GessnerLaw, PLLC focuses on representing clients in all forms of employment and labor law matters and serving as a certified mediator in a variety of disputes.
Michelle Gessner:
Owner and Founder of GessnerLaw, PLLC
Michelle is one of the few lawyers, if not the only lawyer, in North Carolina who has both Big Law and Big Company defense experience as well as 10 years of employee-side employment litigation experience which has been nearly exclusively handling since 2015. Michelle possesses a deep understanding of the many challenges employees face dealing with wage theft and other illegal employment practices. Being the first in a blue-collar single-parent family to achieve a college degree, Michelle’s appreciation for hard-working employees gives her an altruistic perspective and purpose when she provides counsel, litigation, and/or advocacy services for her clients.
Prior to its formation, Michelle gained extensive experience in all legal issues facing the retail, restaurant, and hospitality industries by serving as the Chief Litigation and Employment Law Counsel for publicly traded companies such as Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (FDO), Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI), Big Lots Stores, Inc. (BIG) and TriNet (TNET). Michelle also served as the SVP, General Counsel, and Chief Administrative Officer for Ovation Brands, a privately held $1 billion restaurant company.
Michelle’s most treasured role is “mom” to three young adults. Michelle enjoys working out, attempting to play golf and spending time with her family and close friends.
EDUCATION
- West Virginia University College of Law, J.D., 1999
- West Virginia University College of Business & Economics, M.S. Industrial Labor Relations, 1996
- West Virginia University, B.S. in Business Administration with concentration in Employment Law, 1994
ADMISSIONS
- North Carolina State Bar, 1999
- U.S. District Courts for the Western, Middle & Eastern Districts of North Carolina, 1999
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2000
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2009
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- American Bar Association
- Chief Litigation Counsel Association, 2009-2015
- Mecklenburg County Bar
- Nextlaw Global Referral Network
- North Carolina Bar Association
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Active Member, St. Matthew’s Catholic Church
- Active Supporter of YMCA Camp Sea Gull & Camp Seafarer
- Active Supporter of Dress for Success Charlotte
CERTIFIED MEDIATOR
- NCDRC Certified Mediator
- U.S.D.C. Western District of North Carolina
- U.S.D.C. Eastern District of North Carolina
- U.S.D.C. Middle District of North Carolina
- U.S.D.C. District of South Carolina
PROFESSIONAL SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Since beginning her career in 1999, Michelle Gessner has become a go-to source in the industry, having served on numerous panels and forums. She has served as a panelist at the following conferences and forums:
Preserving Evidence — What Restaurants and Retail Establishments Need to Know Before the Accident Happens
2017 CLM Business Insurance, Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Conference
February 22-24 | The Gaylord Palms, Dallas, TX
Panelist at the National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association’s Annual Conference, “From the Federal Agencies to the Courthouse, Hot Topics and Recent Developments in Labor and Employment Law”
March 3 – 4, 2016 | Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Panelist at Perrin’s Product Liability Conference, “In-House Counsel and Insurance Perspectives Roundtable”
February 26 – 27, 2015 | The James Royal Palm, Miami, FL
Panelist at ACI’s 4th Annual Forum on Defending and Managing Employment Discrimination
July 31 – August 1, 2013 | The Carlton Hotel, New York, NY
Panelist at Perrin’s National Complex Litigation Conference: A Symposium on Current & Emerging Issues, “In-House Perspective on Complex Litigation Claims”
June 18, 2013 | Omni Chicago Hotel, Chicago, IL
Panelist at ACI’s 18th National Forum on Wage & Hour Claims and Class Actions, “Hot Topics in Wage and Hour Law Part I: The Latest Developments in “Off -the-Clock” Claims, Meal and Rest Breaks, and Tipping”
May 30 – 31, 2013 | ONE UN New York, New York, NY
Panelist at ACI’s 15th National Forum on Wage & Hour Claims and Class Actions, “In-House Roundtable: Preventing and Managing Wage and Hour Claims/Class Actions”
May 31 – June 1, 2012 | New York Marriott Downtown, New York, NY
Co-Chair of ACI’s 12th National Forum on Wage & Hour Claims and Class Actions
May 23 – 24, 2011
New York Marriott Downtown, New York, NY
Co-Chair of ACI’s 11th National Forum on Wage & Hour Claims and Class Actions
January 31 – February 01, 2011 | Hyatt Regency, Miami, Florida
Panelist at ACI’s 9th National Forum on Wage & Hour Claims and Class Actions, “Defense Strategies for Winning the Certification Battle: Best Practices for Obtaining Decertification of a Class”
May 20 – 21, 2010 | Millenium UN Plaza Hotel, New York, NY
ACI’s Premier Forum on Defending and Managing Employment Discrimination Litigation, “Class Actions Considerations: Certification, Settlement and More”
February 25 – 26, 2010 | Millennium UN Plaza Hotel, New York, NY
Panelist at the National Retail Federation’s, Committee on Employment Law Fall Conference 2008
October 2008 | San Diego, CA
