Overview
Caroline Brown is Of Counsel in the Atlanta office and a core member of the firm’s Wage and Hour Practice Group. The majority of her practice focuses on advising clients nationwide regarding compliance with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage, overtime, timekeeping, and exemptions. She also frequently counsels clients on corresponding state requirements and additional state laws further regulating payroll frequency, deductions, and the earning of wages generally as well as the interplay of these federal and state laws.
Caroline designs compensation plans, analyzes payroll processes, and reviews handbook policies and collective bargaining agreements with an eye towards giving practical advice that is customized based on each client's size, industry, and objectives. Due to her vast experience, when presented with a client's idea she regularly can identify issues likely to arise - and potential solutions. She relishes being able to provide a thumbnail sketch of the law to help a client narrow a project at an early stage as much as being able to delve into the details when the slightest change in fact upends an analysis and sends her down a different path - like an intricate flowchart made up of elaborate formulas and logic statements.
In addition to her client counseling role, she frequently acts as an internal consultant to colleagues, providing a historical take on evolving FLSA principles, context for agency overstepping and deference arguments, and data analysis for complex liability calculations arising out of class or collective actions. Her appreciation for mathematics and spreadsheets combined with her specialized knowledge of the FLSA's interwoven principles and a wealth of experience with various payroll practices make her an invaluable asset behind the scenes in litigation matters.
With over two decades of concentrating almost exclusively on wage matters at Fisher Phillips, Caroline has played a major role in defining the firm's position with respect to many federal regulatory developments. She has represented Fisher Phillips and individual clients in submitting comments to the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, attending Small Business Administration roundtables, and voicing legal and practical concerns to the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. She also has served as editor of the firm's Wage & Hour Law Blog, steward of its wage and hour materials for attorneys, principal contributor to its FP Navigate Wage & Hour Module subscription-based tool for clients, and founding co-chair of its Compensation Audit and Counseling Services team.