Robert M. Linn
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney in Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3152
- Business Litigation (70%),
- Intellectual Property Litigation (20%),
- Employment Litigation: Defense (10%)
Bob is a senior Director with Cohen & Grigsby in Pittsburgh, where he previously served as the Chair of the Firm’s 45+ lawyer Litigation Group for five years. Bob is a graduate of Brown University and Columbia University’s School of Law and focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, banking and lender liability litigation, non-compete/trade secret issues, intellectual property and employment law. He is licensed in both Pennsylvania and California and has litigated extensively in the federal and state courts of those jurisdictions as well as in other courts across the country. Throughout his more than 20-year career with Cohen & Grigsby, Bob has served on the Firm’s Management Committee and has chaired its Professionalism and Ethics Committee. He has consistently been selected to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list in the areas of Business Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation and Employment Litigation and has routinely been listed in The Best Lawyers in America in each of those categories.
As a practicing attorney with more than 30 years of experience, Bob has successfully litigated scores of cases across a broad spectrum of legal disciplines, handling matters ranging from preliminary injunction hearings to jury trials and class action lawsuits. He has represented corporate and individual clients in high stakes lawsuits involving allegations of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty as well as complex questions of contract law. Bob has worked with clients in a variety of industries, including banking, securities, gaming, health care, manufacturing and computer technology. He has both prosecuted and defended cases involving the breach of restrictive covenants as well as the theft of trade secrets and other competitive intelligence.
Bob presently serves on the Firm’s Evaluation and Promotion Panel as well as its Hiring Committee and Shareholders Council. He served as Chair of the Litigation Group from 2002 through 2007. Bob is an active speaker and author on various legal issues and has been frequently quoted in both the national and local media on topics ranging from employment matters to the laws of competition. Bob is also a certified Federal Court mediator.
About Robert Linn
Admitted: 1985, Pennsylvania
Professional Webpage: https://www.cohenlaw.com/professionals/robert-m-linn/
Honors/Awards:
- "AV" rating by Martindale-Hubbell, a certification that signifies his peers rank him at the highest level of professional excellence.
- Named to Best Lawyers in America, 2011-2018 (Recognized in three separate categories: Commercial Litigation; Intellectual Property Litigation; and Employment Litigation)
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Certified Federal Court mediator
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Pennsylvania
- California
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. Tax Court
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- “The ABC’s of the TCPA: Everything You (Never Knew You) Wanted to Know About the Telephone Consumer Protection Act,” Pittsburgh, PA, 2017
- “Legal Ethics: Top Challenges,” NBI Seminar, 2014
- “Advanced Deposition Practice Interrogation Techniques Designed to Win Over – Or Cudgel, Where Necessary – Even the Most Recalcitrant Witness,” Pittsburgh, PA, 2014
- “Corporate Espionage in the Electronic Age: Effective Strategies for Drafting and Detecting Theft of Competitive Intelligence,” Pittsburgh, PA, 2010
- “Injunctive Relief in State and Federal Courts in Pennsylvania,” PBI Litigation Seminar, 2010
- “Life Cycle of a Freeze-Out Merger,” Pittsburgh, PA, 2010
- “Rules and Procedures for Federal Court Success,” NBI Litigation Seminar, 2010
- "Winning the Hearts and Minds of the Jury Through Effective Opening Statements and Closing Arguments,” Pittsburgh, PA, 2018
- “Interpreting ERISA,” NBI Human Resources: Advanced Issues and Answers Seminar, Pittsburgh, PA, 2009
- “Building an Ethical Foundation,” NBI Human Resources Law Update, Pittsburgh, PA, 2008
- “Anatomy of a Lawsuit,” Attorney/Accountant Continuing Education Seminar, Pittsburgh, PA, 2007
- “Avoiding Data Destruction Disasters – How Failing to Manage Your Electronic Records Could Cost You Your Next Case,” Pittsburgh, PA, 2006
- Featured, “Non-Compete Agreements: The View from Both Sides,” Oncology Times, January 25, 2005
- “Enforcing Your Company’s Non-Compete Agreements and Protecting Its Trade Secrets,” Pittsburgh, PA, 2004
- “Non-Compete Agreements,” American Health Lawyers Association, Physicians and Physician Organizations Law Institute, Hollywood, FL, 2004
Verdicts/Settlements:
- Hudson Global Resources Holdings, Inc., et al. v. Ralph H. Hill, et al., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 38326 (W.D. Pa. 2007) (Following an evidentiary hearing, granting motion for preliminary injunction in favor of C&G's staffing client regarding claims brought under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act)., 2007
- K-Tronik N.A., Inc. v. Vossloh-Schwabe, Inc., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28265 (D.N.J. 2006) (Granting motion to dismiss in favor of C&G's corporate client on claims for breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing and promissory estoppel arising from potential outsourcing relationship)., 2006
- Rapidigm, Inc. v. ATM Management Services, LLC, 63 Pa. D&C 234 (Allegheny C.C.P. 2003) (Dismissing, on preliminary objections, plaintiff's claims of professional negligence, fraud and misrepresentation brought against C&G's technology client in case of first impression in Pennsylvania)., 2003
- Terry A. Serafini v. Syed Khadir, 68 Cal.App.4th 70 (Cal. Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District 1998) (Ruling on appeal that C&G's individual corporate director client, resident in Pennsylvania, was not subject to personal jurisdiction in California based upon minimum contacts test)., 1998
- Property Acceptance Corp. v. Merton H. Zitin, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59651 (E.D. Pa. 2007) (Following a bench trial, ruling in favor of C&G's banking client in action brought based upon personal guaranty of corporation's installment payment obligations under promissory note)., 2007
- Viad Corp. v. C. Alan Cordial, et al., 299 F. Supp. 2d 466 (W.D. Pa. 2003) (Following an evidentiary hearing, denying preliminary injunction motion brought against C&G's individual clients based upon alleged violations of non-compete covenants)., 2003
- Mark B. Aronson and Shilesh Chaturvedi v. Capital One Financial Corp., et al., 125 F. Supp. 2d 142 (W.D. Pa. 2000) (Granting summary judgment in favor of C&G's banking client in class action alleging the wrongful imposition of improper interest charges and related banking fees)., 2000
- Spang & Company v. Electro Magnetic Products, Inc., 2007 WL 2127714 (W.D. Pa.) (Affirming damages award in favor of C&G’s client following lengthy arbitration proceeding)., 2007
- Roger B. Abbott, et al. v. Bernard Ebbers, et al., 2004 WL 187419 (Cal. App. 1 Dist.) (Affirming on appeal that C&G’s individual corporate director clients, resident in Pennsylvania, were not subject to personal jurisdiction in California based upon minimum contacts test)., 2004
- Derby Industries, Inc. v. Chestnut Ridge Foam, Inc., 202 F. Supp. 2d 818 (N.D. Ind. 2002) (Following an evidentiary hearing, ruling in favor of C&G's corporate client, the defendant in an action brought under the federal Lanham Act for false or deceptive advertising)., 2002
Educational Background:
- J.D., Columbia Law School, 1985
- B.A., magna cum laude, Brown University, 1980
Additional Sources of Information About Robert M. Linn
Robert M. Linn:
Last Updated: 9/16/2020