Giovanna Epherson
Giovanna Epherson is an Atlanta-based corporate attorney and HR operations expert with deep knowledge and experience in employment law, business team development, EEO, ethics, employee relations, and forming corporate legal foundations. Giovanna currently serves as a Business Attorney for InPrime Legal, working as Chief Legal Officer for multiple small business clients across various industries. Giovanna performs all Corporate Counsel functions for clients, including navigating day-to-day legal matters, drafting contracts, establishing business entities, working as the designated specialist for employment law matters, including investigations, responding to DOL and EEOC charges, negotiations, and mediation, and executing M&A transactions. Since joining InPrime Legal in 2021, she has prevailed in cases involving Big Law firms, securing a six-figure settlement for wrongful termination, and securing full restitution from leading global companies, including disputes with Amazon and Stripe. Giovanna’s success in client M&A transactions includes the successful nine-figure sale of a clinical research company involving a complex three-company strategic alliance and a single buyer.
Giovanna comes from a strong corporate HR and EEO background, spanning multiple leadership roles with AT&T, culminating as an Associate Director of HR – Employee Relations, EEO & Ethics. In this role, Giovanna coordinated with in-house and outside counsel while leading a team of 22 cross-functional specialists to investigate complex HR matters, resolve complaints, respond to government inquiries, resolve pre-litigation disputes, and train U.S. and International HR teams. As the Project Architect and Lead for the development of a centralized Oracle HR Services intake model, Giovanna incorporated new technologies and automated processes to drive productivity, cut costs, and significantly reduce the time to address client concerns. Her turnaround of a group of underperforming Employee Relations Managers created the most successful team in the HR organization, with 11 of 12 team members achieving an Extraordinary (top rating) mark, historically attained by just 10% of all ERMs.
During her time at AT&T, Giovanna also worked as a Senior EEO Consultant, with responsibility for complex investigations, complaint resolution, and representing the company in conciliation and mediation proceedings. Over two years, she successfully defended the company on more than 100 position statements involving a range of government agencies, including the EEOC, DOL, and NLRB, consistently resulting in no-cause findings.
Giovanna is certified to practice law by the State Bar of Georgia and is a Registered Mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. She is actively involved in a range of professional organizations and causes, including the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL), Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA), Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, Georgia Heirs Property Law Center, and the State Bar of Georgia, Labor & Employment Mentoring Academy. Outside of her professional life, Giovanna enjoys spending time with her family and dog, traveling, horseback riding, gardening, and spending as much time as possible at the beach.
Expertise
- Corporate Counsel
- Employment Law
- HR Leadership & Operations
- Compliance
- Equal Employment Opportunity
- Business Formation
- Legal Risk Mitigation
- Ethics & Accountability
- Employee Relations
- Negotiation & Mediation
- Conflict Resolution
- Process Optimization
- EEOC/DOL/NLRB
- Responses
Education
- MBA, Business Administration – Kennesaw State University
- JD, Law – Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School
- BA, Journalism/Public Relations
Contact Info
glepherson@gmail.com
(678) 782-1017