T. Hart Benton, III
Hart Benton practices in the areas of employment and civil rights law, complex commercial litigation, and white collar governmental investigations and proceedings.
Hart represents large and small businesses alike in all aspects of the employment relationship, from counselling employers on day-to-day issues of regulatory compliance, dispute resolution strategy, employment contracts, and employee handbooks, to defending employers in private litigation matters and federal and state administrative proceedings. Hart has secured favorable outcomes for his clients in a variety of employment- and civil-rights-related disputes, and his experience includes defending against claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the U.S. Constitution, and various state anti-discrimination, anti-retaliation, and workplace safety statutes.
Outside of the employment context, Hart also regularly advises clients on dispute resolution strategies and aggressively prosecutes and defends a wide variety of complex commercial litigation matters. Hart’s experience representing businesses and individuals extends to claims involving the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), trade secrets, intellectual property rights, construction law, contract disputes, fiduciary duties, corporate mismanagement, and civil fraud. Hart also represents clients in criminal and civil governmental white collar investigations involving allegations such as securities fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and mail fraud.
Beyond his private practice, Hart is a committed advocate for the legal needs of lower-income individuals in the Mobile area. Hart maintains an active pro bono practice while also serving as an Executive Board Member of the Board of Directors of the South Alabama Volunteer Lawyers Program, and he was the 2022 recipient of the Ben Kilborn Volunteer Layer of the Year Award from the South Alabama Volunteer Lawyers Program.
Before joining the firm, Hart received his Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where he served as the Editor in Chief of the Loyola Law Review. Hart and his wife, Loryn, are also proud alumni of W.P. Davidson High School’s first International Baccalaureate class and Birmingham-Southern College.
- T. Hart Benton, Rethinking Political Party Contribution Limits: A Roadmap to Reform, 63 Loy. L. Rev. 255 (2017).
- T. Hart Benton, Congressional and Presidential Electoral Reform After Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, 62 Loy. L. Rev 155 (2016).
- Alabama Bar Association
- Member
- Mobile Bar Young Lawyers
- Member, Executive Committee
- South Alabama Volunteer Lawyers Program
- Member, Board of Directors
- United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile
- Member of Board of Directors