Overview
Blair Robinson is a partner in the Employment Law Department based in the firm’s New York office. Blair represents clients on a broad range of labor and employment matters, including class and collective actions, high-stakes individual plaintiff litigation, and sensitive investigations involving senior executives.
Ranked as a leading employment lawyer, clients describe Blair as a “zealous advocate and a calm counselor,” and an “incredibly effective partner” (Chambers USA). His practice focuses on defending large-scale discrimination and wage and hour class and collective actions and individual and multi-plaintiff litigation, representing clients in the pharmaceutical, media and entertainment, financial services, and technology industries before state and federal courts.
His practice encompasses disputes and trial work, where clients have noted his “advocacy is excellent and his understanding of the issues and trial strategy is outstanding” (Chambers USA). Blair has defended dozens of systemic employment discrimination and equal pay class and collective actions, from inception through certification and trial of remaining claims. Additionally, he advises employers on ways to avoid class action lawsuits through diversity initiatives, comprehensive internal policy audits, and global pay equity reviews, which are designed to assess and remediate class and collective action litigation risk and ensure compliance with myriad state, federal, and global laws and regulations. He also counsels clients on a wide array of cross-border employment issues.
Blair litigates a variety of sensitive individual employment matters in jurisdictions nationwide, including sexual harassment and claims of discrimination based on age, race, sex, national origin, and disability, wrongful termination cases, breach of contract matters, and trade secret/restrictive covenant litigation requiring emergency injunctive relief.
Recognitions
- Chambers USA, Labor & Employment – New York (2023-2024)
Education
- Syracuse University College of Law, J.D. 2004
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute, B.A. 2000
Representations
- A media conglomerate in multiple collective actions brought on behalf of news reporters nationwide, defeating certification and obtaining a complete defense verdict on the remaining individual claims that went to trial.
- A company in obtaining complete summary judgment in a 25-plaintiff age discrimination case brought by television production employees.
- Multiple pharmaceutical, financial services, and technology companies in filed and threatened nationwide gender and race discrimination class actions.
- Multiple pharmaceutical, healthcare, and biotech companies in a wide variety of employment class and individual employment litigation matters where summary judgment was routinely granted and other matters favorably resolved.
- A large investment bank in a nationwide race discrimination class action involving financial advisors, obtaining dismissal of the class claims and compelling arbitration of the individual claims.
- Multinational firms spanning several industries on global pay equity, DEI, and other workforce issues.
Matters may have been handled prior to joining Paul Hastings.