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Fisher Phillips is strengthening its roots in Atlanta with a high-profile combination. On Monday, the national labor and employment firm announced it has merged with Elarbee Thompson Sapp & Wilson LLP, a boutique powerhouse long known in the Southeast for employment litigation. The deal adds 22 attorneys — 13 partners and nine associates — to Fisher Phillips, pushing its Atlanta headcount past 60 lawyers and making it one of the firm’s largest offices nationwide.

Why the Merger Matters

John Polson, chair and managing partner of Fisher Phillips, said the expansion cements Atlanta’s role as a strategic hub. “Atlanta is the hub of the Southeast, and a hotbed for business in construction, healthcare, manufacturing, technology, and transportation — all industries in which we overlap,” he told Law360 Pulse. “Adding bench strength in those sectors was an attractive opportunity for us.”

Polson emphasized that clients now gain deeper resources for everything from compliance counseling to complex litigation.

A History of Crossing Paths

The two firms were no strangers before the merger. Both once defended co-defendants in a suit claiming soccer organizations discriminated against a Black coach. Terri Stewart, managing partner of Fisher Phillips’ Atlanta office, said the firms’ collaboration over decades helped pave the way for the merger.

“Joining forces was attractive because it expands our capabilities in Atlanta and solidifies our position as the go-to legal partner for employers across the Southeast,” Stewart explained. “For Elarbee, it provides nationwide support and a larger platform to grow.”

Elarbee’s Legacy and Leadership

Elarbee was led by managing partner Brent L. Wilson, a veteran of high-profile employment cases. Wilson helped defend Coca-Cola Bottling in a Sixth Circuit appeal involving drug testing and co-represented Equity Prime Mortgage LLC in its defamation case against U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., over controversial campaign statements.

Wilson described the merger as a transformational leap. “For Elarbee, this combination provides our clients with a powerful international platform and resources we never had as a single-location Atlanta firm,” he said.

He added that the merger expands practice depth in traditional labor law, workplace investigations, privacy and data security, employee benefits, immigration, and workplace safety.

A Forward-Looking Alliance

Beyond scale, Wilson said Elarbee was drawn to Fisher Phillips’ emphasis on technology-driven client service. “We are joining an industry front-runner developing and deploying new technologies that drive client service — and that is an exciting opportunity for both our attorneys and clients.”

The move underscores how national labor and employment firms are consolidating expertise in key markets. For Atlanta, it signals the rise of yet another legal titan ready to compete for marquee clients in the Southeast and beyond.