ROBERT C. ROBINSON
Location: Irvine, California
“2012-2021 Southern California Super Lawyer for Employment Litigation-Plaintiff”
“2008 Orange County Trial Lawyer Employment Lawyer of the Year”
“2012 Daily Journal Top 75 Labor and Employment Lawyers in California”
Professional Background
Robby began his career as a civil litigator in 1984 when he went to work for the national law firm of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges (later Thelen LLP). Robby later joined the regional law firm of Kindel & Anderson (about one hundred lawyers) where he made partner. Robby opened his own practice in 1991, and was later joined by a respected colleague and fellow Marine Warren B. Campbell. Robby and Warren practiced together as Robinson & Campbell for over 11 years. Robby founded Quest Law Firm in 2004. He represents people with claims related to their employment and business relationships. He has pursued these types of claims through all phases of litigation and alternative dispute resolution including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, state and federal jury trials and appeals. This is a sample of the types of cases Robby has handled:
- Severance agreement consultation and negotiation
- Key employee representation and claims for breach of written employment
- Contracts, stock option contracts, and other benefits, in both public and non-public corporations
- Wrongful termination of employment in retaliation for objecting to unlawful discrimination
- Sexual harassment in employment
- Unlawful discrimination and harassment in employment
- Unlawful wage practices relating to unpaid overtime, improper job classifications as exempt from overtime, and other Labor Code violations
- Physicians, Dentists and other medical professional with contractual, group or employment issues
- Employees terminated based on false claims of good cause or misconduct
- Wage and Hour
- Class Actions
- Wage and Hour, multiple employee lawsuits
- Class Action opt-outs
- Whistleblower claims
- Partnership disputes over management, accounting, dissolution, and fiduciary duties
- Breach of all kinds of contracts
- Unfair competition
- Usury
Professional Associations & Memberships
California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA), Member, 1994–2021
Orange County Bar Association (OCBA), Labor & Employment Section, 2012 Vice Chair; 2013 Chair
Orange County Bar Association (OCBA), OCBA Board of Directors, 1991–1992
Orange County Bar Association (OCBA), Editor, Orange County Lawyer, 1990
Orange County Bar Association (OCBA), Chair Orange County Lawyer Board of Advisors, 1991–1993
Orange County Bar Association (OCBA), OCBA Client Relations Committee, 1992–2013
Retired Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
Bar Admissions
California, 1983
New York, 1980–2021
U.S. District Court Central District of California
U.S. District Court Southern District of California
U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
Education
Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn, New York – 1980
Honors: American Jurisprudence Award for Contracts
State University of New York, Buffalo, New York
B.S. in Criminal Justice summa cum laude – 1977
Representative Cases
Pellegrino v. Robert Half, Inc. (2010) 182 Cal.App.4th 87
Pellegrino v. Robert Half, Inc. (2010) 182 Cal.App.4th 278
Martin Johnson v. The Andrew Jergens Company, 198 F.3d 254 (9th Cir. 1999)
Sandra G. Haas v. Betz Laboratories, Inc., 185 F.3d 866 (9th Cir. 1999)
Personal Background
Mr. Robinson (“Robby”) was born in Queens, New York in 1956. His father and brother were career NYPD Blue. Robby grew up in Queens and attended Chaminade High School on Long Island. He later settled in California after being stationed at the former U.S. Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro in Orange County, California. Robby began his legal career as a Judge advocate (JAG lawyer) in the United States Marine Corps. In addition to his leadership training and experience as a Marine officer, Robby tried many evidentiary hearings including misdemeanor and felony trials and an array of administrative proceedings.