Richard J. Rabin litigates commercial and employment disputes in federal and state courts and before various governmental agencies.
Mr. Rabin defends class and collective actions as well as single plaintiff matters. His representations include the following—
- ongoing defense of the former CEO of a large financial company in an ERISA “stock drop” class action
- successful representation of the New York Yankees in a salary arbitration involving its 2008 Opening Day starter, Chien-Ming Wang
- successful defense of a putative wage and hour class action against a trucking industry client, including defeating class certification and obtaining favorable settlement with individual plaintiffs
- successful defense of a financial software company and several of its employees in a preliminary injunction hearing and lawsuit involving the alleged theft of trade secrets
- defense of a large media company in a Department of Labor (DOL) investigation and subsequent lawsuit alleging ERISA violations based on purported misclassification of employees as independent contractors
- successful representation of a Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (MVPD) in a high-stakes commercial arbitration regarding the pricing of certain programming
- successful defense of a hedge fund client in litigation brought by its former chief financial officer, alleging breach of contract and violations of New York wage laws
- successful representation of a broker-dealer in a raiding action, including obtaining a temporary restraining order and eventually reaching a favorable settlement.
Mr. Rabin has first-chaired several high-profile arbitrations, including matters before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the American Arbitration Association (AAA), JAMS and the Major League Baseball Arbitration Panel. He regularly speaks and writes on litigation and employment issues and has provided legal analysis in television and radio interviews, as well as in print media. He is the author of “New Wave of 401(k) Litigation,” Pensions & Investments, November 25, 2002; “When to Litigate, When to Mediate, and When to Arbitrate,” Inside the Minds: Alternative Dispute Resolution Settlements and Negotiations, October 2006; and “Baseball-Style Arbitration: Don't Strike Out,” Broadcasting & Cable, January 30, 2006.
Mr. Rabin received his B.A. magna cum laude from the University of Michigan in 1990 and his J.D. magna cum laude in 1993 from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a member of Order of the Coif and the American Criminal Law Review. He is a member of the New York and District of Columbia bars.