Robert C. Long is a widely-respected leader on the complex labor and employment issues that arise in the context of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy, downsizing, reorganization and turn-around work with troubled companies or industries. Robert is the founder and co-chair of Littler Mendelson’s Business Restructuring Practice Group. He regularly works with corporate clients and private equity firms to guide them in structuring corporate transactions to minimize risk and maximize the value and success of those transactions from a labor, employment, and employee benefits perspective. This includes transaction planning, due diligence, deal documentation, re-negotiation of labor agreements and pre-and post-closing integration activities. Robert frequently collaborates with leading mergers and acquisitions corporate lawyers, accountants and management consultants on such engagements.

An experienced labor negotiator, Robert has represented management in more than 300 labor contract negotiations, often in the context of high-stakes first contracts or successor agreements involving a major restructuring of the labor-management relationship. He has served as chief negotiator in a number of national contract negotiations and represented multi-employer associations in their negotiation of industry-wide contracts. He has extensive experience with most of the country's largest unions.

Robert was retained as the chief labor negotiator for the City of Columbus, Ohio from 1992 through 1997. He continues to represent significant public sector clients in Illinois and elsewhere in collective bargaining, interest arbitration, and other traditional labor and employment discrimination matters.

Robert also has an extensive union avoidance practice, including handling policy and strategy development activities, union vulnerability risk assessments and related management training, as well as representation proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board. Robert is a leader in developing and delivering management and employee training courses, including sexual harassment, positive employee relations, and managing in a union environment. He also is a popular speaker on traditional labor and business restructuring matters.

With clients that range from small closely-held companies to Fortune 50 companies, Robert most frequently represents:

• Private equity firms
• Investment bankers
• Transportation/delivery/logistics companies
• Manufacturers
• Retail and consumer service companies
• Forest/ paper products companies
• Healthcare institutions
• Financial institutions
• Public sector entities

Prior to joining Littler in August 2003, Robert worked at a Chicago law firm for more than 24 years. He was a founder and co-chair of that firm's business restructuring labor and employment group.

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS

• Member, Association for Corporate Growth
• Member, Turnaround Management Association
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Illinois State Bar Association
• Member, Chicago Bar Association
• Member, Ohio State Bar Association
• Member, Columbus Bar Association
• Member, Society for Human Resource Management - Ohio Chapter
• Member, National Public Employer Labor Relations Association
• Member, Illinois Public Employer Labor Relations Association
• Member, Ohio Public Employer Labor Relations Association

RECOGNITION

• Fellow, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
• Awarded, Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Lawyer Rating
• Named, Management Labour and Employment - Who's Who Legal, 2010-2011