Gary D. Friedman

Gary Friedman is a partner in Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP’s national Employment Litigation practice. Before joining Weil in 2007, Mr. Friedman was the U.S. Chair and Global Co-Chair of the Labor and Employment Practice at Mayer, Brown LLP, with which he was affiliated for more than fifteen years.

Mr. Friedman’s practice includes all areas of labor and employment law, including defending employers in class action, mass action and single plaintiff employment cases in federal and state courts and before federal, state and local administrative agencies, and in public and private arbitration forums; advising companies, their boards of directors and their various committees in sensitive employment-related internal investigations; advising and counseling employers regarding various employment-related issues pertaining to organizational changes such as reductions in force, restructurings, reorganizations and changes of control; drafting and negotiating complex executive employment, executive compensation and separation agreements; formulating, drafting, and revising important company employment‑related policies, manuals and programs; and advising clients on various employment-related issues emanating from corporate transactions.

Mr. Friedman has particular expertise in defending employers in employment discrimination and wage and hour class actions, and prosecuting and defending restrictive covenant and trade secrets cases on behalf of employers.

Mr. Friedman has defended employers in various business sectors, including financial services, insurance, technology, retail, food services, media and entertainment, public relations, mortgage banking and brokering, pharmaceutical, heavy industry and manufacturing and transportation, in some of the largest and most complex employment discrimination and wage and hour class and collective actions in the country.

He also has extensive experience in the field of arbitration, and has tried numerous cases before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the New York Stock Exchange, National Association of Securities Dealers, the American Arbitration Association and JAMS. In the field of restrictive covenant and trade secrets litigation, Mr. Friedman has handled matters in more than 30 states nationwide.

Mr. Friedman, who is a member of Weil’s E-Discovery Task Force, also has extensive experience with issues pertaining to electronic discovery, and advises clients on best practices and strategies in gathering, preserving and producing electronically stored information.

Education:

• Duke University (B.A., magna cum laude)
• Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.)

Admissions:

• US Court of Appeals 1st Cir.
• US Court of Appeals 2nd Cir.
• Eastern District New York
• New York State
• Southern District New York