| Bernard J. (Bud) Bobber |
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Mr. Bobber has extensive experience in the defense of class action cases. He also routinely represents clients in labor arbitrations and in unfair labor practice proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board. Mr. Bobber is a member of the firm's national Labor & Employment Practice and is co-chair of the Trade Secret/Noncompete Specialty Practice.
Mr. Bobber also provides both organized and union-free employers with employment and labor law advice, and provides assistance with problem prevention. For example, Mr. Bobber drafts employment agreements and company policies with confidentiality, non-competition and other restrictive covenants for employers to use with key employees. He also counsels employers on reductions and reorganizations, harassment issues, disability accommodation, problematic terminations, collective bargaining strategy, and a host of other work place issues that require thoughtful analysis and practical application of the legal rights and obligations of employers. Mr. Bobber is an experienced trial lawyer, having tried cases before juries and judges in federal courts in Illinois, Wisconsin, New York and Missouri, as well as in state courts in Wisconsin and Illinois. Additionally, he has tried well over 100 arbitration cases. He also has argued appeals before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Seventh, Sixth, Tenth, Third and Second Circuits. From 2001 through 2008, Mr. Bobber has served as a co-coordinator of the firm's Litigation Department Training Program. In that role, Mr. Bobber had responsibility for the training of the firm's litigation associates, numbering approximately 150, in the areas of trial advocacy and related litigation skills. In addition to his litigation and counseling work for clients, Mr. Bobber rounds out his practice by frequently speaking and teaching on employment and labor law topics. For example, for over nine consecutive years, Mr. Bobber has been invited by the largest employer organization in Wisconsin and Illinois to give the keynote address on overall employment law developments at its annual employment law update seminar conducted for its member organizations. Mr. Bobber's abilities and professionalism have been observed and acknowledged by others as he has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system. The publisher that conducts the review process explains that the rating awarded to Mr. Bobber confirms "preeminent legal ability," and reflects his "very high professional ethics." Similarly, Chambers USA, a company based in London that reviews and rates American lawyers and publishes its ratings for European and American businesses, rated Mr. Bobber to be one of the top labor and employment attorneys in the state of Wisconsin. Chambers confirmed that top rating in each of its 2003-2011 publications. Mr. Bobber is also listed in The Best Lawyers In America®, and Who's Who Legal USA – Management Labour & Employment 2006. He was also selected for inclusion in the 2005-2011 Wisconsin Super Lawyers® lists.* Mr. Bobber is a native of Oak Lawn, Illinois, a near suburb of Chicago. He received his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law in 1987, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif distinction for graduating in the top ten percent of his class. He earned his bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Illinois in 1984. He also is a proud alumnus of Quigley Preparatory Seminary High School on Chicago's south side. Mr. Bobber is licensed to practice in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois, and is admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court, and numerous federal appellate and trial courts. Mr. Bobber is a member of the American Bar Association (both its litigation section and labor and employment law section), the State Bar of Wisconsin, and the Milwaukee Bar Association. In 2009, Mr. Bobber was appointed by Foley's CEO to chair the firm's Professional Development Committee. Mr. Bobber also currently serves on Foley's National Pro Bono Committee. He previously served on Foley's Recruiting Committee from 1997 to 2004, and has been especially active in minority hiring efforts. He served on the board of directors for the Girl Scouts of Milwaukee Area for six years, in addition to other community involvement such as his work on United Way Campaigns. He lives in Mequon, Wisconsin with his wife, Joyce, and their three children. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |
Bernard J. ("Bud") Bobber is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP. Although he maintains his office in Milwaukee, Mr. Bobber represents employers before federal and state courts and administrative agencies throughout the country in all areas of employment law, with particular focus on wage and hour, trade secrets/noncompete, employee benefits and employment discrimination matters.