Overview

Jerry H. Walters Jr. has practiced management-side employment and labor law exclusively since 1997 and provides litigation and counseling services on a wide variety of employment and labor issues, including OSHA. He handles matters that arise under:

  • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1866
  • The Age Discrimination in Employment Act
  • The Americans with Disabilities Act
  • The Fair Labor Standards Act
  • The Equal Pay Act
  • The National Labor Relations Act
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
  • Other federal and state employment laws

He represents employers and management in employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful discharge cases, among others. He has also frequently appeared before administrative law judges representing employers in OSHA enforcement actions. Jerry also has special experience in defending wage and hour collective and class actions involving allegations of unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, unpaid missed or interrupted meal breaks, preliminary and postliminary unpaid time, misclassification of employees, and other FLSA and state wage and hour claims.

Additionally, Jerry assists clients with traditional labor matters such as unfair labor practices and union avoidance. He has successfully handled cases before federal and state courts, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the United States Department of Labor, and other administrative agencies. Jerry has represented and worked with clients in a wide range of industries, including:

  • Retail
  • Healthcare
  • Restaurant
  • Technology
  • Financial
  • Manufacturing
  • Construction
  • Satellite/Cable
  • Waste Hauling

Jerry currently serves as a Board Member of the Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association. He served as Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section from 2019 to 2020. Jerry served as Chair of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys’ Employment Practices Group from 2016 to 2017.

In 2008, the Governor appointed Jerry to serve as a member of the North Carolina Commission on Workforce Development (Commission), which develops policies and strategies that enable the State's workforce to compete in the current and future global economy. In addition to his service on the full Commission from 2008 to 2015, Jerry was selected and served on the Commission’s Strategic Planning Committee, chaired the Policy Committee, chaired the Technology Task Force, and served on the Commission's Executive Committee.

Prior to his experience in private practice, Jerry served as law clerk to the Hon. Richard L. Voorhees, then Chief Judge of the U. S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. In law school, he was a member of the Editorial Board of the Campbell Law Review.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Permanent Member

Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference

Board Member

Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association

Three-Year Term (2020-2023)

Chair

Labor and Employment Law Section

North Carolina Bar Association

2019-2020

Vice-Chair

Labor and Employment Law Section

North Carolina Bar Association

2018-2019

Council Member

Labor and Employment Law Section

North Carolina Bar Association

2016-2020

Co-Chair

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Committee, Labor and Employment Law Section

North Carolina Bar Association

2017-2019

Co-Chair

Membership Committee, Labor and Employment Law Section

North Carolina Bar Association

2015-2017

Member

Labor and Employment Law Section

North Carolina Bar Association

Chair

Employment Practice Group

North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys

2016-2017

Vice-Chair

Employment Practice Group

North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys

2015-2016

Member

North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys

Member

Mecklenburg County Bar Association

Member

Labor and Employment Law and Litigation Sections

American Bar Association

Member

Committee on Fair Labor Standards

American Bar Association

Member

Labor and Employment Law Section

Georgia Bar Association

Member

Defense Research Institute

Member

Rotary Club of Charlotte

Member

William H. Bobbitt Inn of Court

Member

Charlotte Chamber Board of Advisors

Member

North Carolina Commission on Workforce Development

2008-2015

Recognition

Named, The Best Lawyers in America®

2018-2024

Named, Super Lawyer in Employment and Labor Law

North Carolina

Super Lawyers

2011-2022

Named, Legal Elite in Employment Law

Business North Carolina

2008-2013, 2017-2018, 2020

Named, Rising Star in Employment and Labor Law

North Carolina

Super Lawyers

2010

Recipient, 40 Under 40 Award

Charlotte Business Journal

Class of 2009

Recipient, Movers & Shakers Award

Charlotte Business Leader Magazine

2009

Named, BTI Client Service All-Star Team for Law Firms

BTI Consulting

2008

Speaking Engagements

2022 Carolinas Regional Employer Conference

Charlotte, NC

September 8, 2022

Preparing for Change: DOL’s Final Rule on Overtime

Asian American Hotel Owners Association, Durham, NC

November 9, 2016

DOL Issues Final Overtime Rule - What Now?

Charlotte, NC

June 30, 2016

Preparing for Change: DOL’s Final Rule on Overtime

North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys 39th Annual Meeting & Spring Program, Asheville, NC

June 18, 2016

DOL's Proposed Changes to the White Collar Regulations: What Should Employers Do Now?

Charlotte, NC

July 28, 2015

Armoring Employers Against Wage and Hour Class Actions

Charlotte, NC

December 2, 2014

Education

  • J.D., Campbell University, 1996cum laude
  • B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1993with distinction

Bar Admission

North Carolina
Georgia

Courts

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Georgia