Amanda Farahany | Barrett & Farahany

Helping employees find justice in eleven states with offices in Illinois, Georgia, and Alabama.

Amanda A. Farahany

Managing Partner

Known as an attorney who only takes serious and important cases, Amanda has established a reputation for taking and winning cases that defy the odds.  Amanda’s cases are regularly followed by the press. She seeks change for both individuals and for society as a whole using the law. A sought-after speaker and commentator, Amanda is regularly featured as a legal thought leader in publications and news segments.

Amanda’s work on behalf of employees has been widely recognized, and she is the recipient of numerous awards and achievements, including being elected again by her peers as “2024 Lawyer of the Year – Employment Law for Individuals” by Best Lawyers. 

Not only has Amanda been selected into Super Lawyers and the Best Lawyers year after year (Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers are selected based on peer nominations and evaluations are combined with independent research), she was recognized as a 2023 Advocacy Award Recipient by NELA Georgia, the Georgia affiliate of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA).

Her other notable awards and achievements include being elected as a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Attorneys, being listed in the “Top 50 Women in Georgia” by Super Lawyers, being listed in the National Advocate’s Top 100 Lawyers, and helping obtain the largest verdict in Georgia against an employer for race discrimination. The Atlanta Business Chronicle named her as a top twenty Woman of Influence in 2021. She currently serves on the Executive Board for the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) and was elected to the Board of Directors of Stand Up for Workers (SU4W), a political action committee dedicated to the needs and concerns of American workers. She is also AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has a 10-star rating on Avvo. Through Amanda’s leadership, Barrett & Farahany has been recognized as a “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News & World Report and “Best Litigation Firm of the Year” by the Fulton County Daily Report.

Through both her cases and her legislative efforts, Amanda advocates on behalf of individuals and strives to enact legal change for all employees who face similar hardships.

Because Georgia does not have laws to protect employees, Amanda has been working for years to pass legislation, both in the state of Georgia and in Congress. Recently, she has introduced three bills that will bring protection to Georgia workers and is working to pass them in the 2024 Georgia legislative session. Under the Pregnancy Protection Act, Georgia workers will be able to care for their children – both during and after pregnancy. The Workplace Harassment act that will provide workplace protection for the disabled, for women, from age discrimination and for religious and other protected characteristics.

At the national level, Amanda has been working to eliminate the government’s ability to take verdicts away from jurors in discrimination cases. Most people do not know that federal discrimination laws puts caps on damages – and that even if a jury enters a verdict for a wronged worker for full compensation or to send a message to other companies that deters discriminatory conduct – that a judge is forced to reduce that verdict. Amanda is working on the Equal Remedies Act of 2023 in Congress to ensure that all juries – in all states – have the ability to hold corporations accountable, that juror’s verdicts are not taken away, and that the 7th Amendment right to a jury trial is preserved.

Amanda also recognized that Georgia workers do not get their fair day in court – fighting an uphill battle to get to a jury.  In 2013, Amanda published a study analyzing and exposing how the courts handle employment discrimination that deny plaintiffs the right to have their cases heard by a jury. The study generated national interest and dialogue, from Huffington Post articles by retired federal judges to local television coverage of the debate between Amanda and a defense attorney about the role of the jury and judge in employment cases. The study is now featured in several scholarly articles and books. Since the original study, Barrett & Farahany has been working with academics to provide an online database demonstrating how sexual harassment and discrimination cases are handled by the federal judiciary, in order to allow more wronged workers the ability to have a jury – not a judge – decide their cases.

In addition to her law practice, Amanda has served as the President of various law organizations: the Atlanta Bar Association’s Labor & Employment section, the National Employment Lawyers Association in Georgia, and the Atlanta Council for Younger Lawyers. Additionally, among others she has served in these roles:

  • Executive Board of National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)
  • Co-chair of the American Association of Justice Wage and Hour Litigation Group
  • Executive Board Member of the Atlanta Bar Association
  • Chair of the Inadequate Security Litigation Group for the American Association of Justice
  • Member of the Executive Committee to the Atlanta Bar Association
  • Member of the Advisory Council to the National Crime Victim Bar Association
  • Board member of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, Crime Victim Advocacy Council, State Bar of Georgia Younger Lawyers Division, Public Affairs and Press Advisory Board to the American Association of Justice, and several domestic violence and women’s rights organizations
  • Founding member of Water-Life-Hope, a non-profit organization that works to bring running water to the impoverished in Haiti
  • Elected to the Board of Directors of Stand Up for Workers (SU4W)

A sought-after speaker and commentator, Amanda has been featured as a legal “thought leader” in publications and news segments. Human resource professionals and employment defense attorneys regularly seek her out as a presenter. Amanda has spoken and been published extensively regarding employment law cases related to sexual harassment, overtime and employment, civil justice for crime victims and sexual assault, and more. She has been published by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the American Association for Justice, the National Crime Victim Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia’s Institute for Continuing Legal Education, the National Employment Lawyers Association, and many others.

Amanda has been an invited faculty member for the Emory School of Law Trial Advocacy Program and for the National Employment Lawyers’ Association Trial Boot Camp. She was one of a selected few employment lawyers asked to serve on the Eleventh Circuit Committee to revise the Pattern Jury Instructions on employment-related issues. An experienced trial lawyer, Amanda has been awarded status as a Fellow of the National College of Advocacy by the American Association of Justice. This designation signifies her commitment to the effective representation of her clients and her dedication to achieving a high level of competence. Additionally, Amanda is a Fellow of the Lawyer’s Foundation of Georgia. Membership in the Fellows Program is an honor that recognizes lawyers whose public and private careers demonstrate outstanding legal abilities and devotion to their communities. In addition to these memberships and programs, Amanda was a recent competitor in the World Putting League (WPL) Pro-Am.

  • Cutting Edge Issues in Summary Judgment, National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) Fall Seminar Program (October 6-7, 2023)
  • How Georgia Law Fails Women in the Workforce, Georgia Women’s Legislative Caucus Fall Conference (October 5-7, 2023)
  • Top Trial Tricks & Techniques, National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) – Georgia CLE Seminar (September 27, 2023)
  • Practicing in Hostile Territory, National Employment Lawyers Association 2023 Annual Conference (July 2023)
  • Beyond 3L: Lady Lawyers Launch Retreat (November 2022)
  • Sexual Harassment: The End of Forced Arbitration, Atlanta Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Section Lunch Webinar Series (April 14, 2022)
  • Diversity Initiatives and Benevolent Employment Discrimination, Strafford Live Webinar (February 3, 2021)
  • COVID-19 and Returning to Work, WABE Radio (May 2020)
  • Your Online Rights, CBS Atlanta (April 2014)
  • Discrimination Cases in GA, GPB On The Story (April 2014)
  • State Law Claims and the Realities of Using Them, National Employment Lawyers Association-Georgia, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, GA (2004)
  • Keeping the Facts of the Case Organized, Law Office Technology, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, GA (2004)
  • Employment Claims Based on Georgia Law, 33rd Annual Labor and Employment Law Institute, State Bar of Georgia Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, GA (2003)
  • Closing Argument – Tying it All Together, National Employment Lawyers Association –GA Annual Convention, Negril, Jamaica (2003)
  • Confronting the Villains: Strategic Use of Adverse Witnesses, National Employment Lawyers Association Fall Seminar “The Theatre of Reality: Trial Skills For the Plaintiff’s Employment Lawyer (2003)
  • The Final Scene – Closing Arguments For a Happy Ending, National Employment Lawyers Association Fall Seminar “The Theatre of Reality: Trial Skills For the Plaintiff’s Employment Lawyer (2003)
  • Discovery in Negligent Security Cases, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA (2003)
  • Civil Justice for Sexual Assault Victims, Tenth Annual Victims Conference, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Atlanta, GA (2003)
  • Keynote Speaker for Legal Advocacy Fund Luncheon, American Association of University Women, Georgia Annual Convention, Atlanta, GA (2003)
  • The Employer Perspective, Balanced Lives: Employment Law Issues Affecting Women Attorneys, Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, GA (2003)
  • Getting the Most for the Buck in Sexual Harassment Settlements, 2003 Employment Rights Seminar, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, GA (2003)
  • Ethics in Employment Litigation, National Employment Lawyers Association – GA Annual Convention, Negril, Jamaica (2002)
  • Litigating State Law Torts in Georgia, National Employment Lawyers Association – GA Annual Convention, Negril, Jamaica (2002)
  • Refining Your Discovery Tactics, American Bar Association Labor and Employment Seminar, Atlanta, GA (2002)
  • Sexual Harassment, American Bar Association Labor and Employment Seminar, Atlanta, GA (2002)
  • Juror Bias after September 11, National Crime Victim Bar Association Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2002)
  • Civil Litigation for Crime Victims, Moderator, Inadequate Security Litigation Group, ATLA Annual Convention, Atlanta, GA (2002)
  • Juror Bias in Sexual Assault Cases, Ninth Annual Victims Conference, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Atlanta, GA (2002)
  • What To Do When You Are Fired, Lawman’s Lawyer, WPBA TV Channel 30, Atlanta, GA (2002)
  • State Law Torts and the Realities of Using Them, Employment Litigation: An Update for the Employment Practitioner, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, GA (2002)
  • Building and Maintaining a Law Practice, Atlanta Bar Association CLE on Solo/Small Firm Management, Atlanta, GA (2002)
  • Litigating Negligent Hiring Claims, National Crime Victim Bar Association Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2001)
  • Civil Litigation for Crime Victims, Seminar presented by National Center for Victims of Crime, Atlanta, GA (2000)
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Barrett & Farahany

Georgia Office

3344 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 800
Atlanta, GA 30326
334-237-7773

Alabama Office

2 20th St N, Suite 900,
Birmingham, AL 35203
866-951-0903

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77 W. Wacker Dr. Suite 4500
Chicago, IL 60601
773-337-7999

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Existing Clients: 866-989-0120