People: Robert S. Whitman, Partner

Robert S. Whitman

Partner

New York
Direct: (212) 218-5629
Fax: (212) 218-5526
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Rob Whitman is a partner in the Labor & Employment Department with extensive experience representing management in the full range of employment law matters.  He has particular expertise in wage-hour litigation, employment discrimination, non-compete matters, arbitration, and employment counseling.

Mr. Whitman has authored articles on employment law issues for a number of publications, including Corporate Counsel, New York Employment Law & Practice, The New York Law Journal, The Corporate Board and Employment Law Strategist.  He has appeared on CNN, Bloomberg TV and NPR as a commentator on employment law issues and has been quoted frequently in the print media.  He also lectures regularly and leads panel discussions before professional audiences.

Mr. Whitman has been recognized repeatedly as one of the top employment lawyers in Manhattan in polls conducted by New York Super Lawyers.  In June 2008, he received the Award for Pro Bono Leadership from Lawyers Alliance for New York in recognition of his pro bono representation of not-for-profit organizations throughout New York City, and in 2011 received the John M. D’Amato Legal Advocacy Award from the New York Center for Interpersonal Development, a longtime pro bono client.

After law school, Mr. Whitman was a Law Clerk to the Honorable J. Edward Lumbard of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  He has also served as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and as in-house employment counsel for the U.S. Senate.

Mr. Whitman is a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Labor & Employment Law at NYU Law School.  He also serves as a Director of the Cornell ILR School Alumni Association. He was an Associate Editor of the 2009 Cumulative Supplement of Employment Discrimination Law (4th ed.).

Rob Whitman is a partner in the Labor & Employment Department with extensive experience representing management in the full range of employment law matters.  He has particular expertise in wage-hour litigation, employment discrimination, non-compete matters, arbitration, and employment counseling.

Mr. Whitman has authored articles on employment law issues for a number of publications, including Corporate Counsel, New York Employment Law & Practice, The New York Law Journal, The Corporate Board and Employment Law Strategist.  He has appeared on CNN, Bloomberg TV and NPR as a commentator on employment law issues and has been quoted frequently in the print media.  He also lectures regularly and leads panel discussions before professional audiences.

Mr. Whitman has been recognized repeatedly as one of the top employment lawyers in Manhattan in polls conducted by New York Super Lawyers.  In June 2008, he received the Award for Pro Bono Leadership from Lawyers Alliance for New York in recognition of his pro bono representation of not-for-profit organizations throughout New York City, and in 2011 received the John M. D’Amato Legal Advocacy Award from the New York Center for Interpersonal Development, a longtime pro bono client.

After law school, Mr. Whitman was a Law Clerk to the Honorable J. Edward Lumbard of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  He has also served as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and as in-house employment counsel for the U.S. Senate.

Mr. Whitman is a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Labor & Employment Law at NYU Law School.  He also serves as a Director of the Cornell ILR School Alumni Association. He was an Associate Editor of the 2009 Cumulative Supplement of Employment Discrimination Law (4th ed.).

Education

  • J.D., University of Michigan Law School (1989)
    magna cum laude
    Order of the Coif
    Book Review Editor, Michigan Law Review
  • B.S., Cornell University (1986)
    Industrial and Labor Relations

Admissions

  • New York

Courts

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First, Second, Third and Fifth Circuits
  • U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, Northern and Western Districts of New York

Affiliations

Center for Labor & Employment Law, NYU Law School (Advisory Board)
American Bar Association (active member of Labor and Employment Section)
Cornell University ILR School Alumni Association
CPR Institute of Conflict Prevention and Resolution (member of Advisory Board of Alternatives)

Presentations

  • Panelist, “Employee Misclassification: Practical Considerations for Employers,”  LSI Telebriefing (September 15, 2011)
  • Moderator, “’Fissurization’ of the Labor Market; ‘Wage Theft’ Initiatives,” NYU 64th Annual Labor Conference (June 9, 2011)
  • Presenter, “Evidence Issues,” Federal Judicial Center Employment Law Workshop for Federal Judges (March 16, 2011)

Publications

  • Member, Board of Editors, Wage & Hour Collective and Class Litigation, ALM Law Journal Press (2012). Definitive treatise on wage and hour litigation.
  • Chapter Author, "Chapter 14 - Arbitration Agreements," Wage & Hour Collective and Class Litigation, ALM Law Journal Press (2012).  Definitive treatise on wage and hour litigation.
  • Co-Author, Recent Trends in Federal Wage & Hour Complex Litigation(2009)
  • Member, Panel of Critical Readers, Black’s Law Dictionary(9th ed.)
  • Member, Panel of Critical Readers, Garner’s Modern American Usage(3d ed.)
  • Contributor to Seyfarth Shaw's 2009 Class Action Report
  • Contributor to Seyfarth Shaw's 2008 Class Action Report
  • Contributor to the American Bar Association's Fair Labor Standards Act Treatise (2008 Supplement)
  • Co-author, “The Suddenly En Vogue FLSA: After 50 Years as a Wallflower, She’s Finally Ready to Dance,” The Houston Lawyer(Sept.-Oct. 2006).
  • Co-author, “The FLSA: Why You Should Be Concerned,” (two-part series), Today’s Restaurant News, Texas Edition, Vol. 6, No 5-6 (May-June 2006).
  • “The Aggravation of Aggregation” IADC Mid-Year Meeting(2001). 

Accolades

  • Pro Bono Leadership Award from Lawyers Alliance for New York (June 2008)
  • John M. D’Amato Legal Advocacy Award from New York Center for Interpersonal Development (June 2011)