Overview
Bart represents employers in wage-and-hour, harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination matters. He also assists employers with their general employment counseling needs and has particular expertise in internal and government investigations.
Bart’s litigation practice includes the defense of wage-and-hour class actions and representative claims under the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). He has conducted multiple workplace investigations on behalf of companies and audit committees, including investigations into allegations of sexual harassment, workplace misconduct, whistleblower retaliation, fraud, and other issues. In addition to his litigation and investigations work, Bart advises companies on best practices for ensuring wage and hour compliance and helps employers navigate California’s ever-changing employment law landscape.
Prior to joining Rutan, Bart was an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. He earned his law degree cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2019. Prior to and while attending law school, Bart worked full time as a senior analyst on a federal interagency anti-money laundering and counterterrorist financing (AML/CFT) task force.
Bart, a United States Marine Corps veteran, also served two tours in Iraq as an Arabic Cryptologic Linguist and Signals Intelligence Team Leader. He maintains a professional fluency in Arabic.
Experience
Representative Matters
- Obtained complete dismissal of all class claims in a long-running class action.
- Second-chaired a two-day arbitration hearing over wrongful termination and whistleblower retaliation claims that resulted in a favorable judgment for the defendant on all claims.
- Defeated an effort by several plaintiffs to opt-out of a class settlement.
- Represented a global manufacturing company in an internal investigation and a subsequent government investigation.
- Represented a global telecommunications company in an Egypt-based internal investigation.
- Represented a financial technology company in an investigation by the Department of Justice and United States Attorney’s Office for alleged violations of federal law.
- Successfully compelled multiple class actions and PAGA cases to arbitration
Awards & Affiliations
Awards & Honors
- Federal Bar Association, Orange County Chapter – Young Lawyers Division Committee, 2023
- Central District of California Honor Roll of Volunteer Attorneys, 2021 & 2022