Steven D. Atkinson

Steve Atkinson is a founding partner with a diverse clientele in litigation, labor, and employment law matters. He focuses on representing construction industry employers in collective bargaining negotiations, advice and counsel and industry specific business advice.

Mr. Atkinson has long been recognized as one of the foremost employment lawyers in the country and has defended employers for almost 50 years in all aspects of labor relations. He practices before all federal and state courts, including the United States Supreme Court, and administrative agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Department of Labor.

Mr. Atkinson served a tour of duty as a first lieutenant in the Army. Out of the military, he worked as a field attorney with the National Labor Relations Board, where he was successful in all 11 of his trials. Mr. Atkinson left government service in 1976 and began representing employers in labor and employment law issues.

In 1977, just five years out of law school, Mr. Atkinson became a principal in the law firm of Merrill & Atkinson, which was at the forefront of aggressive representation of employers in labor relations matters in Southern California.

In 1979, Atkinson started his own firm, which transitioned into the extraordinarily successful AALRR that today employs more than 240 lawyers. Mr. Atkinson has received many awards and honors and has long been recognized as one of the finest lawyers in his field.

Honors & Recognitions

Every year since 2004, Los Angeles magazine has recognized Mr. Atkinson as a “Super Lawyer,” one of the top 5% percent of Southern California lawyers.  

Mr. Atkinson has handled hundreds of union negotiations, strikes, pickets, and lock-outs. Additional representative matters include: 

• Represented a Fortune 500 company in a race discrimination jury trial in Oakland, California, which lasted over two months. Mock juries for the case all returned verdicts in excess of $30 million. The jury was out for eight days and returned a finding of no punitive damages.
• Represented the largest Chinese language newspaper in the United States in a model organizing campaign which lasted over five years. Persuaded the NLRB to invalidate the first election, which was won by the union. The company won the second election.
• Represented a major residential construction company and its owner in a lawsuit against a large insurance company. The insurance company alleged the owner was personally liable for fraud and owed $28 million in damages. Atkinson was brought into the case after the judge indicated in a preliminary ruling that it was highly likely the insurance company would prevail on its fraud claims. The jury returned a verdict of no fraud and no personal liability.
• Represented a large industrial contractor in a major targeted organizing campaign conducted by the Los Angeles County Building Construction Trades Council. The Trades were unsuccessful in organizing the contractor.

Practice Areas

Community & Professional

• Orange County Bar Association, Member
• Los Angeles County Bar Association, Member