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Zack S. Anstett

Associate
Raleigh | 919.835.4042
Fax | 919.834.4564

Zack Anstett is a litigator. He has represented employers and municipalities before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at the federal and state level. He has also defended employers and municipalities against lawsuits related to Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Retaliatory Employment Discrimination Act (REDA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and other federal and state employment laws.

Zack is a counselor. Because of his experience in the courtroom, he knows how to advise clients on the best practices to stay out of them. He has drafted, reviewed, and negotiated employment agreements for businesses, including nondisclosure and noncompete clauses, and has advised on employment best practices as well.

Zack is a former trial court law clerk for the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts and a former judicial intern for the Honorable Paul Newby, who is now the chief justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina.

Zack earned his law degree from Campbell University, where he won a variety of awards, including the Howard Memorial Christian Citizenship Award for exemplifying Christian character through citizenship and leadership. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, where he co-founded a campus chapter of an anti-human trafficking organization, founded an organization to prevent sexual assault, and served as the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity's community service chair.

Zack continues his philanthropic efforts by providing sleeping bags and winter gear to those experiencing homelessness in Wake County each winter. He has also volunteered with different Habitat for Humanity chapters up and down the East Coast. At Parker Poe, he serves on the firm’s Recruiting Committee and Technology Committee as well as the firm’s Working Families Task Force. In his free time, he enjoys learning Farsi, cooking with his Persian grandmother-in-law, and losing in pickleball to his 4-year-old daughter while his wife and 2-year-old son laugh from the sidelines.

Representative Experience

  • Secured voluntary dismissal post-discovery in a business litigation case involving allegations of fraud, unfair trade practices, and misrepresentation.
  • Represented employers in administrative proceedings, state and federal court litigation, and pre-suit negotiations across the country, but with a specific emphasis in North Carolina and South Carolina in a range of matters that include:
    • Claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on age, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, and national origin.
    • Wrongful discharge, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, and other state law claims arising out of the employment relationship.
    • FLSA and state wage and hour claims.
  • Represented Farm Labor Contractor in class action lawsuit brought by H-2A visa workers alleging failure to pay proper wages and human trafficking.
  • Represented major hospital in discrimination lawsuit that was the subject of intense media scrutiny and involved allegations of hostile work environment, race discrimination, and retaliation.
  • Conducted an internal investigation into allegations that a tenured manager was sexually harassing subordinate employees while traveling for business in another state.

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Honors & Awards

  • The Best Lawyers in America "Ones to Watch" in Labor and Employment Litigation, 2025
  • Business North Carolina magazine’s “Legal Elite” in Employment, 2024
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2022-2024
  • North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society, 2022-2023
  • Campbell University's Howard Memorial Christian Citizenship Award
  • Order of Old Kivett

Memberships

  • North Carolina Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section, 2018-present
  • Defense Research Institute, 2020-present
  • Campbell Law School, Alumni Association Board of Directors, 2024-present
  • InterAct of Wake County, Sustainability Team for Fundraising and Community Engagement, 2020-2022
  • Habitat for Humanity, Volunteer, 2007-2016