Mr. Secrest's practice focuses on assisting clients with employment related matters, including representation through all stages of litigation and before state and federal agencies. He represents small and large employers on employment issues ranging from sexual harassment claims to alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Mr. Secrest's experience includes successful representation at the trial and appellate court levels. In addition to practicing employment law, Mr. Secrest represents food manufacturers in defense of food product liability claims. He has obtained numerous dismissals of complaints, grants of summary judgment, and jury verdicts on behalf of clients.

• Successfully defended restaurant chain against claims of race and national origin discrimination in front of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of client on claims of gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation, which was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
• Obtained dismissal of complaint on claim of retaliation, which was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
• Obtained directed verdict on claims of wrongful termination and gender discrimination.
• Obtained defense jury verdict in favor of hospital and food manufacturer on food product liability claims.
  

• AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
• Selected as an "Ohio Super Lawyers - Rising Star" by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine (2006, 2009-2012)

• American Bar Association (Advisory Panel)
• Ohio State Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section)
• Florida Bar Association
• Columbus Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section)
• Collier County Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute

• 2011 Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Franklin County Ambassador
• 2011 Vice-Chair of the Franklin County Republican Judicial Salute Committee
• 2010 Second Vice-Chair of the Franklin County Republican Judicial Salute Committee

• Florida
• Ohio
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
• U.S. Supreme Court

• "A Glance at the Top 10 Employment Issues of 2011," USLAW Radio Podcast (December 2010)
• "Protecting Non-Compete Agreements with Choice of Law Provisions and Swift Action", Ohio University, Center for Sports Administration (February 2010)
• "What you should know about Real Estate Auctions," Law You Can Use, Ohio State Bar Association (2006)

• "Know When to Hold 'Em. Know When to Fold 'Em ... and Know When to Walk Away - Understand the New Standards in Unemployment Compensation Benefits" - Roetzel Employment Law Seminar: New Year's Resolutions (January 2012)
• "The Rise of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Claims against the Food, Beverage, and Consumer Product Industry" - Webinar sponsored by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (August 2011)
• "FLSA Exemptions and Hot Topics" - Society for Human Resource Management, Akron (May 2011)
• "What Employment Lawyers Need to Know About the Dodd-Frank Act and Other Pressing Issues for 2011" - Columbus Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Committee (January 2011)
• "Utilizing Non-Traditional Investigative Methods During the Claims Process" - Consumer Complaint Management Webinar sponsored by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (November 2010)
• "Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Exemptions" - Employment Law and Workers' Compensation Legal Update, Columbus (September 2010)
• Instructor for Real Living Core Law Seminar (2006)

• 2002 J.D., Capital University Law School
• Order of the Curia
• 1999 B.A., DePauw University