Meryl Cowan

Meryl Cowan is an attorney in the Birmingham office, where she practices in the firm's Labor & Employment group. Various employers, manufacturers, and companies rely on Meryl for representation in all aspects of general employment, labor, and employment discrimination law.

Her practice includes representing employers in both state and federal investigations and litigation, including matters arising under:

• The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
• Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
• The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)

Meryl advises employers regarding the impact of new developments in labor and employment law, as well as best practices and procedures for preventing, managing and investigating employment disputes. She also prepares educational and training materials for use by human resources, management and supervisors.

In additional to employment and employment discrimination law, Meryl has developed a practice dealing in traditional labor law matters. This includes experience advising and representing employers in connection with union representation campaigns and National Labor Relations Board proceedings. Meryl has assisted clients confronted with every form of union organizing activity – from union card signing activity to corporate campaigns – and she has represented clients effectively, efficiently and successfully.

Meryl attended the University of Mississippi (“Ole Miss”) for both her undergraduate and legal education. As an undergraduate, her scholastic commitment warranted receiving the Taylor Medal, the University’s highest academic honor, and artwork featured at two gallery shows. During her time in law school, Meryl served as an Associate Articles Editor and Staff Editor on the Mississippi Law Journal, received the Outstanding Student Award in Supreme Court Practice, studied law at Cambridge University and clerked for the Honorable Neil P. Olack in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.

• National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) Leadership Program (2023)
• Listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America®: Labor and Employment Law - Management since 2021; Litigation - Labor and Employment since 2021
• Birmingham Magazine's 2017 Top Attorney "Rising Star"
• Class 18, Alabama State Bar Leadership Forum (2023)
• Mid-South Super Lawyers "Rising Star," Employment & Labor since 2024

Paralegal

Sara McAlister
(205) 458-5320
smcalister@burr.com