Overview

Rob Friedman is Co-Chair of Littler’s Arbitration Practice Group and leads a national team of attorneys who have extensive experience drafting, promulgating, and enforcing employment arbitration agreements. Rob previously served as the Managing Shareholder of the firm’s Dallas and Fayetteville offices. He is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Rob exclusively represents employers, and litigates on behalf of management before state and federal trial and appellate courts, arbitrators, and state and federal agencies.

As one of the leading nationwide authorities on drafting and enforcing arbitration agreements, Rob is the founding chair of the firm’s national Arbitration Practice Group. And he has successfully argued arbitration enforcement issues before state and United States Courts of Appeals, state Supreme Courts, and the United States Supreme Court. Rob’s practice also includes significant nationwide experience representing businesses in wage and hour class and collective action litigation under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state law. And Rob litigates, arbitrates, and manages a large docket of employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation cases.

Most commonly, Rob works with the following types of clients:

  • Energy, oil and gas and drilling companies
  • Hospital and healthcare providers
  • Rent-to-own companies
  • Retailers
  • Service organizations
  • Telecommunications companies
  • Temporary and PEO agencies
  • Transportation industry

Rob has authored numerous articles, chapters, and publications regarding arbitration, wage and hour matters, class action defense, and the WARN Act, and is a frequent presenter at legal events. He is frequently quoted by leading legal news publications.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Member

American Bar Association

Member

Federal Labor Standards Subcommittee

American Bar Association

Member

Dallas Bar Association

Member

French-American Bar Association

Recognition

Named, The Best Lawyers in America®

2012-2024

Named, Dallas 500 - The Most Powerful Business Leaders in Dallas-Ft.Worth

D CEO Magazine

2021-2022

News, Analysis & Press

Dallas 500 - The Most Powerful Business Leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth

D CEO Magazine

2022 Edition

Dallas 500 - The Most Powerful Business Leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth

D CEO Magazine

2021 Edition

Supreme Court Ruling Cuts Off Avenue To Class Proceedings

Law360 Tax Authority

April 24, 2019

Dukes v. Wal-Mart is a win for employers

InsideCounsel

August 1, 2011

Wal-Mart Ruling Convolutes Class-Action Landscape

Workforce Management

July 5, 2011

Books & Book Chapters

  • Plant Closings and Mass Layoff Notice Requirements, Texas Association of Business and Chambers of Commerce, Co-Author, 2000-2021
  • The Fair Labor Standards Act, Treatise Supplement, Contributing Editor, 2005-2022
  • Littler on Employee Arbitration Agreements, Co-author, 2016

Speaking Engagements

2023 Dallas Regional Employer Conference

Dallas, TX

August 3, 2023

Who Wants to Be a Lawionaire?

Littler Executive Employer Conference

May 5, 2022

The Enduring Value of Employment Arbitration Agreements Under Attack

Littler Executive Employer Conference

May 5, 2022

The Great Arbitration Debate: Do Employment Arbitration Agreements Still Make Sense for Employers?

Association of Corporate Counsel CLE

October 17, 2019

One Year After #MeToo: The Legal Fallout and What's To Come

Dallas, TX

March 19, 2019

Arbitration After Epic

National Retail Federation HR and Employment Law Fall Meeting, New York, NY

October 23, 2018

Supreme Court Rules on Class and Collective Action Waivers

May 24, 2018

Supreme Court Rules on Class and Collective Action Waivers - Afternoon Session

May 22, 2018

Supreme Court Rules on Class and Collective Action Waivers - Morning Session

May 22, 2018

The Battle Over Arbitration Continues: The FAA, the NLRA and Other Lingering Skirmishes

Littler Executive Employer, Phoenix, AZ

May 3, 2018

The Current Status of Arbitration Agreements Under the New Administration and in the Courts

The 2017 Executive Employer® Conference

May 11, 2017

Arbitration Agreements: Attacks on Class Action Waivers

National Retail Federation Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.

October 28, 2016

Attacks on All Fronts: FLSA Lawsuits, and the NLRB's Attacks on Arbitration Class Waivers

American Petroleum Labor Lawyers Association Annual Conference, Houston, TX

October 26, 2016

Preparing for Change: DOL’s Final Rule on Overtime and Brief Update on the Affordable Care Act

Asian American Hotel Owners Association, Dallas, TX

August 9, 2016

Flanking Attacks and Other Maneuvers: How the Plaintiffs’ Bar Defeats Arbitral Class Waiver Clauses

The 2016 Executive Employer® Conference

May 5, 2016

Hot Topics in Employment Law

Corporate Counsel Section - Dallas Bar Association

February 2, 2016

Employment Law Resolutions for 2016

Dallas, TX

January 21, 2016

Arbitration of Wage and Hour Claims

9th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, American Bar Association, Philadelphia, PA

November 7, 2015

Resolving Wage & Hour Mass Actions

JAMS, San Francisco, CA

May 28, 2014

Arbitration Wars! The Plaintiffs’ Bar Strikes Back – The Threat of Mass Arbitrations, Other Tactics and What You Can Do About It

The 2014 Executive Employer® Conference

Littler Mendelson, Phoenix, AZ

May 9, 2014

Arbitration: Pros and Cons – Debunking the Myths

Corporate Counsel Section - Dallas Bar Association

March 4, 2014

The Great Arbitration Debate

Dallas, TX

January 30, 2014

Independent Contractor Misclassification – Recent Initiatives and Trends

Labor & Employment Law Section – Dallas Bar Association

September 16, 2013

Class Action Summit

October 22, 2012

The State of Covenants Not to Compete & Arbitration Agreements

Annual In-House Symposium - Association of Corporate Counsel

May 23, 2012

Pressing Issues Facing Retailers—In the U.S. and Abroad

February 13, 2012

The Federal Arbitration Act after AT&T Mobility, LLC v. Concepcion: What Companies, Consumers, Employees, and Counsel Need to Know

Bloomberg BNA Webinar

November 9, 2011

Class Arbitration Issues Following Stolt-Nielsen and Concepcion

Executives Summit - National Retail Federation, Dallas, TX

October 12, 2011

Class Action Summit

September 26, 2011

AT&T v. Concepcion: What the Ruling Means to You

June 21, 2011

Arbitration Agreements: Clause and Effect

August 27, 2010

The Cutting Edge of Arbitration: What You Need to Know

Annual Meeting - American Bar Association, San Francisco, CA

August 9, 2010

Arbitration Agreements: Clause and Effect

August 4, 2010

Education

  • J.D., Southern Methodist University, 1998cum laude
  • B.A., University of Texas, 1991

Languages

  • French

Bar Admission

Texas

Courts

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan