Major Mediation Experience
Major Litigation & Trial Experience
LinkedIn
Corporate Fraud Forum

EDUCATION

J.D., New York University (1977)
M.L.S., U.C. Berkeley (1973)
A.B., Stanford (1972)

AUTHOR

California Practice Guide – 
Civil Trials and Evidence 
(The Rutter Group, 1993-Present)

TEACHING

Adjunct Professor of Law
USC Gould School of Law (2004-Present)
Stanford Law and Business Schools (Joint Seminar, 2007)

LEADERSHIP

Board of Directors
Ninth Circuit Historical Society (2004-Present)

Co-Chair
Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference Lawyer Reps (2001-2002)

Chair
Civil Trials Subcommittee, Judicial Council (1990-1992)

President
Association of Business Trial Lawyers (1989-1990)

RECOGNITION

Selected as One of the Leading Nationwide Mediators in USA, Chambers and Partners (2019-2023)

Member
Calif. Chapter, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals

Fellow
American Bar Foundation
(2013-Present)

Super Lawyer (2005-Present)
Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine/Los Angeles Magazine

Selected to Best Lawyers in America (2016-2023)

Designated a “Go-To Lawyer” for litigation by a Fortune 500 Company
ALM Corp. Counsel Magazine (2007)

Law Who’s Who
Los Angeles Business Journal (1995)

BAR MEMBERSHIP

California

After 37 years as a successful litigator and trial lawyer, Robert Fairbank established Fairbank ADR in 2014 as an Alternative Dispute Resolution entity that specializes in the mediation of multi-million dollar, complex civil matters, resulting in settlements of 7, 8 and 9 figure amounts. Fairbank ADR is the successor to Fairbank & Vincent, which Bob co-founded in 1996 after beginning his career as an associate (1977-1984) and then partner (1984-1996) at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher. Bob is one of the few mediators in the US who employs a full-time attorney, Kimberly West, an O'Melveny & Myers alumna, to assist him in mediation and undertake an in-depth analysis of the merits and unique factors that drive each case. In June 2023, Bob was recognized as a Band 1 Nationwide Mediator in the USA by Chambers and Partners (Band 2 in 2021 & 2022; Band 3 in 2020; Recognized Practitioner in 2019).

From 2002-2009, Bob served as an independent consultant for the Regents of the University of California in the Enron, WorldCom, AOL Time Warner, and Dynegy federal securities cases. He also acted as counsel for Boards or independent committees of Boards of Mattel, Semtech, and Techniclone in the investigation or defense of threatened or filed derivative actions. His individual Director and Officer representations included the Chief Financial Officers of IndyMac Bank, PFF Bank, Homestore.com, and Tenet Healthcare Corporation; Board members of La Jolla Bank, Vineyard Bank, and MetroPacific Bank; and officers of New Century Financial and Fidelity Federal Bank.

At Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Bob had extensive experience in “bet-the-company” cases, including a successful antitrust jury trial for defendant National Gypsum, the successful defense of the first two nationwide conspiracy/medical malpractice trials involving National Medical Enterprises (now Tenet Healthcare Corporation), and a series of successful trials throughout the country in defense of Farmers Insurance Company in one of the first insurance industry hostile takeovers.

Bob has been an adjunct professor at Stanford Law and Business Schools (2007) and USC Gould School of Law (2004-Present), teaching a seminar titled “Corporate Fraud.” He is also the co-author of California Practice Guide – Civil Trials and Evidence (The Rutter Group), the leading treatise on California civil trial practice.

Bob has served as the Co-Chair of the Lawyer Representatives to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference (2001-2002), and the past president of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (1989-1990). He was also a member of the Judicial Council’s Bench and Bar Committee on Local Rules and served as Chair of the Civil Trials Subcommittee (1990-1992).

Bob received his A.B. from Stanford University, his M.L.S. from the University of California, Berkeley, and his J.D. from New York University, where he served on the Law Review. In 1995, he was recognized by the first “Law Who’s Who” in Los Angeles Business Journal, which features the 100 most prominent business attorneys in Los Angeles.

Bob currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife, the Hon. Valerie Baker Fairbank (C.D. Cal.). He has two children, Sarah and David, and four grandchildren.

USC Gould School of Law Course & Website

Since 2004, Robert Fairbank has taught a Corporate Fraud seminar at the USC Gould School of Law. He taught a similar joint seminar in the fall of 2007 at the Stanford Law School and Stanford Graduate School of Business. For more information, click the image below to visit the course website.