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Rob Friedman helps the world's leading companies navigate product-liability risks and challenges.  His diverse advisory, litigation and trial practice focuses on the life sciences, manufacturing, consumer products, and technology industries. 

Rob Friedman represents leading companies in high-stakes product liability and mass tort matters, with a focus on cases involving complex science, coordinated national strategy, and trial-ready execution. Clients rely on him for clear judgment, disciplined management of large-scale litigation, and the ability to prepare and defend key company witnesses in matters with significant business impact.

Rob has spent more than five years helping lead the national defense of Boehringer Ingelheim in the Zantac litigation, one of the largest mass torts in U.S. history. He coordinated a defense effort spanning more than 150,000 claims across federal and state courts, oversaw a team of more than 100 lawyers and professionals, and helped secure a complete Daubert victory in the MDL and nine consecutive defense wins in challenging venues such as Alameda County and Cook County—without a single adverse verdict.

His practice spans the pharmaceutical, automotive, energy, and emerging technology sectors. He represents Shell Oil Company in multistate environmental mass tort actions brought by State Attorneys General and defends a global manufacturer in PFAS litigation. Rob also advises companies on the evolving intersection of products liability and artificial intelligence, and he will join the faculty of UC Law San Francisco’s AI Certificate Program in 2026.

Rob serves as Associate Talent Partner for his firm’s eight-time Law360 “Practice Group of the Year” Product Liability and Mass Torts group, where he oversees the hiring and development of more than 80 attorneys. A past Mentor Award recipient, he is committed to preparing the next generation of trial lawyers for a rapidly changing litigation landscape.

 

Full Bio

Credentials

J.D., Georgetown University, cum laude

B.S.E., University of Pennsylvania

Georgia

State Bar of Georgia

Named a Rising Star, one of five lawyers nationwide


Product Liability 360, 2011

Recognized as a Georgia "Rising Star"


Law 360, 2010–2013

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Recognition

Named a Rising Star, one of five lawyers nationwide


Product Liability 360, 2011

Recognized as a Georgia "Rising Star"


Law 360, 2010–2013

Matters

Successfully argued motion to dismiss resulting in complete dismissal of Illinois False Claims Act case against Shell Oil Company.

Member of trial team in Rader v. GlaxoSmithKline, a 2016 trial in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas that ended with judgment as a matter of law at the close of the plaintiff.

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Matters

Successfully argued motion to dismiss resulting in complete dismissal of Illinois False Claims Act case against Shell Oil Company.

Member of trial team in Rader v. GlaxoSmithKline, a 2016 trial in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas that ended with judgment as a matter of law at the close of the plaintiff.

Matters

Successfully argued motion to dismiss resulting in complete dismissal of Illinois False Claims Act case against Shell Oil Company.

Member of trial team in Rader v. GlaxoSmithKline, a 2016 trial in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas that ended with judgment as a matter of law at the close of the plaintiff.

Close

Matters

Successfully argued motion to dismiss resulting in complete dismissal of Illinois False Claims Act case against Shell Oil Company.

Member of trial team in Rader v. GlaxoSmithKline, a 2016 trial in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas that ended with judgment as a matter of law at the close of the plaintiff.

Credentials

J.D., Georgetown University, cum laude

B.S.E., University of Pennsylvania

Georgia

State Bar of Georgia

Named a Rising Star, one of five lawyers nationwide


Product Liability 360, 2011

Recognized as a Georgia "Rising Star"


Law 360, 2010–2013

Close

Recognition

Named a Rising Star, one of five lawyers nationwide


Product Liability 360, 2011

Recognized as a Georgia "Rising Star"


Law 360, 2010–2013