N. DeWayne Pope is Of Counsel in the Birmingham and Atlanta offices of GRSM and is a member of the Commercial Litigation, Employment Law, Construction, Government Investigations & Enforcement Defense, Transportation, and Unfair Competition practice groups. He has extensive experience representing corporate clients in state and federal court litigation, mediation and arbitration relating to business disputes and consumer claims. He also has extensive experience representing employers in a wide variety of employment litigation in both state and federal courts as well as in administrative settings before the EEOC, NLRB and Department of Labor.

In addition to his litigation practice, DeWayne counsels employers on best practices for employment law compliance and provides real-time solutions when issues arise in the workplace, specifically with regard to disability accommodation, leave issues, workplace investigations, wage and hour issues, discipline, termination and litigation avoidance. His counseling work also includes drafting of employment handbooks, policies and procedures, protecting company intellectual property, and management training.

DeWayne is also an adjunct professor of employment law at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Collat School of Business.

  •  Contributing author, Jury Instructions for Employment Defense Litigators, FMLA, Defense Research Institute, Defense Library Series
  • Contributing author, Employment Law E-Desk Reference, Chapters on FMLA and OSHA, Defense Research Institute Defense Library Series
  • Contributing author, Young Lawyers’ Form Book, Chapter on Implied Contract Claims, Defense Research Institute Defense Library Series
  • Author, “A Practitioner’s Guide to Affirmative Defenses,” 57 Ala. Law. 86 (March 1996) (cited by Alabama Supreme Court in Pierce v. Hand, Arendall, Bedsole, Greaves & Johnston, 678 So. 2d 765 (Ala. 1996))

  • Speaker, “Hiring & Firing: Legal Dos and Don’ts for Crucial HR Functions” and “Employee Relations: Legal Solutions for Sensitive Workplace Issues,” Alabama Human Resource Law Bootcamp 2024, National Business Institute
  • Speaker, “Wage and Hour Law: The Basics and Beyond,” Defense Research Institute 28th Annual Employment Law Seminar
  • Speaker, “Discrimination, Harassment & Retaliation Claims” and “Wage & Hour Law: Best Practices & Current Developments,” Alabama Employment Law 2022, National Business Institute

Admissions

  • Alabama
  • Georgia
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern and Southern District of Alabama
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

Memberships

  • Labor & Employment Law Section, American Bar Association
  • Litigation Section, American Bar Association
  • Alabama State Bar
  • Georgia State Bar
  • Commercial Litigation Committee, DRI
  • Employment Law Committee, DRI
  • Marketing Chair, Litigation Skills Committee, DRI

Education

  • J.D., Samford University Cumberland School of Law, 1993
  • B.A., cum laude, Political Science, University of South Alabama, 1990
  • B.S., cum laude, Accounting, University of South Alabama, 1990

Clerkships

  • Honorable Robert Varner, United States District Court, Middle District of Alabama

Honors

  • AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell (2013-present)
  • Mid-South Super Lawyers, Employment & Labor (2016-2020)
  • Alabama Super Lawyers, Employment & Labor (2013-2015)
  • Top Attorneys, Employment Law, Birmingham Magazine (2012-2015)
  • Best Lawyers in America® distinction in Litigation – Labor and Employment (2024-2025)
  • Super Lawyers® distinction in Civil Litigation Defense and Business Litigation (2004-2019, 2022-2024)