Overview
Introduction
Robins Kaplan is a litigation powerhouse, with a resume full of victories across industries and practices. The firm is especially known for its strengths in antitrust, intellectual property & technology litigation, insurance, mass torts, and plaintiff’s personal injury and medical malpractice litigation. Founded in Minneapolis, the firm has broadened its reach beyond the Midwest with offices across California, Massachusetts, New York, and the Dakotas. Beyond on-the-job training, professional development is a priority ...
Firm Stats
Total No. Attorneys (2021)
No. of Partners Named (2021)
Featured Rankings
No. of 1st Year Associates Hired (2020)
No. of Summer Associates (2021)
Base Salary
Vault Verdict
Robins Kaplan seeks well-rounded candidates, but hiring decisions often depend on specific practice group needs. The firm’s culture is supportive and collegial, and the open-door environment provides a place for attorneys to form genuine relationships. Partners make associates feel valued and provide much-appreciated feedback in biannual performance reviews, but associates do express they would like more transparency into promotion decisions. Associates have hefty workloads, but flexibility is embraced at the firm, and assignments tend to be substantive and challenging. Compensation is based on a tier system. In certain regions, compensation is below market, but associates note the lifestyle and billable requirement as tradeoffs. According to the firm, beyond its standard compensa...
About the Firm
Robins Kaplan LLP is a national law firm known for its trial litigation practice, particularly in the intellectual property, complex business litigation, and mass tort arenas. The firm's attorneys are no strangers to high-profile, high-stakes trial work and multimillion-dollar verdicts.
Minneapolis Midsized Hotshot
Robins Kaplan was founded in 1938 as Robins & Davis in Minneapolis. The firm continues to be a strong presence in the Midwest—it is among the Top 30 firms in Vault’s Best Law Firms in the Midwest—and about half of its attorneys continue to be based there. But it also has built its practice across California, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Today, the firm is home to more than 225 attorneys.
High...
Associate Reviews
- “Very supportive. Everyone looks out for each other.”
- “The firm is extremely supportive of younger associates. My practice group actively encourages me to participate in bar associations and other organizations and will often provide the initial introduction with the heads of the groups so that I can more easily get plugged in.”
- “Lunches, coffee, and happy hours with fellow associates and/or partners are frequent events. People are open to developing meaningful working relationships and giving advice.”
- “The firm has a collegial atmosphere. Lawyers socialize together on a monthly basis, and there is a firmly entrenched open-door policy.”
Diversity at Robins Kaplan LLP
Getting Hired Here
- “The hiring process is competitive. Robins Kaplan looks for future trial attorneys with grit, ambition, and intelligence, among other characteristics. The firm does not look at any single criteria, but strives to find attorneys that can thrive in an environment of high-stakes litigation.”
- “Hiring practices vary across offices and practice groups. …”
- “Each lawyer asks their own questions during interviews. Some of my preferred questions include: What was the last thing you taught yourself to do, and how did you approach teaching yourself to do it? Tell me about a time you were given an assignment that you didn't immediately know how to complete. What was the outcome? What did you learn from that experience?”
- “Hiring is often driven by specific needs of a senior partner. As such, laterals and clerks are hired for a purpose. This immediately gives them a place to fit in [at] the firm.”
Perks & Benefits