Overview
- Recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers, 2011, 2021-2025
- 2016 Hall of Fame Inductee for "The Nation's Most Powerful Employment Attorneys" by Human Resources Executive Magazine
- Named one of the "Top 20 Most Powerful Labor Attorneys" by Human Resources Executive Magazine, 2012-2015
- Named one of the "Top 10 Most Powerful Labor Attorneys" by Human Resources Executive Magazine, 2010
- Named one of the "Most Powerful Employment Attorneys" by Human Resources Executive Magazine, 2009
- Vice Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Labor Relations Committee
- Recognized in the publication, Best Lawyers in America
- Named one of the Top One Hundred Labor Attorneys in the United States by Labor Relations Institute, Inc.
- Fellow of the American Bar Association
- Fellow in College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
- AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated By Martindale-Hubbell
- Immediate Past President of Georgia Defense Lawyers Association
- Recognized in Chambers USA Guide
- Handled over 150 union elections, including several of over 1000 employees in voting unit; won 98% of all elections
- Assisted companies in due diligence, mergers, acquisitions and decertifications
- Represented in case hearings, objections case hearings, as well as arguments before the Courts of Appeals
- Successfully defended a company in 10(j) proceedings and obtained injunctions in strikes
- Acted as the collective bargaining spokesman in numerous collective bargaining proceedings and arbitrations
- Provided companies with preventative training in all areas of employment law and conducted numerous mock union campaigns as a training exercise
- Speaks regularly for the state Chamber of Commerce, the Developing Labor Law Section Midwinter meetings for the American Bar Association, the Georgia Employers' Association, the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association, and SHRM chapters
- Contributes regularly to the Mercer University Law Review and has authored several BNA articles
- Former attorney with the NLRB
- Successfully represented management in the largest elections in Georgia (1,500 voters) and North Carolina (one with 2,200 voters and another with 6,000) in the last fifteen years
Honors & Recognitions
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, and Litigation - Labor and Employment (2007-2025)
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers (2011, 2021-2025)
- Named one of the "Top 20 Most Powerful Labor Attorneys" by Human Resources Executive Magazine (2012-2015)
- Recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers (2012-2020)
- Named one of the "Top 10 Most Powerful Labor Attorneys for 2009" by Human Resources Executive Magazine
- Named one of the Top One Hundred Labor Attorneys in the United States by Labor Relations Institute, Inc.
- Recognized in Chambers USA Guide
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence
Professional & Civic Associations
Press Room
About Me
- “My dad said, ‘I am a hard dog to keep in the yard.’ He was right!”
- Mel Haas, Labor Lawyer
Practices
Practice Emphasis
- Labor relations counseling
- Union avoidance
- Union campaigns
- NLRB litigation
- Arbitrations and contract negotiations
- Wage and hour counseling
- Employment law advice and litigation
- Merger and acquisition advice
Education
University of Alabama School of Law
- J.D., 1971
Emory University
- B.A., Chemistry, 1968
Bar & Court Admissions
- Alabama, 1971
- Georgia, 1977