Robert (Bob) Niemann advises clients in the areas of complex business and commercial litigation, trade secrets, intellectual property, unfair business practices, products liability, and environmental toxic torts.
Bob is co-chair of Keller and Heckman’s national litigation practice, with extensive experience assisting clients with class actions, multidistrict litigation, mass torts, and major complex cases. He has represented many clients as their national and regional coordinating trial counsel, handling hundreds of cases and coordinating the matters with attorneys throughout the United States. His over 40 years of experience as an attorney includes representation of manufacturers, distributors, inventors, and component suppliers of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, healthcare and food products, and various consumer products.
Bob has represented potentially responsible parties in environmental toxic tort litigation, including California's Proposition 65 claims, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) litigation, toxic spill litigation, vapor and chemical intrusion, site contamination, personal injury, and biomonitoring.
He is actively involved in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) proceedings as a litigant and as a neutral. He frequently presides over civil arbitrations, mediations, and as a Judge Pro Tempore (Pro Tem). He has arbitrated and mediated hundreds of matters in his career and serves as both a Judge Pro Tem for the San Francisco Superior Court for settlement conferences and trials and a Superior Court Arbitrator for San Francisco and Marin Counties.
Representative Matters
- Represented manufacturing, food and beverage, and numerous consumer and construction equipment manufacturers for contract disputes, royalties, indemnity issues, product labeling, and product liability
- Represented clients for breach of contract, fraud, business torts, unfair competition, unfair business practices, and false advertising
- Represented e-cigarette and e-liquid manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers in intellectual property, contract matters, and in consumer class actions
Memberships
- Defense Research Institute, Drug and Medical Device Committee, ADR State Liaison
- Association for Defense Council, Northern California
- Food Law Committee of the Litigation Section of the California State Bar Association, Co-chair
Awards
- AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Super Lawyers, California, 2006, 2008 - 2011, 2013 - 2018
- American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell Top Rated IP Lawyer
- American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell Top Rated Lawyer in Mass Torts Law
- American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell Top Rated Lawyer for Energy Law and Land Use Law
