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 won (with Tony Lewis of The Lewis Law Firm) a $4.1 Million jury verdict in a fraud and breach of employment contract lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court and he also prevailed (along with his law partner, Gregory D. Helmer) in a three week sexual harassment jury trial in the Orange County Superior Court. He also settled a $2.4 Million wage and hour class action lawsuit in federal court (U.S. District Court for the Central District of California), 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.

Mr. Friedman served as Counsel of Record in Lightfoot v. Cendant Mortgage Corp. et. al. (Case No. 10-56068) where he successfully convinced the U. S. Supreme Court to grant the petition for certiorari that he filed on behalf of his clients. In January 2017, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision authored by Justice Sotomayor, reversed the Ninth Circuit and ruled in favor of Mr. Friedman’s clients.

Mr. Friedman has received the highest possible Martindale-Hubble, indicating that he is ranked at the highest level of professional excellence with “very high to preeminent legal ability” and “very high” ethical standards as established by confidential opinions from members of the Bar.

Chambers USA, the Nation’s leading legal data and analytics provider, awards Mr. Friedman with its highest possible rating (“Band 1”) for Labor & Employment – see https://chambers.com/lawyer/andrew-h-friedman-usa-5:25940936. According to a review published in Chambers USA, “Andrew Friedman of Helmer Friedman is recognized among peers for his work representing both individuals and classes in a variety of matters, ranging from harassment to wage and hour suits. ‘He’s an excellent plaintiff lawyer who offers a really good perspective.’”

In 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 LAWDRAGON selected Mr. Friedman for inclusion in its list of the top 500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers in the Country. In 2019-2022, Best Lawyers Magazine included Andrew H. Friedman as one of the “Best Lawyers” in the category of Labor and Employment Law.

Super Lawyers, a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement, has selected Mr. Friedman as a Southern California “Super Lawyer” in the category of Labor and Employment Law each year from 2006-2022. Additionally, in 2020-23 and 2024, out of more than 50,000 attorneys in the Southern California area, Super Lawyers named Andrew H. Friedman to its list of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in Southern California.

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 – 2023); 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).

Even more information about discrimination, harassment and retaliation can be obtained from our book – Litigating Employment Discrimination Cases (James Publishing, 2005 – 2023).

Mr. Friedman has also written the following law review articles:

• Andrew H. Friedman, Ramit Mizrahi & Anthony J. Oncidi, The Top Employment Cases of 2023, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 38, No. 1 (2024)
• Andrew H. Friedman & Courtney Abrams, Attorney Workplace Investigation: Neither Impartial Nor Independent, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 37 No. 2 (March 2023)
• Andrew H. Friedman & Erin Kelly, 2023’s new employment laws (with a bit of color commentary), The Advocate (February 2023)
• Andrew H. Friedman, Ramit Mizrahi & Anthony J. Oncidi, Top Employment Cases of 2022, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 37, No. 1 (2023)
• Andrew H. Friedman & Taylor Markey, The Best And Worst Employment Case Law Developments Of 2021:A Brief Overview Of The Most Important Case Law Developments That Shaped The Year In Employment Law (With A Bit Of Color Commentary), Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (“CAALA”) Advocate Magazine (May 2022)
• Andrew H. Friedman, Ramit Mizrahi & Anthony J. Oncidi, Top Employment Cases of 2021, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 36, No. 1 (2022)
• Andrew H. Friedman, California Employment Law Notes, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 35, No. 4 (2021)
• Andrew H. Friedman & Samson B. Spiegelman, The Best And Worst Employment Case Law Developments Of 2021:A Brief Overview Of The Most Important Case Law Developments That Shaped The Year In Employment Law (With A Bit Of Color Commentary), Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (“CAALA”) Advocate Magazine (May 2021)
• Andrew H. Friedman, Ramit Mizrahi & Anthony J. Oncidi, Top Employment Cases of 2020, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 35, No. 1 (2021)
• Andrew H. Friedman, The Best And Worst Employment Case Law Developments Of 2019:A Brief Overview Of The Most Important Case Law Developments That Shaped The Year In Employment Law (With A Bit Of Color Commentary), Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (“CAALA”) Advocate Magazine (May 2020)
• Andrew H. Friedman, Ramit Mizrahi & Anthony J. Oncidi, Top Employment Cases of 2019, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 34, No. 1 (2020)
• Andrew H. Friedman, The Best and Worst Employment Developments – Part I, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (“CAALA”) Advocate Magazine (May 2019)
• Andrew H. Friedman, The Best and Worst Employment Developments – Part II, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (“CAALA”) Advocate Magazine (May 2019)
• Andrew H. Friedman & Taylor Markey, A Refresher on and Thoughts About Unconditional Offers of Reinstatement, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 33, No. 1 (May 2019)
• Andrew H. Friedman, Ramit Mizrahi & Anthony J. Oncidi, Top Employment Cases of 2018, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 33, No. 1 (2019)
• Andrew H. Friedman, The Best and Worst Employment Cases of 2017, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (“CAALA”) Advocate Magazine (May 2018)
• Andrew H. Friedman, Practice Guide: 2018 Employment Law Update: An Overview Of New Legislation And Case Law Trends, CELA Bulletin, Vol. 32, No. 2 (2018)
• Andrew H. Friedman, Ramit Mizrahi & Anthony J. Oncidi, Top Employment Cases of 2017, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 32, No. 1 (2018)
• Andrew H. Friedman, California’s Anti-SLAPP Act Was Not Intended To Thwart FEHA Claims, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 31, No. 4 (June 2017)
• Andrew H. Friedman, The Best and Worst Employment Cases of 2016, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (“CAALA”) Advocate Magazine (June 2017)
• Andrew H. Friedman, Employment Law, California Litigation Review (2017)
• Andrew H. Friedman, Ramit Mizrahi & Anthony J. Oncidi, Top Employment Cases of 2016, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 31, No. 1 (2017)
• Andrew H. Friedman, The Best and Worst Employment Cases of 2015, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (“CAALA”) Advocate Magazine (June 2016).
• Andrew H. Friedman, Employment Law, California Litigation Review (2015).
• Andrew H. Friedman, The Best and Worst Employment Cases of 2015, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R. Vol. 30, No. 1 (2016).
• Andrew H. Friedman & Courtney Abrams, The Best and Worst Employment Cases of 2014, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (“CAALA”) Advocate Magazine (June 2015).
• Andrew H. Friedman, Demurrers and Motions to Strike – They Aren’t Just for Defendants Anymore, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. R., Vol. 29, No. 3 (2015).
• Andrew H. Friedman & Courtney Abrams, The Best and Worst Employment Cases of 2013, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (“CAALA”) Advocate Magazine (June 2014).
• Andrew H. Friedman & Michael E. Whitaker, The Mixed-Motive Defense: Mixed Blessings Following the California Supreme Court’s Decision in Harris v. City of Santa Monica, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. Rev., Vol. 27, No. 3 (2013);
• The Best and Worst Employment Cases of 2012, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (“CAALA”) Advocate Magazine (April 2013).
• Andrew H. Friedman & Michael E. Whitaker, When A Discharged Employee Claims Discrimination, Will The “Cat’s Paw” Doctrine Overcome Evidence That The Decision-Maker Harbored No Discriminatory Bias, Cal. Lab. &Emp. L. Rev., Vol.25, No.4 (2011);
• Andrew H. Friedman & Michael E. Whitaker, Applying the Same-Actor Rule to Defend Against a Claim of Discrimination, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. Rev., Vol. 25, No. 1 (2011);
• Andrew H. Friedman, Saints and Sinners in the Workplace: A Survey of Religious Accommodation Cases, Cal. Lab. & Emp. L. Rev., Vol. 21, No. 4 (2007);
• Andrew H. Friedman, Same-Sex Marriage and the Right to Privacy: Abandoning Scriptural, Canonical, and Natural Law Based Definitions of Marriage, 35 Howard L.J. 173 (1992);
• Andrew H. Friedman, Tison v. Arizona: The Death Penalty and the Non-Triggerman: The Scales of Justice are Broken, 75 Cornell L. Rev. 123 (1989);

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, the California Employment Lawyers Association, and the Orange County Labor and Employment Relations Association (“OC LERA”).  In the last ten years, Mr. Friedman has spoken and/or moderated the following:

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:

• Vice-Chair, Committee on Judicial Appointments of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (2019 – present)
• Advisor, Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section, California Lawyers Association (2018 – present)
• Member, Committee on Judicial Appointments of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (2013 – present);
• Fellow, The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers (2013 – present);
• Member, Board of Directors of the Employment Roundtable of Southern California (2007 – present);
• Member, Symposium Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (2006 – present);
• Advisor, Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the State Bar of California (2005 – 2015);
• Member, Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (2003 – present);
• Co-Chair of the Saturday Morning Seminar Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (2003 – 2005);
• Member, Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the State Bar of California (2002 – 2005);
• Co-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association (2002-2003).

Mr. Friedman is licensed to practice in California, Missouri, and the District of Columbia.