Andrew H. Friedman, a name partner with the law firm of Helmer & Friedman LLP, primarily represents employees in all aspects of employment law
including not only individual discrimination, harassment and
retaliation cases but also complex multi-party wage and hour class
actions. In addition to occasionally representing employers and individual defendants, Mr. Friedman also conducts neutral fact-finding investigations into employment-related disputes.
Mr. Friedman also represents clients in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death,
civil rights, and product liability cases.
Mr. Friedman received his J.D. degree from Cornell Law School and his B.A. degree in history and psychology, cum laude, from Vanderbilt University. At Cornell, Mr. Friedman was a member of the Board of Editors of the Cornell Law Review and a member of the Moot Court Board. Following law school, Mr. Friedman served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable John T. Nixon, United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Subsequently, Mr. Friedman was trained as an employment attorney by two of the Nation’s most prestigious management-side employment law firms – Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker and Bryan Cave LLP.
Mr. Friedman has handled a wide range of employment-related litigation
in state and federal courts. Indeed, Mr. Friedman recently prevailed
(along with his law partner, Gregory D. Helmer) in a three week
sexual harassment jury trial. He also settled a $1.575 Million class
action discrimination lawsuit in the Orange County Superior Court
and he recovered a $1.5 Million settlement in federal court (U.S.
District Court for the Central District of California) in a wage and
hour class action. Mr. Friedman has also had significant experience
counseling employers and employees with work-related problems in an
effort to resolve their disputes without the necessity of court
intervention. In addition, Mr. Friedman has represented both
employers and employees in matters pending with numerous
governmental agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission, the California Department of Fair Employment and
Housing, and the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.
Law & Politics Magazine and the publishers of Los
Angeles Magazine selected Mr. Friedman as a 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Southern California
"Super Lawyer" in the category of Labor and Employment Law.
The online legal referral service AVVO (www.avvo.com)
rates Mr. Friedman a 10/10 (superb) as an employment/labor and class
action attorney.
Mr. Friedman is a prolific author and editor of many employment-related publications including: Author,
Litigating Employment Discrimination Cases, (James Publishing,
2005 - 2011); Co-Editor-In-Chief, California Employment Law Digest, (James Publishing, 2000); Co-Author, California Causes of Action, (James Publishing, 1998); Contributor, Litigating Sexual Harassment and Sex Discrimination Cases, (James Publishing, 1998).
Mr. Friedman has also written the following law review articles:
Mr. Friedman is a frequent speaker and/or moderator for various human resource and legal organizations, including the
American Bar Association ("ABA"), National Business Institute (“NBI”), the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA"), the Continuing Education of the Bar ("CEB"), the Southern California Employment Round Table (“SCERT”), the Professionals In Human Resources Association (“PIHRA”), the Southern California Mediation Association (“SCMA”), the State Bar of California, the Los Angeles County Bar Association,
the Beverly Hills Bar Association and the California Employment
Lawyers Association. In the last three
years, Mr. Friedman has spoken and/or moderated the following:
Employment Law Update: The Best And Worst of 2011, Beverly Hills Bar Association (January 2012)
Retaliation – Now the #1 Complaint, Employment Round Table of Southern California's 2011
Annual Conference and Awards Luncheon (November 2011)
2011 Employment Law Update, California Employment Lawyers Association (October 2011)
2011 Employment Law Update, Labor and Employment Law Section of the
State Bar of California (October 2011)
How to be an Ethical Rainmaker in Tough Economy - The Keys to Successful
(and Ethical) Rainmaking, Labor and Employment Law Section of the State Bar of California (October 2011)
2011 Employment Law Update, State Bar of California (September 2011)
Disability, Family Leave, Pregnancy, and Workers' Compensation
Law Update, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (September 2011)
Debate by Expert Trial Attorneys on the Wal-Mart Gender Discrimination Lawsuit, Federalist Society – Orange County Chapter (June 2011)
2011 Employment Law Update: A Mid-Year Review of Recent Developments, Labor and Employment Law Section of the State Bar of California (June 2011)
Mediating the Employment Law Case, State Bar of California Solo and Small Firm Summit (June 2011)
The Plaintiff Employment Lawsuit: From Potential Client Intake to Execution of the Engagement Letter, State Bar of California Solo and Small Firm Summit (June 2011)
Winning and Defeating Motions for Summary Judgment in Employment Cases, Labor and Employment Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (June 2011)
2011 Employment Law Update, Labor and Employment
Law Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association (January 2011)
2011 Employment Law Update, State Bar of
California Cyber Institute (January 2011)
2010 Employment Law Update, Labor and Employment Law Section
of the State Bar of California (October 2010)
2010 Employment Law Update, California Employment
Lawyers
Association (October 2010)
2010 Employment Law Update, Employment Roundtable of Southern
California (September 2010)
Everything that an Employment Lawyer Needs to
Know About Writs and Appeals, but was Afraid to Ask, Labor and Employment
Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (March 2010)
2010 Employment Law Update: A Mid-Year Review of Recent
Developments, Continuing Education of the Bar (June 2009)
Religion, God in the Workplace, State Bar of
California's Labor and Employment Law Section (October 2009)
2009 Employment Law Update, State Bar of
California's Labor and Employment Law Section (October 2009)
A Review of Recent Retaliation Cases, Labor and
Employment Law Section of the State Bar of California (August 2009)
2009 Mid-Year Employment Law Update: Labor and
Employment Law Section of the State Bar of California (July 2009)
Saints and Sinners in the Workplace: A Primer on Religious
Discrimination, National Employment Lawyers Association (June 2009)
Bankruptcy 101 for Employment Lawyers: How to Protect Your Case,
Beverly Hills Bar Association (June 2009)
2009 Employment Law Update: A Mid-Year Review of Recent
Developments, Continuing Education of the Bar (June 2009)
Tips, Tricks and Strategies for Mediating the
Employment
Discrimination Law Case, State Bar of California's Section Education
Institute (January 2009)
2008 Employment Law Update, Employment Roundtable
of Southern California (November 2008)
2008 Employment Law Update, State Bar of
California's Labor and Employment Law Section (October 2008)
Age Discrimination: Handling the Coming Wave,
State Bar of California (September 2008)
2008 Employment Law Update: A Mid-Year Review of
Recent Developments, Continuing Education of the Bar (July
2008)
Mediation and Pre-Dispute Resolution and
Investigation, American Bar Association's Section of Labor and
Employment Law (April 2008)
Legal Update, Southern California Employment
Roundtable (February 2008)
A Practical Guide to Sexual Harassment
Prevention, Policies and Programs, State Bar of California's Section
Education Institute (January 2008)
Atheists, Agnostics and True Believers in the
Workplace: A Survey of Religious Discrimination, Harassment and
Accommodation Cases, Labor and Employment Law Section of the State
Bar of California (October 2007)
True Believers In The Workplace: A Primer on
Religious Accommodation, Discrimination, and Harassment, State Bar
of California (September 2007)
2007 Employment Law Update: A Mid-Year Review of
Recent Developments, Continuing Education of the Bar (June
2007)
Deal or No Deal: Negotiating Employment Law
Settlement Agreements, Southern California Mediation Association
(May 2007)
Saints and Sinners in the Workplace: A Primer on
Religious Discrimination, Accommodations, and Undue Hardship, Los
Angeles County Bar Association (March 2007)
Advanced Issues In Employment Law, National
Business Institute (January 2007)
Mastering and Surviving Summary Judgment in
Employment Cases, Los Angeles County Bar Association (November 2006)
2006 Employment Law Update: A Mid-Year Review of
Recent Developments, Continuing Education of the Bar (September
2006)
Preventing & Dealing with Sexual Harassment Claims, Continuing
Education of the Bar (August 2006)
E-mail, Voice-mail, and Snailmail: Privacy Issues
in the New Workplace, State Bar of California's Section Education
Institute (January 2006)
Mr. Friedman has also spoken about various labor and employment law issues on “Your Legal Rights”, a San Francisco-based public radio program, produced and hosted by Chuck Finney, which covers a wide range of legal issues for California consumers.
Mr. Friedman’s professional memberships include, among others, the following: (1)
Member, Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the State Bar of California (2002 – 2005); (2)
Advisor, Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section
of the State Bar of California (2005 – present); (3) Member, Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (2003 – present);
(4) Co-Chair of the Saturday Morning Seminar Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (2003 –
2005); (5) Member, Symposium Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar
Association (2006 – present); Co-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association (2002-2003);
Member, Board of Directors of the Employment
Roundtable of Southern California (2007 - present).
Mr. Friedman is licensed to practice in California, Missouri, and the District of Columbia.
