Robert Freund is an experienced business litigator and advisor.  He focuses his practice on advertising compliance and litigation, with an emphasis on e-commerce and social media marketing issues.  His clients primarily are direct-to-consumer brands, marketing agencies, and individual creators.

Before opening his own firm, Mr. Freund honed his legal skills working at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, one of the largest and most respected international law firms.  Mr. Freund has represented individuals and companies in complex commercial litigation, including consumer class actions and claims related to false advertising and unfair competition.  He also has represented clients in the entertainment, real estate, and financial services industries.

While in law school at UC Davis, Mr. Freund clerked for the Consumer Protection Unit of the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, where he worked on civil and criminal cases involving fraud, deceptive advertising, anticompetitive practices, and other economic crimes.  Mr. Freund also served as an editor of the UC Davis Law Review.

Mr. Freund has lectured about social media advertising law at the University of Southern California, the University of San Diego, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, and he has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg Law, Vox, Business Insider, and Forbes on those issues.

Mr. Freund has served on the Board of Governors of the Century City Bar Association since 2013 and as President from 2017-2018, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of Social Media Club Los Angeles.  Mr. Freund was named as a Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Star in Media & Advertising for 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

• Counseled video game company regarding packaging and labeling language, television advertisements, and software warranty issues
• Defended video game publisher against false endorsement and false advertising claims, including dismissal with prejudice at the pleadings stage
• Defended pharmaceutical company against product liability claims, including affirmance of dismissal with prejudice on appeal before Ninth Circuit
• Defended international bank against fraud claims, including affirmance of dismissal with prejudice on appeal before Ninth Circuit
• Defended apparel company in class action alleging violations of California’s False Advertising Law based on “sale price” advertising
• Counsel for Fortune 100 SaaS company for marketing compliance matters.

EDUCATION

J.D., University of California at Davis

B.A., Economics, The College of William & Mary

BAR ADMISSIONS

• California
• District of Columbia
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

PUBLICATIONS

• FTC’s Crackdown on Influencer Marketing Is Just Getting Started, Talking Influence (April 1, 2020)
• Fake Followers; Real Problems, National Law Review (May 1, 2019)
• Congress Mulls New Clean Air Act Racecar Rules, Daily Journal (November 16, 2017)

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND MEDIA APPEARANCES

• Podcast Guest, Questions about Legalities, Women in Influencer Marketing (March 7, 2023)
• Podcast Guest, Marketing Legally: Insights on Social Media Advertising and E-Commerce, The Alden Report (March 1, 2023)
• Quoted in FTC Alleges Supplement Company ‘Hijacked’ Amazon Reviews to Boost Sales, The Wall Street Journal (February 21, 2023)
• Guest Lecturer, Influencer Relations, University of Southern California (February 21, 2023)
• Interview, WallStreetBets Founder Sues Reddit After Stock Frenzy, The Hill (February 16, 2023)
• Quoted in AI Joe Rogan Promotes Libido Booster for Men in ‘Illegal’ Deepfake Video, Daily Mail (February 15, 2023)
• Quoted in MetaBirkins Creater Loses to Hermès in Landmark NFT Case, World Intellectual Property Review (February 8, 2023)
• Quoted in Not Just Noncompetes. Aggressive FTC Cracking Down with Other Rules, San Antonio Business Journal (February 2, 2023)
• Quoted in Start Your Search Engines; Truth In Badvertising, AdExchanger (January 31, 2023)
• Quoted in NFTs on Trial: MetaBirkins Puts Digital Art to the Test, World Intellectual Property Review (January 19, 2023)
• Quoted in What Marketers Need to Know About the FTC’s Updated Guidelines on Health Claims, The Wall Street Journal (January 6, 2023)
• Quoted in Here’s How Sweeping Legal Changes Will Affect Content Creators in 2023, Tubefilter (December 29, 2022)
• Quoted in TikTok Music Lawsuits Fire Warning Shots to Brands, Influencers, Bloomberg Law (December 6, 2022)
• Guest Lecturer, Legal Issues in Influencer Marketing, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems (November 29, 2022)
• Quoted in Two Men Have Been Jailed for using “SIM-swapping” to Steal Crypto Worth $330,000, Business Insider (October 22, 2022)
• Quoted in Passive Income Is All the Rage on Social Media, but Navigating a Side Hustle Can Be Tricky, dot.LA (October 19, 2022)
• Quoted in 6 Key Takeaways for Influencers from Kim Kardashian’s $1.26 Million Settlement—and What It Means for Crypto Marketing, Business Insider (October 4, 2022)
• Quoted in Top 10 Things to Include in Your Photography Contract, DocPro (September 9, 2022)
• Quoted in TikTok Is Full of Secret Shady Advertisements, Vox (July 11, 2022)
• Podcast Guest, Embracing Social Media (Even When Your Industry Isn’t), The Higher Standard Podcast (February 1, 2022)
• Guest Lecturer, Legal Issues in Influencer Marketing, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems (November 24, 2021)
• Podcast Guest, Finance, Influence & Authenticity Ft. Rob Freund, Real AF with Andy Frisella (October 16, 2021)
• Podcast Guest, International Influencer Marketing Campaigns, The Social Law Co. Podcast (September 23, 2021)
• Speaker and Moderator, Influencer/Brand Partnerships: Dos and Don’ts, Social Media Club Los Angeles (August 24, 2021)
• Interview, “Zoom Reaches $85M Settlement over Zoombombing,” Black News Channel (August 2, 2021)
• Speaker, GeekOut San Diego (July 8-11, 2021)
• Podcast Guest, Advertising Made Legal, Perfectly Mentored Podcast (May 18, 2021)
• Podcast Guest, US Lawyer Robert Freund Shares The Latest FTC Guidelines On Influencer Marketing, Influence Global Podcast (April 30, 2021)
• Speaker, Tips, Tactics, and To-Dos when Contracting with Influencers, Content Marketing Conference (April 27-29, 2021)
• Speaker, Social Media Influencers and Regulations, New York City Bar (April 21, 2021)
• Speaker, Advertising Law Symposium, Cardozo School of Law (April 12, 2021)
• Guest Lecturer, Influencer Relations, University of Southern California (March 2, 2021)
• Speaker, Advertising Law and Podcasting, PodFest Global Summit (March 1, 2021)
• Guest Lecturer, E-Commerce & Advertising Law, Fashion Institute of Technology (February 23, 2021)
• Podcast Guest, Protect Yourself & Your Business on Social Media, Social Media University (February 19, 2021)
• Podcast Guest, Protect Yourself & Business from Being Sued, Hustle Inspires Hustle Podcast (February 3, 2021)
• Podcast Guest, Social Media Law, The Buster Show (January 12, 2021)
• Guest Lecturer, Influencer Marketing, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems (October 27-28, 2020)
• Podcast Guest, The Legal Side Of Social Media With Robert Freund, The Buster Show (October 20, 2020)
• Podcast Guest, Must Know Laws Behind Social Media Marketing and Online Advertising, University of Adversity Podcast (October 12, 2020)
• Guest Lecturer, Business and Society, University of San Diego School of Business (October 8, 2020)
• Podcast Guest, Data Privacy Update: GDPR & CCPA, B2B Lead Gen Podcast (August 6, 2020)
• Podcast Guest, Influencer Law & The Digital Courtroom, The Shining Icon Show (July 29, 2020)
• Quoted in TikTok’s Format Offers a Loophole for Branded Content Disclosures, Forbes.com (June 11, 2020)
• Author, Tips for Influencers Endorsing Health and Wellness Products During the Pandemic, NoFilter (June 1, 2020)
• Speaker, Hot Topics and Trends in Advertising Law, Stay Home Conference (May 12, 2020)
• Quoted in Everyone Is Giving Away Cash on Instagram, The New York Times (April 27, 2020)
• Guest Lecturer, Influencer Relations, University of Southern California (April 14, 2020)
• Guest Lecturer, Compliance with Social Media Advertising and Influencer Marketing, University of San Diego School of Business (April 7, 2020)
• Speaker/Presenter, Webinar: Going Live on Legal Issues in E-Commerce & Online Advertising, presented with RM Warner Law (March 11, 2020)
• Quoted in Should Social Media Influencers Get Certification?, Forbes.com (March 2, 2020)
• Speaker, Influencer Marketing Conference & Expo (February 25-26, 2020)
• Speaker/Teacher, GeekOut Los Angeles (February 21-23, 2020)
• Guest Blog Author, FTC Influencer Guidelines: Updates 2019, The Influencer Grapevine (November 18, 2019)
• Speaker, Social Media Marketing: Make it Legal, Social Media Club of Los Angeles (September 24, 2019)
• Quoted in Copyright Infringement: Are You Stealing Intellectual Property?, Business News Daily (September 16, 2019)
• Speaker and Panel Moderator, Influencer Marketing Conference & Expo (July 9, 2019)
• Quoted in Testosterone, Low Testosterone, and the Men’s Health Crisis That Wasn’t, Fatherly (June 4, 2019)
• Quoted in FTC’s Fake Reviews Settlement May Spur E-Commerce Fairness Era, E-Commerce Times (February 28, 2019)