Abtin Mehdizadegan

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.