Yendelela Neely

Mediator

Phone

Main:

678-222-0248


Direct:

678-329-9557

Email

Email Yendelela Neely

Fees

  • View Fees

    Administrative Fee: $200.00 per party/per day

    This fee will be charged to any cancelling party- in addition to any fee charged by the mediator – in the event your mediator elects to charge his or her cancellation fee. BAY admin fees will not be charged a second time if the mediation is rescheduled.

    Mediation Hourly Fees

    2 Party Case: $225.00 Per Party Per Hour
    3 Party Case: $200.00 Per Party Per Hour
    4 Party Case: $190.00 Per Party Per Hour

    Fees are the same for any additional time spent on document review, research, written findings of fact/law and other outside time, if any, necessary to prepare or make an informed award or evaluation.

Schedule

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Bio

Yendelela is a well-respected, highly sought after legal strategist, who has crammed a lifetime of experience in her almost twenty-year legal career. In addition to the decade plus that she spent representing corporations throughout the Country in employment-related class/collective actions, multi-plaintiff litigations, and state and federal agency charges as a partner at a large, leading international law firm, Yendelela honed her business acumen and practical advice skills as in-house counsel at a Fortune 5 Company. Yendelela now helps small and mid-size employers navigate legal pitfalls and remain compliant with federal and state law while advocating for individuals whose rights as employees have been violated.

Yendelela’s experience on “both sides of the v” provides her a unique perspective and ability to evaluate claims. She has the ability to simultaneously see the forest and the trees and can identify the strengths and weaknesses in both the plaintiffs’ and the defendants’ positions early. Having tried cases in federal and state courts and worked in-house, Yendelela fully understands the business realities of litigation and settlement. Yendelela’s tripart viewpoint (in-house counsel, outside defense counsel, outside plaintiff’s counsel) allows her to better understand the factors motivating all stakeholders in a mediation and help navigate them to an effective solution.

Yendelela has enhanced her legal practice with substantial board experience. Yendelela is a Trustee for her alma mater Furman University.  She is also a proud member of the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and of the Board of Directors for Agape Youth and Family Center. Yendelela’s excellence in the legal profession and work in the community have been noted by a number of entities, including Chambers, the Daily Report, Super Lawyers, and The Best Lawyers in America.

Yendelela hails from South Carolina where she graduated from Furman University with a double major in History and Political Science. Yendelela moved to Atlanta after graduating from Duke University School of Law and has called Atlanta home ever since. A lifelong learner, Yendelela recently obtained a Master of Religious Leadership from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology with a concentration in Justice, Peacebuilding, and Conflict Transformation. Yendelela also holds a certificate in Leadership in Law Firms from Harvard Law School’s Executive Education program and is a certified mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution and the Georgia Courts.

In her spare time, Yendelela enjoys spending time with her son and their two dogs and baking.

Areas of Expertise

  • Executive Seperations
  • Negligence
  • Restrictive Covenants
  • Wage & Hour Collective Actions
  • Sexual Misconduct
  • Business + Commercial
  • Employment + Labor

Locations

  • Atlanta
  • Macon

Languages Spoken

  • English

Credentials

ADR Training
    • Twenty-eight Hour Comprehensive Virtual Dispute Resolution Training and Mediation Practicum Training via Resolve to Solve.
Education
    • Duke University School of Law – Juris Doctor cum laude (2006)
    • Emory University Candler School of Theology– Master of Religious Leadership with a concentration in Justice, Peacebuilding, and Conflict Transformation (2024)
    • Furman University – Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude (History and Political Science) (2003)
    • Certificate in Leadership in Law Firms from Harvard Law School’s Executive Education program (2019)
Bar Admissions
    • Georgia Court of Appeals
    • Georgia State and Superior Courts
    • United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
    • United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
    • United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
    • Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
    • Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Employment
  • M. Neely Legal, LLC
    Founder and Managing Partner (March 2024 – present)
    • Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
      Partner/Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer (September 2018 – March 2024);
      Partner (January 2014 – November 2015)
      Associate (September 2006 – January 2014)
    • AT&T Services, Inc.
      Assistant Vice President – Senior Legal Counsel (December 2015 – September 2018)
Professional Affiliations
    • Registered Neutral with Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution
    • Leadership Atlanta Class of 2020
    • Lead Atlanta Class of 2013
    • Employment Law Section for State Bar of Georgia
    • The Best Lawyers in America® for Employment Law- Management (2024 and 2025)
    • Listed in the 2013, 2014, and 2015 editions of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Labor & Employment Law
    • Furman University Board of Trustees: Member (2016 – present), Secretary (2018 – 2020), Executive Committee (2017 – 2020)
    • Atlanta Legal Aid Society: President (2023), Executive Committee Member (2018 – present), Vice President (2022), Treasurer (2021), Secretary (2020), Chair Grievance Committee (2018), Member of Board of Directors (2015 – present), Advisory Committee Member (2011 – 2015)
    • Agape Youth and Family Center: Member of Board of Directors (2021 – present)
    • Central United Methodist Church: Member of Congregational Development Team (2024 – 2025)
    • Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys: Member, Former-Community Service Chair
    • Impact United Methodist Church: Staff/Parish Relations Committee Chair (2017), Staff/Parish Relations Committee Member (2015 – 2016)
Publications
    • “Mandatory Magic: Being Black and a Woman in Big Law,” published in Her Story: The Resilient Woman Lawyer’s Guide to Conquering Obstacles, Book 2 (2024)
    • “The Spokeo case: Will it open the floodgates to more FCRA litigation?,” National Association of Professional Background Screeners Journal, January 2015
    • “Hiring Requirements: Georgia,” PLC State Survey, May 2011
    • “Dynamic Working Conditions: Recent Developments and Clarifications in Labor Relations and Occupational Health and Safety Law,” 2007 Construction Law Update, Aspen Publishers
Presentations

Yendelela is a sought after speaker and has spoken at numerous conferences and CLES on a variety of topics ranging from protection of the attorney-client privilege to building and supporting a diverse workforce and legal profession to employment law compliance and risk mitigation. Yendelela’s presentations have included the following topics:

  • “Activating Equity Through Leadership and Allyship,” American Bar Association Forum on Franchising (2021)
  • “Beyond Allies: Supporting and Promoting Women of Color,” Corporate Counsel Women of Color 17th Annual Conference (2021)
  • “Diversity & Inclusion Ethics & Professionalism CLE,” State Bar of Georgia: Bankruptcy Section (2021)
  • “Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice in 2021,” State Bar of Georgia Diversity Program Fall Learning Lab(2020)
  • “Covid-19, Privacy and Civil Liberties in the U.S. and Germany,” Privacy + Security Forum (2020)
  • “Advancing Diversity & Inclusion Within Corporate Legal Departments,” ACC Annual Meeting (2020)
  • “The Importance of Diversity in Law,” Furman University (2020)
  • “Diversity & Inclusion: Microaggressions & Inequities,” Leadership Institute for Women of Color Attorneys (2019)
  • “In-House Counsel-Are You Giving Business or Legal Advice?” Leadership Institute for Women of Color Attorneys (2018)
  • “Class Actions & What Is Keeping Employers Up at Night” DRI Corporate Counsel Roundtable (2018)
  • “Ins and Outs of Occupational Safety & Health Administration” Lumber Manufacturer’s Association (2018)
      • “Spokeo Case & FCRA Litigation” National Association of Background Check Screeners (2015)