Clifford Maxwell Weiss

• Georgia, 1990

• Georgia Supreme Court, 1990

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 1991

• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 1991

• J.D. - Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, Georgia, 1990

  • Recipient, Emory Law School Merit Scholarship; Jessup International Moot Court Team; Emory Moot Court Society; Arthur K. Bolton Best Brief Award; Most Amazing Student Award for Torts; Founder, Emory School of Law Wine Tasting Society; Research Assistant for Dean, David Epstein; Student Director for Nationally Acclaimed Emory/N.I.T.A. Trial Techniques Program.

• B.A. - Emory University, 1987

  • Major: Economics & Psychology

    • President, Benjamin S. Pius Pre-Law Society; President, Beta Theta Pi Fraternity; Inter-Fraternity Counsel; Emory Student Concerns Committee.

Reported Cases

• Peters v. Rock-Tenn Co., 903 N.E.2d 1256, 180 Ohio App.3d 10, 2008 Ohio 6444 (Ohio App., 2008);

• Peters v. Rock-Tenn Co., 2011 Ohio 6771 (Ohio, 2011);

• Cantrell v. Currey, 407 F.Supp.2d 1280 (M.D. Ala., 2005);

• Turntime v. State, 424 S.E.2d 877, 206 Ga.App.226 (Ga. App., 1992);

• Clack v. Rock-Tenn Co., 304 Fed.Appx. 339 (6th Cir. 2008);

• Gilreath v. Rock-Tenn Co., No. 1:10-cv-7 (E.D. Tenn. 2011);

• Equal Employment Opportunity Comm'n v. Rock Tenn Co., 774 F.Supp.2d 961, 111 Fair Empl.Prac.Cas. (BNA) 1825 (E.D. Ark., 2011);

• Trimble v. Alliance-DeKalb, 801 F.Supp.2d 764 (N.D. Ill., 2011);

• Zeese v. Smurfit–Stone Container Corp., 487 B.R. 455 (E.D. Va., 2011);

• Robinson v. Rocktenn CP, LLC, 986 F.Supp.2d 1287 (N.D. Ala., 2013).

  • Additionally, I have litigated numerous other cases in county courts throughout the United States, which were not reported.

Legal Experience

FOX and WEISS, P.A., Managing Principal/Attorney, 2005-Present

Managing principal of the Atlanta office of Fox and Weiss, P.A. Responsible for all aspects of management, organization, client development, finance, and strategic planning. Focuses law practice in the areas of employment law and litigation. Provides legal advice, planning and defense to both publicly traded and private companies, as well as insurance carriers and TPA’s.

ZADOK PUBLISHING, LLC, General Counsel, 2012-2014 (Part-time)

Managed all legal and business operations of company that published weekly community newspapers, quarterly magazines, and books. Handled all budgetary and strategic planning. Supervised personnel. Revised the newspaper and its business model. Drafted articles on business, law, politics, and entertainment, as well as edited submissions to the paper.

EMORY UNIVERSITY, Chief Counsel, Emory Student Legal Services, 1990-2018

Supervised, and instructed a staff of forty law students, in a clinical “legal aid” program, to provide free legal services to students, faculty, and employees of Emory University on Thursday evenings. Taught law students how to prepare for, and interact with actual clients on real issues. Provided legal advice to members of the Emory community.

EMORY UNIVERSITY, Adjunct Professor of Law, Instructor 1990-2011 (Part-time)

Taught courses in Trial Techniques, Wage & Hour Law, as well as Legal Research, Writing and Appellate Advocacy.

GA. ASSOC. OF PERSONNEL SERVICES, General Counsel, 1998-2010 (Part-time)

Provided legal advice and business planning to the largest association of recruiting, placement, and personnel firms in the state of Georgia. Reviewed and implemented Association policies and practices. Wrote articles on legal issues affecting the industry for the monthly newsletter. Conducted seminars for members on business strategies and legal considerations.

HOME MORTGAGE FINANCIAL CORP., General Counsel, 2006-2008 (Part-time)

Provided legal advice and drafted all contracts for to start-up mortgage lender on residential and commercial real estate matters. Handled all corporate compliance and governance issues. Created and implemented all personnel policies and codes of conduct. Liaison to governmental agencies. Resolved all business disputes.

GA. DEPT. OF COMMUNITY HEALTH, State Administrative Hearing Officer, 1999-2008

Appointed by Governor Roy Barnes and again by Governor Sonny Perdue to work with the newly devised department of the State government. Continued to utilize knowledge of the healthcare industry, economics, and law in deciding cases. Presided over trials, adjudicated verdicts, and entered orders regarding applications for Certificates of Need for new institutional health services requested to be provided by doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare systems.

ROBIN & WEISS, P.A., Managing Principal/Attorney, 1999-2005

Managing principal of the Atlanta office of the Savannah based firm, Robin & Weiss, P.A. Responsible for all aspects of management, organization, client development, finance, and strategic planning. Focused law practice in the areas of commercial law, employment law, healthcare, and corporate transactions/litigation.

STATE HEALTH PLANNING AGENCY, State Administrative Hearing Officer, 1997-1999

Appointed by Governor Zell Miller. Utilized knowledge of the healthcare industry, economics, and law in deciding cases. Presided over trials, adjudicated verdicts, and entered orders regarding applications for Certificates of Need for new institutional health services requested to be provided by doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare systems.

WIMBERLY & LAWSON, P.C. (Atlanta Office), Attorney, 1992-1997

Focused law practice in the areas of labor & employment and corporate transactions/litigation. Represented several national franchisors and gained knowledge and experience in franchise law. Litigated and developed programs for employers in all aspects of employment law, including Affirmative Action Plans. (After being appointed State Administrative Hearing Officer, I left the firm due to potential conflicts of interest with some of Wimberly & Lawson’s healthcare clients.)

THOMPSON, MANN & HUTSON (Atlanta Office), Attorney, 1990-1992

Limited law practice to labor & employment. Litigated and developed programs for employers in all aspects of employment law. (Atlanta office closed, and all attorneys merged with the Atlanta office of Wimberly & Lawson, P.C.)

Awards & Affiliations

Recipient of an A.V. rating, which is the highest rating given by Martindale-Hubbell for competence, ability and professionalism among attorneys. Ranked as one of the 18 best employment lawyers in Atlanta by Expertise.com. Achieved a perfect 10 rating among peers and highest 5 Star rating from clients on Avvo.com. Recognized as a Legal Leader by Corporate Counsel Magazine, and recognized for outstanding accomplishments in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. Former registered mediator and arbitrator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. Member of the State Bar of Georgia. Former President, Vice-President, and member of Board of Trustees of Temple Beth Tikvah. Board of Directors of the 501(c)3, Legal Aid for All, Inc. Board of Trustees of Atlanta Jewish Academy, and Board of Directors of Serve and Mentor, Inc. 

Publications and Speaking Engagements

Publications

• Authored numerous articles about economics, business and politics. (Zadok Publishing, LLC, 2012-2014.)

• Co-author of the labor and employment chapters of the legal encyclopedia, Georgia Jurisprudence,(West Publishing Co., 1996).

• Author of the chapters on wage & hour laws and child labor laws in the book Georgia Apartment Law, (Georgia Apartment Assoc. Publishing, 1997, 2000, 2005).

• Research Assistant and preliminary drafter of several chapters in the book Wage and Hour Law: Compliance & Practice, (Clark Boardman Callaghan, 1995).

• Author of several articles for the Georgia Association of Personnel Services’ newsletters.

• Co-authored Career Advising and Professional Development Guide (MIT Publishing 2021-2022). 

Seminars

Develops and presents programs throughout the Southeastern United States on topics concerning business planning and corporate law, labor & employment law, and human resources planning and practice. Recent seminars have been given to the following organizations: Georgia Association of Personnel Services; Georgia Association of Nurses in Long Term Care; Georgia Nursing Home Association; Georgia Continuing Medical Education; Georgia Child Care Association; and Emory University.

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS HAVE INCLUDED: Access General Insurance Agency; American Casualty Ins. Co.; AmSouth, Inc.; Atlanta Jewish Academy, Inc.; Atlanta Jewish Times; Atlantic Limousines, Inc.; Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP); Balfour Residential, LLC; Bank of America; Ben Meadows Company; BioMed Plus, Inc; Bojangles franchisees; The Bombay Company; Capetown Diamond/Capetown Luxury Group, Inc.; CNA Insurance Co.; Continental Casualty Ins. Co.; Datatex TIS, A.G.; Diamond National Realty, LLC; Formula 1 Imports, Inc.; The Frick Co.; Gallagher Bassett Insurance Services; Gorin’s/Great Wraps/J. Brenner’s Restaurants; Hearthstone of Roswell Personal Care Home; Home Focus Services, LLC; Home Mortgage Corp.; Jackson Management Group/JMG Realty, Inc.; Kitchen Fronts of Georgia, Inc.; Leisure Bay Industries (Recreational Factory Warehouse); Midwood Management Services, LLC; Pilgrim Dust Control, Inc./Pilgrim Mat Services; Ponko Chicken franchisees; Preferred Administrative Services, Inc.; Rock-Tenn Corp.; Sandy Springs Locksmiths; Sheakley Uniservice, Inc.; Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.; Swiss Watch Expo, LLC; Temple Beth Tikvah; Travelers Insurance Companies; and Unicomp, Inc.