Bacardi Jackson is Counsel at the Tucker Law Group and practices in both the Miramar and Philadelphia offices. She is the managing attorney for the Miramar office. Ms. Jackson concentrates her practice on civil litigation, including employment discrimination, personal injury, civil rights and constitutional claims, as well as on contractual and commercial disputes. Her experience includes representing employers in complex discrimination cases, such as class actions and class action opt out cases, counseling employers regarding their employment practices and policies and assisting companies in preparing for internal and external audits.

Throughout her career, Ms. Jackson has represented a wide variety of clients, including higher education institutions, financial corporations, pharmaceutical companies, food and beverage industries, communications companies, public agencies as well as individuals. In addition to litigation, Ms. Jackson advises clients in corporate formation, licensing and other business transactions.  

AREAS OF PRACTICE

• Employment Discrimination
• Higher Education Law
• Constitutional Law
• Personal Injury Litigation
• General Commercial Litigation
• Corporate Transactions
• Licensing

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE

• State of Florida
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• State of Georgia
• Third Circuit Court of Appeals
• U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

EDUCATION

• J.D., Yale Law School, 1998
• A.B, Stanford University, 1993

PRIOR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as an associate on the Labor and Employment team.

King & Spalding LLP, Atlanta, Georgia, as a corporate attorney with the firm’s Private Equity and Technology Practice group and as an associate on the Labor and Employment team.

Law clerk to the Honorable Janet C. Hall, United States District Court of Connecticut.

During law school, Ms. Jackson completed intern- and externships with the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization and the Shelby County Office of Public Defender.  She also served as an Editor of the Yale Law and Policy Review and the Journal of Law and Feminism.

PUBLISHED CASES AND SIGNIFICANT REPRESENTATIONS

• Ploucher v. Temple University Hospital, et al., No. 07-370 (CCP 2007) Represented Temple University in the jury trial of a negligence action brought by a patient who alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a veteran nurse. The jury rendered a complete defense verdict. Ms. Jackson also represented Temple in the related arbitration appeal of the nurse who sought to be reinstated to his position after being terminated in connection with the alleged incident. On appeal to the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Ms. Jackson’s winning brief successfully argued that the arbitrator’s decision to reinstate the nurse and the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas’ decision to uphold the arbitration award, both of which had been handled by another firm, should be overturned based on the facts of the case and the arbitrator’s faulty conclusions.
• Marcavage v. Bd. of Trs. of Temple Univ. of the Commonwealth Sys. of Higher Educ., No. 05-5521 , 232 Fed. Appx. 79; 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 10273 (3d Cir. Feb. 15, 2007). Represented Temple University in appeal of civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1983, alleging violations of Plaintiff’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights and violation of the Pennsylvania’s Mental Health Procedures Act. On appeal, Plaintiff alleged, inter alia, that the judge committed error by failing to recuse herself. The Third Circuit found no error and upheld the district court’s grant of summary judgment.
• Page v. Trs. of the Univ. of Pa., No. 06-1008, 222 Fed. Appx. 144; 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 6738 (3d Cir. Mar. 21, 2007) Represented the University of Pennsylvania at the District Court level and on appeal of employment discrimination action alleging violation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and race discrimination. The lower court granted summary judgment in favor of the university and the Third Circuit upheld the grant of summary judgment.
• Tucker v. Merck & Co., NO. 04-3023 , 131 Fed. Appx. 852; 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 9087 (3d Cir. May 19, 2005). Represented Merck at the District Court level and on appeal of a Section 1981 action, alleging a racially hostile work environment and disparate treatment racial discrimination. The Court upheld the district court’s determination that none of plaintiff’s complaints constituted an adverse employment action and that plaintiff failed to establish that he was treated differently than similarly situated employees and failed to prove discriminatory intent.
• Jacoby v. Arkema, Inc., Civ. Action No. 06-2339, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 74915; 19 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 1564 (E.D.Pa. Oct. 4, 2007). Represented Arkema in disability and age discrimination action under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family Medical Leave Act and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. The court granted summary judgment in favor of Arkema on all counts.
• Cerol v. Temple Univ., Civ. Action No.. 06-213, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 60056 (E.D.Pa. Aug. 16, 2007). Defended Temple University in a denial of tenure case alleging retaliation based on a prior complaint of race and national origin discrimination and EEOC filing. The Court granted summary judgment in favor of Temple and dismissed the action in its entirety with prejudice.
• Klimaski v. Parexel Int’l, Civ. Action No. 05-298, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6403; 22 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 1612, (E.D. Pa. Apr 6, 2005). Represented Parexel in defamation and retaliatory discharge action under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and countersuit against plaintiffs for defamation, commercial disparagement, tortious interference with contract, breach of contract, and misappropriation of confidential information.
• Represented major pharmaceutical company in OFCCP investigation of alleged disparate impact discrimination.
• Represented major pharmaceutical company in class action alleging race discrimination. Class certification was denied.
• One of several lawyers for the legal team representing The Coca-Cola Company in a series of seventeen lawsuits filed by class members who opted out of the nationwide class action settlement and filed separate lawsuits. The plaintiffs were represented by famed plaintiffs’ trial lawyer, Willie Gary. Five of these cases resulted in summary judgment, dismissing all claims against the Company and requiring the plaintiffs to pay the Company’s cost of litigation. The remaining cases were all resolved for the same amount or less than the plaintiffs would have received had the plaintiffs remained members of the class. In several cases, plaintiffs received as little as sixty percent of what they would have received had they remained members of the class.
• Represented Temple University in several premises liability actions.
• Represented international financial institution in a number of significant acquisitions (each over $100M).
• Represented Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 telecommunication and financial companies in the drafting and negotiation of software, licensing and outsourcing agreements.
• Represented NeuroStar Technologies in its corporate formation, private equity financing and in the drafting and negotiation of several licensing and software agreements.
• Represented The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change pro bono in a number of contractual agreements and employment matters.
• Represented Women Against Abuse pro bono in several employment matters and redrafted the organization’s Employee Manual.

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS/PRESENTATIONS

Moderator, NACUA November 2009 Fall Conference, Compliance in Conflict of Interest Policies CLE Workshop;

Co-Author, The Legal Web of Wireless Transactions, Rutgers Computer & Technology Law Journal, Vol. 29, No.1 (2003);

Presenter, King & Spalding, Training Seminar on Licensing Transactions (edited Licensing Transactions training materials and templates);

Client Alert: Employment Law Update;

Panelist, National Black Law Students Association, 33rd Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, 2001;

Featured technology attorney on local Atlanta radio show.

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Throughout her career, Ms. Jackson has been active in a variety of civic organizations including serving as: board member and Development Committee Chair for the Atlanta Children’s Shelter; program director for the Sister to Sister Mentoring Program (for teenage girls on probation); mock trial coach; member of the Advisory Board for the Georgia Early Learning Initiative; volunteer for the Truancy Intervention Program, Childkind, Inc., Habitat for Humanity, the Homeless Advocacy Project in Philadelphia; mentor for teenaged mothers at Children’s Harbor in Pembroke Pines; and keynote speaker for the Atlanta Children’s Shelter Project Renewal Program and the Miami Rescue Mission 2008 Christmas in July Celebration. She has also provided pro bono legal representation for individuals and a variety of non-profit agencies, including the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and Women Against Abuse.

She is currently a member of the following organizations:

• American Bar Association
• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• The Florida Bar
• The State Bar of Georgia, Inactive Member
• Broward County Bar Association
• Florida Association for Women Lawyers
• Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. Bar Association, Secretary 2009-2010
• Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter of the National Bar Association
• Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association
• Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
• Florida Bar Foundation Fellow
• The Links, Inc. – North Broward Chapter
• Jack and Jill of America, Inc. – Fort Lauderdale Chapter
• Broward County Democratic Executive Committee, precinct person