ROBERT M. FREEDMAN
Partner

Tel: (818) 205-9955
Fax: (818) 205-9944
Email: rfreedman@tharpe-howell.com

ROBERT M. FREEDMAN is a Partner of Tharpe & Howell and manages its Commercial Litigation and Transactional Practice Group at the Los Angeles office. His litigation experience includes Federal and State jury and bench trials, arbitrations, class-actions, administrative proceedings and appeals involving:

• Residential, commercial and public works real estate and construction matters including claims for personal injury, property damage, defects, delays, sales and lease transactions, design and development, bonds, trust-deeds, foreclosures, contract disputes, lending practices, land use, homeowners’ associations, affordable housing, environmental, ADA, and condemnation.



• Insurance litigation including bad faith, contribution and subrogation, additional insured endorsements, surety and fidelity bonds, and insurance agency E&O.



• Business litigation including unfair competition, breach of contract, commercial transactions, corporate transactions, securities, banking, computer software, and intellectual property related to service industries, as well as consumer and industrial products.



• Products liability, including design, manufacturing and sales of building products, consumer products, industrial products, food-borne illness.



• Employment and Labor Code claims, including harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, wage and hour, meal and rest-break violations, and EPLI insurance.



• Professional liability, including design professionals, insurance agencies, legal services and lending institutions.

Mr. Freedman has represented key parties in high-exposure and complex real estate and construction matters involving fire, landslide and earthquakes, which resulted in damaged and destroyed structures, and claims for wrongful death, personal injury and economic losses. Through the aggressive use of Alternative Dispute Resolution techniques, he has architected some of the most creative and unique settlements in California. Examples of these include the Northridge Meadows apartment collapse that resulted in sixteen wrongful death claims and fifty seven consolidated lawsuits, and the Shorecliffs litigation in San Clemente involving over twenty homes that were destroyed or damaged as a result of landslides.

Mr. Freedman also acts as General Counsel for corporations including conducting negotiations and handling transactions involving real estate, commercial and residential construction, internet marketing, eye-wear, oil and gas pipeline corrosion, special events, insurance, broadcasting, legal services, temporary staffing, hospitality, as well as other consumer and industrial products and services. Of interest, is his involvement in the preparation of the contracts for the “wiring” of PacBell Park in San Francisco for television and internet broadcasting of baseball games and other events.

Other professional activities include the development of risk management/loss control and due diligence protocols and litigation management systems. He has published a number of professional papers and is often an invited speaker on various topics of legal and business interest, including his long-standing interest in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Mr. Freedman graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Golden West University in 1978.

He received his Juris Doctorate degree from Golden West University School of Law in 1980 and earned national awards for his work in Corporations and Civil Procedure. Mr. Freedman earned his certification as a
Mediator for Complex Construction Disputes from the Strauss Institute of Dispute Resolution in 2003. Prior to commencing his legal career with Tharpe & Howell in 1989, Mr. Freedman was President of Austin Merle, Inc., a national consumer products distribution company.

Mr. Freedman is a member of the State Bar in California, District of Columbia, and Washington state.

He has also represented clients in Illinois, Michigan, Florida, and Nevada. He is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, American Bar Association, Building Industry Association, and Southern California Defense Counsel.

LOCATION:
Los Angeles

PRACTICE AREAS:
Bad Faith and Coverage
Business and Intellectual Property Law
Employment and Labor Law
Real Estate and Construction Law
Toxic Tort and Environmental Litigation

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