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Meet Our Professionals

Keith M. Weddington

Partner
Regulatory Department Co-Chair
Charlotte | 704.335.9035
Fax | 704.334.4706

Keith Weddington has been representing employers for more than 30 years and has defended Fortune 500 and middle-market companies in a broad array of disputes with employees and former employees. Named a Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year" in Charlotte four times for employment law or litigation, he is a go-to attorney for clients' most sensitive and potentially high-profile employment disputes. Feedback from his clients and peers has also led Chambers USA to rank him as a leading employment attorney, with clients saying Keith is "extremely knowledgeable, very experienced and maintains a practical and efficient view."

Whether the case requires resolute and intensive litigation or delicate negotiations to achieve a favorable resolution, Keith provides results-oriented solutions to achieve clients' objectives. In addition to defending U.S. and international employers in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, wage and hour, FMLA/ADA, and ERISA issues, he brings his more than 30 years of experience to bear in advising employers on strategic employment practices, human resources policies, internal investigations, reductions in force, and the continuum of employment compliance issues.

Clients also benefit from the deep relationships Keith has built through the Employment Law Alliance (ELA), the world’s largest network of employment, labor, and immigration lawyers. Keith regularly partners with ELA colleagues around the globe to help clients navigate the local nuances of various jurisdictions.

Additionally, Keith is a leader within Parker Poe. As co-chair of the firm's Regulatory Department, he oversees multiple practice groups and helps shape the firm's approach to serving clients operating in highly complex regulatory landscapes.

Representative Experience

  • Represented clients in employment law issues that include:
    • EEOC proceedings and defensive litigation in state and federal courts involving claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on race, gender, age, disability, national origin, and religion.
    • Advising, structuring and managing personnel actions such as hiring, evaluation, discipline, and termination.
    • ERISA denial of benefits litigation.
    • Defense of wage and hour class actions and collective actions.
    • Covenants not to compete, confidentiality agreements, and protection of trade secrets.
    • Wrongful discharge, breach of contract, bonus, compensation, infliction of emotional distress, and other claims arising out of the employment relationship.
    • Compliance and risk management counseling regarding FMLA, ADA, FLSA, state wage and hour issues, drug testing, internal investigations, workplace violence, and reductions in force.
    • Drafting employment, bonus, retention, noncompetition, secondment, relocation, severance, and other agreements in the context of ongoing businesses, mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, and divestments.
  • Conducted sensitive internal investigations for multiple clients involving issues such as alleged misconduct by senior executives, whistleblower complaints involving corporate cybersecurity risks, and hostile work environment claims.
  • Advised a private equity–backed software company in a high-profile executive misconduct crisis involving a viral social media incident. Conducted a rapid internal assessment, guided executive termination decisions, managed employee and investor relations risks, and negotiated the forfeiture of millions of dollars in equity compensation tied to a for-cause termination.
  • Advised a Fortune 500 manufacturer on a large-scale workforce reduction in anticipation of declining market conditions, designing and implementing a voluntary early retirement program to minimize involuntary separations. Prepared more than 200 individualized, multi-state severance agreements and advised on subsequent involuntary reductions affecting an additional 75 employees, ensuring compliance across 26 jurisdictions.
  • Won summary judgment on each of four claims involving a $40 million bonus compensation dispute by a former senior executive of a Fortune 500 company. The case involved extensive electronic discovery and a complex fact pattern that spanned a decade of events and compensation plans. 
  • Guided a Fortune 500 company through the employment implications of a joint venture in over a dozen Latin American countries. In collaboration with Employment Law Alliance colleagues, advised on labor regulations and developed an employee handbook tailored to each country.
  • Won a complete defense verdict in a jury trial of a sexual harassment, assault/battery, and infliction of emotional distress lawsuit brought by a former employee against the employee’s supervising physician and the medical practice by which the plaintiff had been employed.
  • Engaged in a delicate balancing act of negotiation, investigation, and arming for a full counterattack against an opportunistic plaintiff after receipt of a soon to be filed complaint making explosive sexual harassment allegations about a senior-level employee of a national company. Negotiated a delay in the filing of the complaint and structured a pre-litigation mediation conference to obtain a favorable settlement at a fraction of the plaintiff’s demand and also avoided inevitable adverse media coverage.
  • Won complete dismissal of a highly publicized lawsuit by a former employee who was suspended after reporting alleged improprieties and corporate risk issues to company executives. Plaintiff asserted claims related to his discharge and claimed that he had accepted a prior severance package under threat of termination and based on fraudulent representations, rendering it void. On appeal, the dismissal was affirmed.
  • Successfully defended a multi-state employer against claims of age discrimination by seven laid-off employees, who were among the oldest in the company. Following intensive investigation and a coordinated exchange of data that avoided prolonged and expensive discovery, we demonstrated objective performance and profitability-based justifications for their selections and obtained a less than cost of defense settlement via early mediation.
  • Secured dismissal with prejudice for a restaurant franchisee in a retaliation and defamation lawsuit brought by a former employee following her termination. After removing the case to federal court, successfully moved to dismiss based on failure to exhaust administrative remedies and failure to state a viable defamation claim.
  • Secured summary judgment for a Fortune 500 manufacturer in an ADA discrimination and retaliation lawsuit arising from a workplace injury. Following discovery and deposition of the plaintiff, established that the employee was not a qualified individual under the ADA and that the company had provided reasonable accommodations, resulting in dismissal of all claims.

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Honors & Awards

  • The Best Lawyers in America in Employment Law for Management, Labor and Employment Litigation, 2011-2026
  • The Best Lawyers in America “Lawyer of the Year” in Charlotte for Labor and Employment Litigation, 2015, 2017; Employment Law: Management, 2013, 2016
  • Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers in Labor & Employment, 2007-2026; Employment: Mainly Defendant, 2004-2006
  • Lexology Index: Employment & Labor Thought Leader, 2025
  • Benchmark Litigation, Labor & Employment Star in the South, 2020-2022
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers, 2006-2021
  • Who's Who Legal in Labor, Employment & Benefits, 2017
  • Business North Carolina magazine's "Legal Elite" in Employment Law, 2005-2006, 2008-2009, 2012
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ in Employment & Labor; Litigation; ERISA Litigation; Class Action Defense
  • Phi Beta Kappa