Ropes & Gray LLP: Robert B. Gordon

Robert B. Gordon
Partner

Ropes & Gray
Prudential Tower
800 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02199-3600

T +1 617 951 7442
+1 617 854 2163 secretary
robert.gordon@ropesgray.com

Bob represents a wide range of employers across the full spectrum of employment and labor relations matters. Bob’s clients include financial services firms, high technology and life sciences companies, health care and educational institutions, and a variety of commercial, retail and non-profit organizations.

Bob regularly represents employers in state and federal court litigation, in labor and executive employment arbitrations, and in hearings before state and federal agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U.S. Department of Labor. Bob has tried numerous complex cases to verdict, dozens of arbitrations under collective bargaining agreements, and has extensive appellate experience both in state and federal circuit courts of appeal throughout the country.

In addition, Bob advises clients on the broad range of personnel-related issues confronting employers, including non-competition strategy and trade secret protection, employee discipline and discharge, sexual harassment and employment discrimination, wage and hour law compliance, attendance management under the ADA and FMLA, and executive compensation and separation agreements.

Representative Clients and Matters

LITIGATION:

Secured defense verdicts for clients such as State Street Corporation, MITRE Corporation, Hazen Paper Company, Mohawk Rubber Company, Stone & Webster Corporation, and Concord-Carlisle Regional School District in civil jury trials.
Successfully defended GE Aerospace in 11 consolidated age discrimination cases prosecuted in a three-week public hearing by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.
Litigated dozens of non-competition and trade secret disputes, from both the enforcement and defense perspectives, for clients such as EnerNOC, Inc., Maven Networks, Lycos, Inc., Mercury Interactive Corporation, First Federal Savings Bank, Sonus Networks, Onward Technologies, C.H. Robinson Company, TAD Technical Services Corporation, and TriMark USA.
Argued successfully before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark age discrimination case of Hazen Paper Company v. Biggins, 507 U.S. 604 (1993).
Successfully represented the Boston Red Sox in defense of an ADA class action challenging the accessibility of Fenway Park
Successfully represented clients such as Renaissance Worldwide and Wellbridge Club Management in defense of class action lawsuits under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

COUNSELING:

Advise numerous business clients across a range of industries on their non-competition and trade secret protection strategies.
Regularly counsel public company clients on the development and implementation of nationwide reduction in force initiatives.
Conducted numerous board-commissioned internal investigations into charges of sexual harassment, Sarbanes-Oxley violations, and other allegations of executive misconduct.
Counseled a public biotechnology company, a national computer re-seller, a publicly traded toy retailer, and a major academic medical center on company-wide job classifications and wage/hour issues.

Honors & Awards