Alan M. Freeman

Alan M. Freeman
Partner
Business Litigation

Biography

CO-CHAIR, GENERAL LITIGATION PRACTICE GROUP

Alan Freeman is a trusted strategic adviser and legal advocate who helps clients achieve their business objectives while minimizing legal risk. Equally comfortable in courtrooms and boardrooms, he advises and represents clients in a wide range of industries, including hospitality, entertainment, gaming, retail, real estate, and maritime, in civil and commercial litigation matters in federal and state courts and in arbitration proceedings. He is particularly adept in managing disputes with public sensitivity, and he devotes his practice to reducing his clients’ litigation risk and rapidly resolving disputes when they arise.

Alan concentrates on assisting his clients with issues involving:

  • contract disputes, business torts, and trade secrets litigation
  • environmental contamination and remediation disputes
  • professional liability
  • employment and discrimination
  • civil rights investigations and racial profiling
  • internal and public investigations
  • admiralty claims and regulatory disputes
  • securities fraud and investigations
  • police brutality allegations, unlawful detention, and use of force
  • False Claims Act ("whistleblower") litigation

Alan is a former law clerk to the Honorable John A. Terry of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

Outside the Firm

Alan is a leader in the Jewish community of Greater Washington, where he is a member and Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Governors of Charles E. Smith Life Communities (“CESLC”), a nonprofit senior living organization that includes independent and assisted living, the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, a post-acute care center, and temporary shelter for victims of elder abuse. He has been a member of the Board of Governors since 2007, and has served as President of the Housing Boards (Ring House, Revitz House, Landow House, and Cohen-Rosen House) and as Co-Chair of the Guardian Campaign.

Alan is a leader in Columbia University’s alumni community. He serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Columbia College Alumni Association, and he chairs the Alumni Representative Committee in Washington, D.C.

Alan is active in civic affairs of Montgomery County, Maryland. He was appointed by the County Executive to serve two terms on the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board, which he chaired in 2005, and he currently serves on several citizen advisory boards convened by the Montgomery County Department of Police.

Related Services

Related Industries

Special topics

Experience

  • A nationwide operator of premium entertainment venues, to provide operational risk management counseling (e.g., liquor law compliance, guest interactions/detentions, crowd control) and to enhance relationships with law enforcement and business and community groups.
  • A national hospitality company, in defense of discrimination and breach of contract claims asserted by a former business partner involved in restaurant operations.
  • An international engineering and construction company, in private-party litigation arising from the performance of U.S. government contracts in the United States and abroad. 
  • Regional and national real estate owners and developers, in the resolution of disputes with joint venture partners and tenants.
  • The acquiring companies in shareholder class-action lawsuits arising out of merger transactions.
  • A national retailer, in defense of class-action discrimination claims brought on behalf of customers.
  • The operating tenant of a commercial property, in litigation with a construction company arising out of the remediation of contaminated soils.
  • A major metropolitan city and its primary law enforcement agency, in connection with a Department of Justice “pattern and practice” investigation into excessive use of force.
  • Whistleblowers in Federal and State False Claims Act litigation.
  • An investment firm and its principal, in SEC civil enforcement proceedings.
  • The operator of a commercial passenger vessel, in litigation arising out of a collision on the Mississippi River.

News & Views

See all News and Views

Recognitions

  • AV® Preeminent™, listed by Martindale-Hubbell®
  • 2015–2017, listed in Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers
  • 2017–2018, listed in Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll

Affiliations

Memberships

  • District of Columbia Bar Association
  • Maryland State Bar Association
Professional Activities

Alan is a member of the Maryland Court of Appeals Character Committee, which is charged with reviewing the character and fitness of applicants to the Bar of Maryland.

Credentials

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court - Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland
  • New York
  • U.S. District Court - District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court - Maryland
  • U.S. District Court - Western District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Tax Court
  • United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • United States Court of Federal Claims
  • United States Court of International Trade

Education

  • Columbia University, BA
  • George Washington University Law School, JD

A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.