4100 Monument Corner Drive
Suite 520
Fairfax, Virginia 22030-8609T: 571.522.6100
Practice Areas
- Class Action Litigation
- Litigation; Employment Litigation Prevention and Defense
- Wage and Hour Compliance and Litigation
Practice Emphasis
- Defense of wage and hour litigation, including collective/class actions
- Defense of employment discrimination litigation, including class actions
- Employment law counseling
- Wage and hour law counseling and compliance auditing
Bar & Court Admissions
- District of Columbia, 1981
- Virginia, 1987
- Numerous federal district courts and courts of appeal
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1981
- US Court of Appeals - Third Circuit, 1985; Fourth Circuit, 1997; Eleventh Circuit, 2002
- Supreme Court of Virginia, 1987
- US District Court - Colorado, 1997
- US District Court - Arizona, 1998
- US Claims Court - June, 1998
- US District Court - Eastern District of VA, 1992; Western District of VA, 2001
Education
Georgetown University, Washington, DC
- J.D., 1981
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
- B.S., Government and International Affairs, magna cum laude, 1978
News
- Twenty-Three Constangy, Brooks & Smith Attorneys Honored as Best Lawyers for 2011
- Constangy, Brooks & Smith Announces New Executive Committee Members
- Jim Coleman Quoted in Human Resource Executive on Department of Labor Issues
- Jim Coleman Quoted in Inside Counsel, Workforce Management About Employee Classification
- Twenty Constangy, Brooks & Smith Attorneys Honored as Best Lawyers for 2010
- Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP, Expands to Northeast, Opens Office in Boston
"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my ax."
--Abraham Lincoln
Jim Coleman has twenty-nine years of experience in counseling employers on wage and hour matters, as well as defending employers in wage and hour litigation and administrative proceedings. His expertise includes in-depth knowledge of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and many comparable state wage and hour laws. Jim serves as General Counsel for the National Council of Chain Restaurants, and through his representation of the trade association, as well as many of its member companies, he has developed considerable expertise in addressing legal issues of particular concern to the food service industry. Jim has also represented the chain restaurant industry before Congress in connection with legislative matters involving the FLSA and the NLRA. He is widely regarded for his expertise in counseling employers on numerous labor law issues, including wage and hour standards, child labor restrictions, occupational safety and health standards, and employment discrimination. He has successfully defended many large restaurant chain employers in litigation brought by the U.S. Department of Labor concerning wage and hour, child labor, and OSHA matters. Jim has also defended many employers against single and multi-plaintiff lawsuits involving claims of employment discrimination, wrongful termination, and related charges. Jim serves as the Chair of the firm’s Wage & Hour Practice Group.
Publications/Presentations
- Employment Litigation: Staying Out of Court - Counsel to Counsel Magazine
- Wage Hour Report: Business Not As Usual At Wage Hour Division
- Wage Hour Report: EMPLOYERS’ BANE: Wage Hour Class Suits Lead the Field With No End in Sight
- Wage Hour Report: No Cheap Deal For Family Dollar
- Client Bulletins: “Wired” Non-Exempts Create New Wave of FLSA Collective Actions
- Client Bulletins: Home Health Care Workers Providing Companionship Services Are Exempt From Minimum Wage, Overtime Laws, Supreme Court Says
- Wage Hour Report: Home Health Care Workers Providing Companionship Services Are Exempt From Minimum Wage, Overtime Laws, Supreme Court Says
- ERISA Strategist: ERISA Preempts State "Fair-Share" Benefits Laws, Court Says
- Client Bulletins: ERISA Preempts State "Fair-Share" Benefits Laws, Court Says
- Client Bulletins: Do Your Outside Sales Employees Really "Sell"? If not, you could have FLSA problems
- Client Bulletins: FLSA White-Collar Exemption Regs To Take Effect August 23
- Client Bulletins: U.S. Department of labor Finalizes White Collar Exemption Criteria
- Labor & Employment Insights: Summer 2003
Awards & Recognition
- Jim Coleman has been recognized in the publication, Best Lawyers in America
- Washington, DC Super Lawyers
- Virginia Super Lawyers
Professional Activities/Associations
- American Bar Association
- Fairfax Bar Association
- General Counsel, National Council of Chain Restaurants
Civic/Charitable Activities/Associations
- Boy Scouts of America, Assistant Scoutmaster
- Youth Sports Leagues, Coach for Baseball, Basketball and Soccer
Other Personal Background Information and Interests
- Jim is married with four children.