Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi
Encyclopedia
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. is a large U.S. law firm
based in Minneapolis, Minnesota
. As of 2010, the firm had 250 lawyer
s in six offices nationwide: Minneapolis; Atlanta, Georgia
; Boston, Massachusetts; Los Angeles, California
; New York, New York and Naples, Florida
.
, mass tort, trademark and advertising disputes, antitrust, Entertainment and Media, and various other areas of business litigation. The firm also has a corporate law
practice in strategic IP monetization, mergers and acquisitions
, and other types of transactions.
, the fire at the Las Vegas Hilton
in 1981 (RKMC represented the victims), and the Dalkon Shield
litigation.
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. represented the Government of India
in the aftermath of the Bhopal Disaster
, against Union Carbide
. They have also represented E & J Gallo Winery
in antitrust matters, and Honeywell
, Unocal Corporation
, Pitney Bowes
, and Intergraph
in patent infringement
cases. In 1985, RKMC handled the initial public offering
of Best Buy
.
In 2009, a number of lawyers from the now-defunct firm of Dreier LLP joined the firm.
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
based in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. As of 2010, the firm had 250 lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s in six offices nationwide: Minneapolis; Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
; Boston, Massachusetts; Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
; New York, New York and Naples, Florida
Naples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007...
.
Practice areas
Over the years, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. has developed a strong litigation practice in intellectual propertyIntellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
, mass tort, trademark and advertising disputes, antitrust, Entertainment and Media, and various other areas of business litigation. The firm also has a corporate law
Corporate law
Corporate law is the study of how shareholders, directors, employees, creditors, and other stakeholders such as consumers, the community and the environment interact with one another. Corporate law is a part of a broader companies law...
practice in strategic IP monetization, mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
, and other types of transactions.
History & clientele
The firm was founded as Robins & Davis in 1938. Select cases the firm has handled are the Hyatt Regency walkway collapseHyatt Regency walkway collapse
The Hyatt Regency hotel walkway collapse was a collapse of an interior suspended skywalk system that occurred on July 17, 1981, in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, killing 114 people and injuring 216 others during a tea dance. At the time, it was the deadliest structural collapse in U.S...
, the fire at the Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent...
in 1981 (RKMC represented the victims), and the Dalkon Shield
Dalkon Shield
The Dalkon Shield was a contraceptive intrauterine device developed by the Dalkon Corporation and marketed by the A.H. Robins Company. The Dalkon Shield was found to cause severe injury to a disproportionately large percentage of its users, which eventually led to numerous lawsuits in which...
litigation.
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. represented the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
in the aftermath of the Bhopal Disaster
Bhopal disaster
The Bhopal disaster also known as Bhopal Gas Tragedy was a gas leak incident in India, considered one of the world's worst industrial catastrophes. It occurred on the night of December 2–3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India...
, against Union Carbide
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...
. They have also represented E & J Gallo Winery
E & J Gallo Winery
E & J Gallo Winery was founded in 1933 by Ernest Gallo and Julio Gallo in Modesto, California. E & J Gallo Winery is the largest exporter of California wines and is a large promoter of wines from Sonoma County.-History:...
in antitrust matters, and Honeywell
Honeywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
, Unocal Corporation
Unocal Corporation
Union Oil Company of California, dba Unocal is a defunct company that was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headquartered in El Segundo, California, United States.On August 10, 2005, Unocal merged...
, Pitney Bowes
Pitney Bowes
Pitney Bowes Inc. is a Stamford, Connecticut-based manufacturer of software and hardware and a provider of services related to documents, packaging, mailing, and shipping, collectively referred to as mailstream. The company has approximately 36,000 employees worldwide. It is one of 87 existing...
, and Intergraph
Intergraph
Intergraph Corporation is an American software development and services company. It provides enterprise engineering and geospatially powered software to businesses, governments, and organizations around the world. Intergraph operates through two divisions: Process, Power & Marine and Security,...
in patent infringement
Patent infringement
Patent infringement is the commission of a prohibited act with respect to a patented invention without permission from the patent holder. Permission may typically be granted in the form of a license. The definition of patent infringement may vary by jurisdiction, but it typically includes using or...
cases. In 1985, RKMC handled the initial public offering
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
of Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
.
In 2009, a number of lawyers from the now-defunct firm of Dreier LLP joined the firm.
Notable lawyers & alumni
- Mike CiresiMike CiresiMichael "Mike" V. Ciresi is a prominent trial attorney and was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate for the United States Senate from Minnesota. He dropped out on March 10, 2008. Ciresi gained his public reputation by litigating several high-profile mass tort cases...
, former chairman of the firm's executive board, former candidate for U.S. SenatorUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
for Minnesota. - Dean Arthur Pinkert, member of the International Trade Commission and former senior attorney for Import Administration in the International Trade AdministrationInternational Trade AdministrationThe International Trade Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that promotes United States exports of nonagricultural U.S...
of the United States Department of CommerceUnited States Department of CommerceThe United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
. - Susan Richard NelsonSusan Richard NelsonSusan Richard Nelson is an American lawyer and District Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. She has served in this position since December 2010, prior to which she served as a United States magistrate judge with the same court.-Early life and...
, federal district judge on the United States District Court for the District of MinnesotaUnited States District Court for the District of MinnesotaThe United States District Court for the District of Minnesota is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Minnesota. Its two primary courthouses are in Minneapolis and Saint Paul...
. - B. Todd Jones, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota.