Rob has been practicing law for 25 years. He is a seasoned counselor, and an aggressive but disciplined advocate. A former corporate economist, he represents corporations, insurance companies and sureties, banks, trustees, and individuals with a wide variety of legal issues ranging from straightforward contract disputes to complex civil and regulatory matters including antitrust, banking, bankruptcy, construction, insurance, unfair and deceptive trade practices, professional liability and securities law matters. Rob has deep experience handling disputes for both plaintiffs and defendants through all forms of dispute resolution from pre-suit negotiations, private mediation and arbitration, and, as necessary, litigation.
Having worked in both the private and public sector, Rob understands the value of speed in both thought and action in all legal matters. Identifying issues as early as possible and positioning clients to both take advantage of opportunities and protect against potential exposures can make all the difference in our data-driven AI world. He most recently served as a Senior Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma and was a shareholder in one of Oklahoma’s largest law firms for several years. Rob is a member of the Oklahoma (state and all federal districts), Montana and Cherokee Nation bar associations. He is also an Oklahoma state certified mediator and serves as an arbitrator for FINRA and AAA, having recently received his certification from the American Bar Association for proficiency in digital (AI) arbitration practice. Rob has received an AV Preeminent rating from peers and the judiciary and has been included in the rankings of Best Lawyers in Oklahoma.
For additional peer reviews, please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-carlson-405a4316/
For specific examples of Rob’s work product, a sample of his past cases include:
- Consumer Protection / Social Media Addiction. State of Oklahoma v. Meta, Inc, eta l., Osage County Oklahoma District Court, Case No. CJ-2023-180 (consumer protection claims related to addictive and harmful trade practices aimed at Oklahoma teenagers).
- Antitrust. States v. Live Nation (Ticket Master), SDNY, Case No. 1:24-cv-3973 (monopoly over concert promotion / ticket pricing); States v. Google, LLC, DDC, Case No. 1:20-cv-03715 (monopoly over Google’s Internet search engine); USDOJ, et al. v. Apple, Inc., DNJ, Case No. 2:24-cv-4055 (monopoly over smartphone market); FTC, et al. v. Amazon, WD Wash., Case No. 2:23-149 (monopoly over online superstore market).
- Bad Faith / Insurance. Temple v. State Farm, NDOK, Case No. 4-18-cv-410RJC-JFJ (successful case ending summary judgment and discovery spoliation sanctions on claim brought by homeowners policy holder).
- Bankruptcy / Fraudulent Transfer. In re Christen E. Knox, WDOK, Case No. 12-12490-SAH, Adv. Pro. 14-01120-SAH (successful trial avoiding $690,000 as a fraudulent transfer).
- Bank Fraud. IBC Bank v. Group Blaksley Properties, Inc. et al., Tulsa County District Court, Case No. CV-2010-896 (summary judgment and case resulted in criminal convictions of the two principles involved).
- Construction. Brainerd, et al, v. Polo Club LLC, et al., Delaware County Oklahoma District Court, case No. CJ-2012-35 (successful rescission of multi-million lake house due to construction defects); WHLR-HPA-1, LLC v. Crossland Heavy Contractors, Delaware County District Court, Case No. CJ-2013-131 (contract dispute related to construction of Harbor Pointe Shopping Center in Grove, OK).
- Factoring / Debt Collection. AR Funding, Inc. v. C&A International, Inc., et al., Tulsa County Oklahoma District Court, Case No. CJ-2010-4658 (successful trial defense of collection action by alleged assignee).
- Forcible Entry and Detainer. Crossroads Warehouse Center, LLC v. American Cold Storage-Tulsa, L.P., Tulsa County Oklahoma District Court, SC-2014-4465 (eviction of cold storage tenant with $800,000 past due rent).
- Oil and Gas. Barcus, LLC v. ONEOK Partners, LP, Tulsa County Oklahoma District Court Case No. CJ-2012-5004 (breach of contract for the development of $1.8B pipeline to transport crude oil from Bakken formation in North Dakota to Cushing, OK).
- Price Fixing. States v. Eli Lilly and Co., DNJ, Case No. 2:24-cv-7606 (conspiracy among pharmacy benefit managers to keep insulin prices artificially high); Conn., et al. v. Sandoz, et al., D Conn., Case No. 3:20-cv-802 (price fixing case against numerous generic drug manufacturers).
- Professional Liability. Whyte v. PWC, LLP, Tulsa County Oklahoma District Court, Case No. CJ-2010-4042 (accounting malpractice claims of $1.1B arising from SemGroup bankruptcy).
- Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization Act (RICO). Security Bank and Trust Co. v. John Thedore Linthicum, et al., Ottawa County District Court, Case No. CJ-2017-66 (successful conspiracy and civil RICO damages claims of $3.6M), aff’d on appeal COCA Case No. 117,248.
- Securities. David Frost v. Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd, FINRA Case No. 19-01855 (arbitrator); Danny and Paula Brumble v. Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith, FINRA Case No. 14-00777 (settlement and subsequent criminal conviction of financial advisor); Robert Attwood v. Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith, NYSE Case No. 2003-014831 (successful defense); Doyle Balentine, et al., v. Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith, FINRA Case No. 03-05482 (successful defense).
