Bob’s practice focuses on representing and advising employers in complex labor relations and employment planning and disputes, including trade secrets/non-compete disputes and wage and hour issues. Bob has obtained numerous positive results in litigated matters, including large-scale labor relations matters and restrictive covenants disputes, one of which was the groundbreaking relief under Georgia’s recently passed Restrictive Covenants Act. Bob believes it is important for employers to proactively think about how to avoid or mitigate the risks of litigation and works closely with clients on these issues. He prides himself in being extremely responsive to client needs.

Bob also enjoys working with businesses and individuals to help them reach their goals on transactional matters without the need for litigation or excessive adversarialism. Bob is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, Labor and Employment Law Section and the Atlanta Bar Association. He is admitted to practice before the US District Court for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, US Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the Second Circuit, the Seventh Circuit and the Eleventh Circuit, and the Georgia Superior Courts.

Bob volunteers with the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta to support non-profit organizations that assist communities in Georgia.  He also serves on the board of a local preschool. He is a contributing author to the Hunton Employment & Labor Perspectives blog.

Bar Admissions

Education
JD, University of Virginia School of Law, 2008

BA, Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with distinction, 2005

• Represents clients before the National Labor Relations Board, including prosecution and defense of unfair labor practice charges. Experience also includes litigating a compliance proceeding in which backpay award of over $50 million was sought.
• Counsels clients subjected to union organizing campaigns and coordinated corporate campaigns.
• Represents clients at labor arbitrations and in collective bargaining negotiations.
• Represents employers under investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board and state agencies.
• Represents national food processing company in multiple putative class and collective actions alleging violations of the FLSA and state wage and hour laws.
• Advises management in developing compliance and preventative employment strategies under relevant federal and state laws, including Title VII and the National Labor Relations Act.

• Selected as “Georgia Rising Star,” Georgia Super Lawyers Magazine, 2016 

• Selected as “Georgia Rising Star,” Georgia Super Lawyers Magazine, 2016, 2017. A description of the selection methodology can be found on Super Lawyers’ webpage.
  
  

• Changes Afoot at the NLRB Under the New Administration

  By Robert Dumbacher |February 2021

• Coronavirus and the NLRA – Unilateral Changes in Emergency Situations

  By Robert Dumbacher |March 2020

• 2nd Circuit: Dismissal of Caucasian Employee’s Discrimination Claims Reversed, HR Magazine (Online)
• D.C. Circuit: DOT Drug-Testing Rule Upheld, HR Magazine (Online)
• NLRB’s Pendulum Swings, Twists and Turns, Fulton County Daily Report
• NLRB: Elements of Election Rule are Blocked by Court, But Board Implements the Rest, The National Law Review
• Potential Changes Under The Biden NLRB Impacting Retailers, Industry Association
• Alameda Superior Court Judge Rules Proposition 22 Unconstitutional, The National Law Review
• The Fifth Circuit Criticizes the Practice of Sealing Documents by Agreement, The National Law Review
• Texas Workers Who Refuse to Return to Work May Remain Eligible for Unemployment Benefits, The National Law Review
• Direct observation rule for urine tests upheld, HR Magazine (Online)
• Top Five Employment Law Liabilities Facing Employers Post-Pandemic, The National Law Review
• Changes Afoot at the NLRB Under the New Administration, The National Law Review
• EEOC Files First COVID-19 ADA Accommodation Suit, The National Law Review
• If At First You Don’t Succeed: National Labor Relations Board Readopts Highly Controversial “Independent Contractor” Standard, Employee Benefit Plan Review
• 7th Circuit: Damages Award to Nursing Home Housekeeper for Retaliation, HR Magazine (Online)
• 4th Circuit: Pension Plan Administrator Failed to Notify Participants of Changes, HR Magazine (Online)
• EEOC Targets Employers’ Prescription Drug Use Policies, Law360
• NLRB General Counsel Issues Memo Regarding Bargaining Obligations for Vaccine Mandate, The National Law Review
• NLRB: Employer Allowed to Ban Cellphones in Beverage Production and Warehouse Working Areas, The National Law Review
• NLRB Memo Reminds Employers: COVID-19 Does Not Excuse Labor Law Violations, The National Law Review
• Executive Orders Impact Federal Agencies and Government Contractors, The National Law Review
• OSHA Releases COVID-19 Safety Guidance for Restaurants Offering Takeout or Curbside Pickup, The National Law Review
• NLRB Loosens Restrictions on Employee Discipline for Abusive Conduct and Speech, The National Law Review
• 5th Circuit: FLSA Applies to Temporary Guest Workers Following Katrina, HR Magazine (Online)
• D.C. Circuit: Security Company Owner May Pursue Claim over Concealed Firearms, HR Magazine (Online)
• 2nd Circuit: Limitations Period Started When Seniority Lost, HR Magazine (Online)
• With Schools Reopening, Employers and Employees Must Continue to Navigate a Patchwork of Federal and State COVID-19 Leave Laws, The National Law Review
• DOL Updates Guidance on Coronavirus Paid Leave Law, Addresses Business Re-openings, The National Law Review
• 2021 Mid-Year State Non-Compete Legislative Update, The National Law Review
• 5 NLRA Changes To Make Nonunion Employers Wary In 2024, Law360
• 3rd Circ. Philly Pay History Ruling May Set National Bar, Law360
• NLRB Union Election Rule Changes May Hamper Employee Free Choice, Bloomberg Law
• NLRB Restores Leniency for Employee Abusive Conduct and Workplace Outbursts, Training Magazine
• Labor Organizing in Retail: 2022 Review, Retail Industry 2022 Year in Review