Abtin Mehdizadegan
Biography
Abtin Mehdizadegan is a Partner in our Little Rock, Arkansas, office and represents employers in traditional labor and employment law matters. He has extensive, high-stakes experience defending businesses in class and collective action lawsuits, employment and wage and hour lawsuits, labor grievance and arbitration proceedings, individual and systemic proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), unfair labor practice charges before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), federal wage and hour audits involving the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (DOL/WHD), unemployment appeals, business disputes, products liability defense, and constitutional law litigation.
He has successfully handled appeals before the Supreme Court of Arkansas and the Fifth and Eighth Circuit Courts of Appeal, dozens of lawsuits at the district court level, and serves as an Adjunct Professor teaching Employment Law at the University of Arkansas Little Rock Bowen School of Law.
Clients routinely engage Abtin to conduct comprehensive employment law counseling and training to their workforces; to develop policies and handbooks; and to assist businesses with matters pertaining to affirmative action and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Abtin’s clients are leaders in a range of industries across the private, public, and non-profit sectors, including health care, surface and air transportation, cybersecurity, banking and FINRA-regulated industries, agriculture, retail, higher education, and insurance. He is particularly capable in handling matters involving sophisticated technologies given his prior experience for a leading computer and software manufacturer.
In addition to his trial and appellate work, Abtin’s daily practice revolves significantly around providing advice and counsel to Boards of Directors, C-Suite Executives, HR Leaders, and In-House Counsel on a broad range of employment issues providing practical problem-solving solutions. Additionally, he is an experienced and effective workplace investigator, and he regularly conducts outside investigations into allegations of employee misconduct, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or other sensitive issues. He similarly provides advice and counsel regarding compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII and Title IX, the Equal Pay Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ (OFCCP) regulations pertaining to government contractors and subcontractors.
Given his commitment to excellence in the practice of law, Abtin was honored to receive the Friend of SBS Award (2023) for his successful handling of high-stakes litigation; the Spirit of Maine Achievement Award (2019) from the University of Maine, his alma mater, for his professional accomplishments; and the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award (2017) from the Center for Arkansas Legal Services for his successful Supreme Court litigation that established important constitutional protections in child guardianship proceedings for domestic violence survivors. Abtin’s accomplishments have also been recognized for several years by the Mid-South Super Lawyers for his dedication to employment law; Arkansas Business magazine as a member of its class of 20 in their 20s, the New Influentials; by HR Professionals magazine as a Rising Star in Employment Law; and by Arkansas Life magazine in its Top Attorneys feature.
Credentials
Admitted
State Courts:
- Arkansas
- Supreme Court
U.S. District Courts:
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
U.S. Courts of Appeals:
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Education
- J.D., with honors, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- B.A., cum laude, Political Science, University of Maine
Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel
- DRI
- National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel
- Pulaski County Bar Association
- Volunteer Organization of Central Arkansas Legal Services
- William R Overton American Inn of Court
Recognition
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Best Lawyers®, 2021-2024
- Awarded in: Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Mid-South Rising Star, Super Lawyers®, 2018-2023
- Friend of SBS, SBS CyberSecurity, 2023
- Spirit of Maine Award, 2019
- Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, Center for Arkansas Legal Services, 2017
- 20 in their 20s, the New Influentials, Arkansas Business
- Rising Star, Employment Law, HR Professionals
- Top Attorneys, Arkansas Life
Presentations
- An Afternoon in HR
HBS Helping Businesses Succeed Series; September 21, 2023
Publications
- Navigating the Changing Landscape of Labor Relations: An Update on Recent Developments for Employers
HBS Employment Updates Blog; November 16, 2023 - Supreme Court Rejects “De Minimis” Standard in Determining Whether a Religious Accommodation Constitutes an Undue Hardship
HBS Employment Updates Blog; July 6, 2023 - In The Weeds: Approaches to marijuana in the workplace in a post-pandemic labor market
HR.com; March 31, 2023 - Federal Contractors Beware: EEO-1 Data Will Be Released by OFCCP if Contractors Fail to File Objections by March 3
HBS Employment Updates Blog; February 27, 2023
- Is Your Website ADA-Accessible?
HR Professionals, February 2017 - The Future of ADA Litigation
Arkansas Law Notes, 2016 - No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: the Do’s and Don’ts of Employee Wellness Plans
HR Professionals, October 2014 - Bringing Home the BACON: What the Davis-Bacon Act Means for your Business
HR Professionals, June 2014 - An Overview of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013
HR Professionals, November 2013 - Case Note, Proactive Cell Phone Security Policies in the Workplace: Avoid Liability as Hi-Tech Devices Hack Confidentiality
35 University of Arkansas Little Rock Law Review 1, 2013 - Case Survey, Voters Have the Right to Cast Open or Secret Ballots: Hamaker v. Pulaski County Election Commission
2011 Arkansas 390 (2011), Arkansas Bar Newsletter, December 2012