Gail C. Bradford

Ms. Bradford received her Juris Doctor degree from Roger Williams University School of Law in 1998. While attending law school, she worked as a Law Intern for the United States Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorney; and served as a Law Clerk for a private civil litigation firm in Boston, Massachusetts. Before attending law school, she attended Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1991, earning both General Honors and Honors in her major of Communication. She went on to earn her Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 1995 from the University of Baltimore. She was admitted to practice in Massachusetts in 1998 and in Georgia and Florida in 2000. She is currently a member of the United States Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States District Courts of the Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Florida, and the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia.

Ms. Bradford has significant local governmental experience, having worked as an attorney for the City of Atlanta, Georgia, where she became involved in both administrative duties and litigation on behalf of the City of Atlanta. As both an Associate and Assistant City Attorney, she represented the City of Atlanta and City employees in civil litigation proceedings in federal, state, and administrative venues and transactional proceedings. Ms. Bradford regularly attended City Council meetings to advise the City Council regarding procedural and other matters that arose during public meetings. She also counseled the City Department of Corrections in Internal Affairs investigations regarding employee misconduct and represented the Department in administrative employee disciplinary hearings before City boards. She has extensive experience researching and writing legal memoranda, briefs, motions, and other legal documents, and as part of her City Attorney duties researched and wrote legal opinions in response to Mayor’s and Councilmembers’ concerns and questions. Ms. Bradford drafted municipal legislation and executive orders, particularly regarding municipal employee ethics and standards of conduct and assisted in formulation of City of Atlanta Board of Ethics in accordance with City ordinances.

Ms. Bradford entered private practice in 2002, but has continued to represent and advise governmental employers since that time. She has significant experience in labor and employment matters and her practice concentrates on employment law, primarily on behalf of employers, civil rights litigation, and municipal and governmental liability, primarily with regard to public safety matters. She has defended clients in administrative hearings and state and federal civil litigation, including employee discipline and termination hearings and claims alleged under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), and Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) claims. She regularly counsels and advises clients regarding their obligations in addressing Charges of Discrimination filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR), and prepares detailed responses to such Charges. She also regularly counsels clients regarding specific workplace matters to avoid claims and litigation and drafts memoranda of law regarding that research and advice. Along those same lines, she assists clients in development and application of employment policies and practices to avoid or limit claims and exposure. She represents the firm’s clients at all stages of litigation, from pre-suit claim analysis, to trial, and through appeal in administrative, state, and federal venues. In addition, Ms. Bradford conducts workplace investigations regarding employee complaints and concerns.

Ms. Bradford regularly conducts training and seminar presentations. She presented regarding ADA Compliance at the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers Summer Conference in June 2015, at the request of the office of the Orange County Clerk. She also has experience teaching continuing legal education courses. Ms. Bradford also served as an Adjunct Professor in the Paralegal Studies program at Valencia Community College. Personally, she serves as volunteer Legal Counsel and has served as a Foster Parent for Florida Dachshund Rescue.