Robert S. Cooper has more than 30 years of experience as a management-side labor and employment trial lawyer and commercial business litigator, including numerous jury and bench trials, binding arbitrations, administrative law matters, and defense of class action lawsuits. Mr. Cooper has conducted numerous jury trials, including employment law, wrongful termination discrimination cases, and a wide variety of commercial litigation disputes including construction, real estate wrongful foreclosure and contractual disputes, toxic torts, unfair competition, transportation, automotive industry disputes, and defense of catastrophic injury-product liability cases on behalf of Fortune 500 companies. He has been on insurance panels for St. Paul Travelers, The Hartford, and New York Marine & General Insurance. He works with clients in a wide range of industries, including construction, automotive, real estate development, property management, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, entertainment, financial, and IT.

Mr. Cooper also handles all aspects of labor and employment law and employee benefits litigation. In addition to litigation and trial of labor and employment matters, he also counsels large and smaller companies regarding the full gamut of employment law issues, including wage and hour disputes, sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation cases, and wrongful termination/public policy claims.

Mr. Cooper has also conducted numerous workplace investigations and litigated benefits disputes. He writes employment manuals and policies. He handles all phases of litigation before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, such as:

The Department of Fair and Employment and Housing

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

The Department of Labor Standards Enforcement

The Department of Labor

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration

The National Labor Relations Board

The Workers Compensation Appeals Board

Employment Development Department

Mr. Cooper also has extensive experience handling cases involving commercial litigation, construction law, catastrophic injury-product liability defense, and maritime/transportation law.

Mr. Cooper has been named one of The Best Lawyers in America, for Litigation - Labor and Employment in 2025 - 2027.

Mr. Cooper was recently appointed Chairman of the Parklands Commissions for the City of Palos Verdes Estates.

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Bar Admissions
California

California State Courts

U.S. District Court for the District of California

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

United States Court of Federal Claims

Significant Accomplishments

• Successfully obtained a unanimous defense verdict on behalf of national RV dealership on breach of contract and fraud actions
• Obtained unanimous jury verdict in wrongful foreclosure and usury action

• Buchalter COVID-19 Client Alert: San Francisco Moves to Lowest COVID Tier in California, Begins Process of Reopening Non-Essential Offices; Other Bay Area Counties Slower to Follow

  By Robert Cooper |November 2020

• Buchalter COVID-19 Client Alert: San Francisco Moves to Lowest COVID Tier in California, Begins Process of Reopening Non-Essential Offices; Other Bay Area Counties Slower to Follow

  By Robert Cooper |November 2020

• Buchalter COVID-19 Client Alert: San Francisco Moves to Lowest COVID Tier in California, Begins Process of Reopening Non-Essential Offices; Other Bay Area Counties Slower to Follow

  By Robert Cooper |November 2020

Additional ArticlesRinging in the New Year: A Summary of New Employment Laws for 2015

Claims in California Under the Private Attorneys General Act: Are They the 'Waive' of the Future?

PAGA Claims Alive and Well, For Now

The Concept Of Independent Contractor Is Under Assault-Especially In California

Racial Strife in the Workplace - What's an HR Professional To Do? Managing Hostile Work Environment Claims Under Title VII

California Supreme Court's Dynamex Decision Alters Independent Contractor Landscape

Healthcare Client Alert: California Supreme Court's Dynamex Decision Alters Independent Contractor Landscape

DYNAMEX UPDATE: Are There Still Independent Contractors in California?

How Calif. Employers Can Protect Against PAGA Claims

California Supreme Court Limits PAGA Claim Damages in Landmark Ruling Denying Plaintiff's Wage Claim

Buchalter COVID-19 Client Alert: Mitigating Exposure to Employee COVID-19 Illness Claims

Court Of Appeal Provides A New Weapon For Employers Regarding PAGA Claims-Manageability

California Supreme Court Weighs in on U.S. Supreme Court's Landmark Decision in Viking Cruise Lines Regarding PAGA Lawsuits

Robert Cooper, Speaker at Sheppard Mullin

Oren Bitan and Robert Cooper, Speakers at Lorman Educational Services

What Every Trucking Company Needs to Know: California Law on Classifying Owner-Operators or Drivers as Employees or Independent Contractors, and When Employee Overtime Exemptions Under the Motor Carrier Act

Teleseminar: Loan Officers: Are you classifying them properly, or walking into a wage and hour lawsuit? What you need to know about the Supreme Court's March 2015 Decision in Perez v. Mortgage Bankers Assoc., etc.

Pincus Webinar: Understanding the Legal Impact of Covid-19 as it Affects Your Clients, Your Life and Your Business

Protection from Wage and Hour Class Action Lawsuits

Buchalter Webcast: Understanding and Not Fearing Covid 19 As It Affects Your Life and Business

Buchalter Webcast: California Employer Considerations and Best Practices for Returning to Work in the Wake of COVID-19