Senior Counsel
Ford & Harrison LLP
Memphis, TN
(901) 291-1529
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David Prather concentrates his practice on employment litigation and advice, representing employers in a broad range of employment matters. He handles employment discrimination and harassment cases (Title VII, ADA, ADEA and FMLA) and cases involving employment-related torts. He has considerable experience with FLSA litigation, including collective/class actions. Before initially joining Ford & Harrison in 2001, David practiced employment law in Mississippi.
In early 2008, David left Ford & Harrison after being appointed by the Bush Administration to serve as the Senior Advisor to the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor. He served as the second highest ranking political appointee within the Wage and Hour Division and performed key duties of the Deputy Administrator position, including oversight of the Wage and Hour opinion letter process, advising on the drafting of regulations and changes to the Field Operations Handbook, and meeting with Senate staff, employee advocates, and industry groups regarding FLSA policy issues.
David rejoined Ford & Harrison at the conclusion of the Bush Administration in January of 2009. David is also actively involved with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Labor Relations Committee (LRC). He sits on the LRC's Wage, Hour & Leave and Equal Employment Opportunity subcommittees and is a co-author of a Chamber white paper on labor and employment issues.
David is admitted to practice in all federal and state courts in Mississippi, the United States District Court for the Western and Middle Districts of Tennessee, the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas, and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits.
David is a graduate of the inaugural class of the Memphis Bar Association's Leadership Forum and subsequently sat on the Steering Committee. He has also chaired the personnel committee for the Memphis Bar Association. In 2007, he co-authored the book, Tennessee Employer's Guide to Hiring, Firing and Discipline, published by the American Chamber of Commerce Resources, LLC. David is also AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is a frequent speaker on employment law topics.
Education
Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, J.D., 1997
University of Tennessee, B.A., 1994