Robin J. Samuel
Biography
Robin Samuel is a partner in Baker McKenzie’s Employment and Compensation Practice Group, leader of the California Labor & Employment practice group, co-Chair of the Firm’s Workforce Redesign service line, and Steering Committee member for the North American Employment and Compensation practice.
Robin helps clients manage and resolve local and cross-border employment issues, whether through counseling or litigation. He advises clients on virtually all aspects of the employment relationship, including hiring and firing, wage and hour, discrimination, harassment, contract disputes, restrictive covenants, employee raiding, and trade secret matters. Clients trust Robin to handle their most sensitive and complex employment issues.
Practice Focus
Robin actively litigates class and collective claims, single plaintiff actions, and other employment disputes in state and federal court, arbitration, and before administrative agencies. He also handles sensitive internal investigations for clients around the world.
Robin helps clients achieve their business goals by guiding them towards practical and cost-efficient solutions to employment-related issues. Robin also provides in-house trainings on legal developments and trends.
Representative Legal Matters
- Successfully defended a Los Angeles-based printing company in a putative wage class action.
- Favorably settled an extensive non-compete case for one of the world’s leading event companies.
- Successfully defended an aerospace and defense company in an employment discrimination case.
- Successfully represented the world's leading sports and live entertainment company in various claims including breach of contract, wage and hour, and more.
Prior to joining the Firm, Robin acted on the following matters:
- Represented one of the nation's largest cable companies in wage and hour class action litigation, effectively disabling plaintiff's counsel from suing again.
- Represented a national mortgage company in a class litigation brought by the EEOC asserting pattern and practice age discrimination.
- Represented a concert promoter in a wage class action brought by seasonal workers.
- Represented a professional sports team in a wage audit by the Department of Labor.
- Assisted with a prosecution trade secret and misappropriation claims on behalf of a national staffing agency against a former employer and a competitor.
- Defended a private equity firm in arbitration initiated by former employee for unpaid compensation and fund equity.
- Advised clients on employment issues arising out of corporate acquisitions.
- Obtained a dismissal with prejudice on behalf of a construction and engineering firm on FMLA interference claims.
Professional Honors
- Labor and Employment Star, Benchmark Litigation, 2020
Professional Associations and Memberships
- State Bar of California, Labor and Employment Law Section - Member
Admissions
- California~United States (1994)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Colorado~United States
- U.S. District Court, Arizona~United States
- U.S. District Court, District of Nevada~United States
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California~United States
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri~United States
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin
Education
- University of California, Hastings College of the Law (now University of California, College of the Law) (JD) (1994)
- University of California at San Diego (BA) (1991)