Adam H. Gates

Adam H. Gates is a member at Watkins & Eager in Jackson who counsels and defends employers in employment and labor matters. His clients include manufacturers, health care facilities, food processing plants, energy utilities, and trucking companies. Adam advises on management issues, employment agreements, restrictive covenants, and workplace investigations, and he defends employers before the EEOC and Department of Labor as well as in litigation and arbitration.

Adam earned his Juris Doctor from Mississippi College School of Law in 2006, magna cum laude, and his bachelor’s degree from Louisiana Tech University in 2003, cum laude. In law school, he served as Articles Editor of the Mississippi College Law Review, received the Law Review Best Case Note Award, and participated on the Moot Court Board. His academic training supports a practice that combines detailed legal analysis with practical advice on employment compliance and dispute strategy.

Adam has substantial experience with class and collective actions, including Fair Labor Standards Act disputes involving overtime, meal and rest breaks, travel time, and donning and doffing claims. He has also defended discrimination, harassment, retaliation, disability, and contract matters for employers. His representative work includes arbitration victories, summary judgment rulings, internal investigations, and large employment cases involving numerous individual claims and extensive witness testimony.

Adam H. Gates has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Labor and Employment and Employment Law – Management and by Chambers USA as a leading labor and employment lawyer in Mississippi. He is active in several bar and defense organizations. His practice helps employers manage workplace risk, address regulatory concerns, and defend claims while keeping business and operational objectives in view.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Watkins & Eager
• Member, The Mississippi Bar
• Member, Louisiana State Bar Association
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, The Capital Area Bar Association
• Member, Jackson Young Lawyers Association
• Member, DRI

Licensed State

• Mississippi
• Louisiana

Education

• Mississippi College School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Louisiana Tech University
  Bachelor’s Degree

Awards & Badges