Dan Kniffen has been representing Employers for 35 years in the defense of Workers’ Compensation and Employment Law cases. Because of his unique experience in these overlapping areas, Dan specializes in guiding clients through the often complex interactions of these laws in both Litigation and Risk Management.
Dan has tried hundreds of Workers’ Compensation cases across the State, and is a frequent speaker and author in the areas of Workers Compensation and disability discrimination, for both local and national audiences. In 2009, he was inducted into the College of Workers Compensation Lawyers, a national organization of attorneys who have made a sustained contribution in the law. Dan has been selected as a Georgia Super Lawyer in the area of Workers Compensation every year since its inception in 2004, and has received an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale Hubbell for his high ethical standards and professionalism. Dan is a past Chair of the Defense Research Institute’s Workers’ Compensation and Employer Liability Section, and the Atlanta Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Section, and currently serves as Immediate Past Chair of the State Bar of Georgia’s Labor and Employment Section, which was Section of the Year under his leadership. In 2015, Dan was nominated and inducted into the International Association of Defense Counsel. He also serves on the State Board of Workers’ Compensation Chairmans Advisory Council Licensure Committee which vets Legislation and Policy for Georgias Workers Compensation System. In 2018, he was selected by his peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America 25th edition in the field of Workers Compensation.
Dan’s Employment Law cases include Discrimination, Harassment and Hostile Work Environment Charges under Title VII, Cases filed under the ADA, FMLA, health care laws, Medicare issues and GINA (Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act) as well as Wage and Hour cases. He works closely with Risk Managers and Human Resource professionals to identify and resolve problems before they reach litigation, and has represented employers and their insurers in employment-related cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, United States District Courts and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, both in Georgia and around the Southeast.
Dan has represented multiple industries and businesses throughout the State and Region, from Manufacturers to Hospitals, as well as many Self-Insured employers and Group Funds. Dan is especially proud of his many years of representing Georgia’s Cities and Counties throughout the State through the Georgia Municipal Association and the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia.
Related News, Publications & Presentations
DEF Attorneys Dan Kniffen and Megan Noble to Present at 2019 Gwinnett Chamber Employment Law Seminar . Publications and Presentations. September 2019.
DEF Attorneys Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2020 . Best Lawyers. August 2019.
Twelve Drew Eckl & Farnham Attorneys Selected for Georgia Super Lawyers and Rising Stars . Super Lawyers. February 2019.
Reasonable Medical Care and the Opioid Epidemic: Whats Really Broken . Georgia Bar Journal. December 2018.
DEF Attorneys Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2019 . Best Lawyers. August 2018.
Legal Issues In An Aging Work Force: Not For The Faint of Heart . Presentation at the GWCA Conference. June 2017.
DEF Attorney Dan Kniffen Discusses the Dos and Donts of Talking Politics in the Office. Article in the November/December 2016 Issue of ABAs Student Lawyer Magazine. American Bar Association Law Student Division. Retrieved January 2016.
Getting Your Case To Court: Employment Law Update and Cost-Effective Employment Law Lititgation. 46th Annual Labor & Employment Law Institute. Program Chair. December 2016.
DEF Attorneys Listed as 2017 Best Lawyers in America . Best Lawyers. August 2016.
Current Challenges in Handling Workers Compensation Claims . Presentation at the NCCAE Insurance Meeting. September 2016.
HRMA: Your Workers Compensation Case is an Employment Case Too . Presentation at the Gwinnett Chamber HRMA Meeting. April 2016.
Legislative Update/Balancing FMLA/ADA/WC . Presentation at the Georgia PRIMA 2016 Educational Series event; Arpil 2016.
“Putting out the fire in Workers’ Compensation.” Presentation for Georgia Workers’ Compensation Association’s (GWCA) 2015 “Fire & Ice: Hot and Cold Issues in Workers’ Compensation” Seminar; November 2015.
“Beware: Your Workers Compensation Case is Also an Employment Case.” Presentation for Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Employment Law Seminar, September 2014.
“Employee Handbooks, Practices and Procedures.” Presentation Georgia Safety, Health, and Environmental Conference, Savannah, Georgia, September 2015.
“The Best Employment Lawsuit is the One that that Never Happens: Winning Employment Law Strategies.” Presentation for Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Employment Law Seminar, October 2015.
“Don’t Be Tardy for the Party: Why Collaboration Is Key in Negotiating Workers’ Compensation Settlements.” Presentation at DRI Regional Workers’ Compensation Seminar, Atlanta, GA; September 2015.
“2015 Update on Legislation and MSA Issues.” Presentation for 2015 Georgia PRIMA Education Series, Savannah, GA; April 2015.
“Dealing with the Disabled Employee: Potential Issues with Discipline and Discharge.” Presentation for HB Next Educational Series, Atlanta, GA; March 2015.
Co-author, Mercer Law Review Annual Survey of Workers Compensation, 1989 to 2009.
Co-author, Employment Law Desk Manual, 2011, publication for clients of Drew Eckl & Farnham.
“Anatomy of an EEOC Charge,” presentation Georgia Department of Labor Seminar, Savannah, Georgia, September 2012.
“Medicare Set Aside Trusts,” presentation for Judges of the State Board of Workers’ Compensation Annual Meeting; March 2012.
“Working Out of the Maze: Real-Life Workers’ Compensation/ADA/FMLA Scenarios and Their Solutions,” Presentation for Wells Fargo Insurance Services, October 2011.
“2011 Employment Law Update” and “Navigating the Bermuda Triangle of Workers’ Compensation, The Americans with Disabilities Act and The Family and Medical Leave Act,” Presentations to the Georgia Department of Labor, Savannah Georgia, September 2011 (with Joseph Chancey).
