA, Political Science
Admissions:
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
Leadership:
- Advisory Board, Employment and Labor Law Specialization
- Board Member, Employment and Labor Law Section, SC Bar
Whether you are seeking to:
- understand your obligations under federal, state and local employment laws
- create or revise an employment agreement, restrictive covenant or employee handbook
- implement or discuss employment-related policies, procedures or measures
- receive guidance for union organizing, labor disputes or collective bargaining matters
- defend individual, class, and collective lawsuits brought by an employee or employees
our team is here to help.
Our team works with a diverse group of employers—some with large in-house legal, human resources, and labor/employee relations teams, and others with limited or no in-house support. We collaborate directly with your management team to increase efficiencies and synergies that support your business and employee relations goals.
We help clients manage:
- Properly classifying and paying employees under federal and state laws, including the FLSA, Davis-Bacon Act and Service Contract Act
- Internal investigations including wage-hour audits
- EEOC or NLRB charges, OFCCP audits and OSHA inspections
- Claims of harassment, retaliation and discrimination
- Positive employee relations strategies
- Lawful responses to union organizing
- Training of management on compliance with federal and state employment laws
Nelson Mullins is a diversified law firm of more than 800 attorneys, policy advisors, and professionals across 25 offices serving clients in more than 100 practice areas.
- Our litigators are trial lawyers, serving Fortune 200 clients, litigating high-stakes matters, and participating on national and virtual trial teams.
- Our corporate and transactional teams provide high quality corporate, securities, finance, venture capital, commercial real estate, real estate capital markets, and technology services.
- Our government relations team serves clients at the federal, state and local levels and includes former high-ranking government officials.
- Our intellectual property group has been recognized nationally for IP litigation and provides a full-range of IP services for clients across industry sectors.
- Our Nelson Mullins Encompass team is a dedicated practice group that provides integrated e-discovery and information governance services to clients on a flexible and scalable basis, serving as Enterprise E-Discovery Counsel for Fortune 200 clients and empowering focused and defensible strategies with law firm accountability.
Together, we serve as trusted advisors to clients across a range of business sectors with client relationship fundamentals of quality, dependability, solution-oriented service and value.
Certified Specialist in Employment and Labor Law, South Carolina Supreme Court