On May 24, 2012, Schwartz Rollins ("SR") served as a proud sponsor of the 2^nd Annual National Small Business Week Summit organized by Georgia State Representative Dar’shun Kendrick. The event, which was held at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, was well attended by a host of elected officials, representatives from the Dekalb and Rockdale -Conyers Chamber of Commerce, small business owners, and professionals. The summit featured motivational speakers and a host of informational meetings on a variety of topics of interest to small businesses, including marketing, financial planning, state resources and programs for entrepreneurs and small business owners, and legal compliance.  SR was a proud sponsor of the event.  SR attorneys Jay Rollins and Charlotte Redo spent the day educating attendees on employment law topics, passing out literature, and sharing information about the firm. Charlotte Redo also served on two legal panels that provided legal advice to the attendees.All sponsor contributions from the summit go directly to support the Rockdale Coalition of Children and Families, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes the well being of children and families in the Rockdale community. www.rockdalecoalition.org.

On March 3, 2011, after over 3 years of litigation, a U.S. District Court jury in Atlanta found for plaintiff George Hernandez, a police lieutenant with 20 years of tenure, on his claim of retaliation against Defendant Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and Defendant Chief of MARTA Police Wanda Dunham, awarding Mr. Hernandez a total of $700,000 against the defendants. The award included punitive damages against Dunham after the jury determined that Dunham had acted with malice or reckless indifference to the plaintiff’s federally-protected rights in retaliating against him, by among other things, refusing to promote him to Assistant Chief.  This case was tried by Schwartz Rollins partners Debra Schwartz and Jay Rollins and is one of the largest single-plaintiff employment verdicts in the State of Georgia.  After the Verdict, District Court Judge Timothy Batten awarded an additional amount in excess of $500,000 in costs and attorney fees.  Hernandez v. MARTA et al., 1:08-cv-1852-TCB (N.D. Ga.).

Schwartz Rollins represented Savannah State University's former football coach Robby Wells in negotiating a $240,000 settlement to dismiss a federal discrimination lawsuit he filed in 2010 claiming the historically black college fired him because he's white.  Schwartz Rollins was paid $110,000 in addition to the money paid to Coach Wells.  The settlement was finalized in writing on November 10, 2011.  Wells v. Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia et al., 1:10-cv-01593-RLV (N.D. Ga.).

Partners Debra Schwartz and Jay Rollins were named to the list if Georgia Super Lawyers as published by the Atlanta Magazine in it’s March Edition, for the ninth consecutive year.  Schwartz and Rollins were each also awarded the highest rating of AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, and Schwartz was named to Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers. Schwartz was also named as one of the Best Lawyers in America for the 10th consecutive year, by bestlawyers.com.  Rollins and Schwartz were both named in the list of Best Lawyers in Georgia as published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Wall Street Journal.