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Meet Our Professionals

Stacy K. Wood

Partner
Charlotte | 704.335.9844
Fax | 704.334.4706

Stacy Wood has been defending employers and educational institutions successfully for three decades, with a focus on discrimination, harassment, internal investigations, and ERISA litigation. As a solution-oriented and pragmatic adviser, she is a problem solver for manufacturing businesses and service providers of all sizes, in addition to private colleges, universities, and K-12 schools throughout the Southeast.

Stacy works with clients in a partnership offering guidance and a practical approach to achieving their goals in a timely and cost-effective manner. She enables her clients to focus on running their businesses while managing their legal issues, whether it involves counseling through a sensitive FMLA/ADA situation, drafting an underperforming executive's termination agreement, defending against a volatile sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit, or conducting a high-profile internal investigation of a collegiate athletics program.

While attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Stacy was a gymnast on a four-year athletic scholarship and eventually became the team captain and ACC all-around champion. She has continued her passion for fitness by running 42 marathons across the United States.

Representative Experience

  • Represented employers in administrative proceedings and litigation in North Carolina and South Carolina state and federal courts in a range of matters that include:
    • Claims of discrimination, harassment and retaliation based on age, race, gender, disability, religion, and national origin. 
    • Denial of benefit and breach of fiduciary duty lawsuits under ERISA.
    • Wrongful discharge, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, and other state law claims arising out of the employment relationship.
    • ADA and FMLA counseling and compliance.
    • FLSA and state wage and hour claims, including compliance reviews, audits, employee exemption determinations, and litigation.
    • Transactional employment matters, including preparation of employment contracts, restrictive covenants, employee handbooks and employment policies, executive separation agreements, and employment issues relating to reductions in force.
    • Employment and other legal issues, including Title IX compliance, that are unique to public and private colleges, universities, and K-12 schools.
  • Conducted an internal investigation of a Division I women’s basketball program that was the subject of intense media scrutiny and involved allegations against the head coach of racial insensitivity and lack of respect for player well-being.
  • Prevailed in federal appeals court and subsequent arbitration in a case that was an important validation of an employer’s nationwide arbitration program.
  • Secured a favorable ruling from an OSHA administrative law judge following a four-day trial on an issue with broad policy, operational and cost implications for a company’s nationwide service operations.
  • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a Fortune 100 company in a North Carolina federal court lawsuit alleging Title VII race and religious discrimination claims.

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Honors & Awards

  • The Best Lawyers in America in Arbitration, 2011-2024; Employment Law: Management, 2011-2024; Labor Law: Management, 2011-2024; Labor & Employment Litigation, 2011-2024
  • The Best Lawyers in America "Lawyer of the Year" in Charlotte for Arbitration, 2020, 2022
  • Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers in Labor & Employment, 2010-2023
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers, 2012-2024; Top 50 Women Lawyers, 2013-2014, 2017-2023
  • Business North Carolina magazine's "Legal Elite" in Employment Law, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2018
  • Charlotte Business Journal's 40 Under 40, 2005
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ in Employment & Labor; Litigation; ERISA Litigation; Educational Institutions
  • Phi Beta Kappa

Memberships

  • Girl Scouts of America, Hornets' Nest Council, Board of Directors, 2015-2021; HR Committee Chair, 2017-2021
  • Society for Human Resource Management, Lake Norman Chapter (LKNHR), Board of Directors, 2017-2020