Donald R. Livingston represents large employers in all aspects of civil rights and employment discrimination law, with an emphasis on complex employment litigation. Since joining Akin Gump in 1993, he has served as defense litigation counsel in numerous fair employment class actions, including Gutierrez v. Hooters, Inc., which The Washington Post termed EEOC’s “biggest defeat.”

Practice & Background

Mr. Livingston is a former general counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), where he was responsible for the federal government’s enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Mr. Livingston is a member of the Atlanta Bar Association and the American Bar Association (ABA), and serves on the ABA’s EEO Committee. He was chairman of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Georgia Bar in 1986, and served on the Section’s executive board from 1983 to 1987. He served as regional liaison to the ABA from 1985 to 1987, and as a member of the Committee of Labor Arbitration and the Law of Collective Bargaining Agreements from 1979 to 1987.

Mr. Livingston is the author of EEOC Litigation and Charge Resolution (BNA 2004), a treatise covering all aspects of attorney interactions with the EEOC. In addition, he has written numerous articles and spoken extensively on employment discrimination and labor arbitration. He is chapter chair for Employment Discrimination Law (Lindemann & Grossman) and a contributor to Sexual Harassment in Employment Law (Lindemann & Kadue).

In 2003, Mr. Livingston was elected to the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.

Awards & Accolades

  • Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who in America
  • The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers
  • The International Who’s Who of Management Labour & Employment Lawyers
  • Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business — labor and employment
  • Super Lawyers (2007-2013)
  • The National Law Journal’s “Who’s Who of Employment/Labor Lawyers” — one of 26 management lawyers named in July 1997.