Kaplan Returns To Roots With New Litigation Boutique
Few legal figures stand out as prominently as Roberta “Robbie” Kaplan in the American legal universe. A trailblazing attorney with a penchant for taking on high-profile cases, Kaplan has consistently pushed the boundaries of justice and equality scoring recent victory against former President Donald Trump in the E. Jean Carroll lawsuits, which have catapulted her into the national spotlight.
But Kaplan’s impact extends far beyond these headline-grabbing cases.
As a champion of the #MeToo movement and a stalwart advocate for LGBTQA+ rights, she has been at the forefront of some of the most significant social and legal battles in the US, recently making the Forbes Top 200 Lawyer List as one of the country’s leading lawyers.
Kaplan secured a major win over Donald Trump when representing E Jean Carroll in the securing of an $83 million judgment against Trump for defamation (image above, courtesy Politico).
It was the second victory she scored against the former president after beating Trump when Carroll made the news in 2019 with her account of being sexually assaulted by Trump in a dressing room in Bergdorf Goodman during the 1990s.
She also initiated the legal proceedings that led to the pivotal 2013 Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor, which mandated federal acknowledgment of same-sex marriages.
Additionally, she participated in a successful lawsuit against the organizers of the controversial white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
Her co-founding of the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in 2018 further cemented her status as a crusader for workplace equality and justice.
Now, in another bold move Kaplan is embarking on a new chapter in her career with a new law firm.
After seven years at the helm of Kaplan Hecker & Fink, the 13-partner law firm she founded in 2017 after a quarter-century at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. She’s striking out to establish a boutique practice alongside a group of close associates.
The new firm, Kaplan Martin, will focus on civil litigation, internal corporate investigations, and strategic advisory services according to a media release about the launch of the firm.
With her reputation for tough-as-nails advocacy, this new firm will be of interest to see the cases and work it undertakes.
Kaplan Martin LLP, set to launch on July 15, 2024, is the brainchild of Kaplan and her long-time collaborators Steven M. Cohen, Mitra Hormozi, and Timothy S. Martin. The firm aims to combine sophisticated commercial litigation with public interest cases, a vision Kaplan has long pursued.
Reflecting on her motivations, Kaplan said in the media statement: “I came up with the idea of what became the Kaplan Hecker law firm after the 2016 presidential election seeking to use all that I had learned at Paul, Weiss in order to combine a sophisticated commercial litigation practice with a commitment to bringing truly groundbreaking cases in the public interest.”
The goal was more than accomplished, with the firm growing in scope and size beyond her initial expectations.
However, Kaplan’s announcement of the new venture suggests a desire to return to a more focused, nimble approach.
“Now, together with a group of long-time, trusted friends who collectively have dealt with pretty much every kind of legal problem imaginable, it’s time for me to return to my roots with a small and nimble civil litigation and advisory boutique,” she said.
The new firm structure, according to Kaplan, will provide the flexibility to handle the most complex legal challenges and devise creative solutions for a diverse client base. She emphasizes her intention to continue pursuing innovative cases in the pursuit of justice, but with a crucial difference: “I plan to do so in close collaboration with my former colleagues.”
Robbie Kaplan Accolades
The Washington Post has described Robbie Kaplan as “a brash and original strategist, with neither a gift for patience nor silence, a crusader for underdogs who has won almost every legal accolade imaginable.”
Among the numerous honors and recognition she was not only named to Forbes’ list of “America’s Top 200 Lawyers,” but also recognized as the 2020 “Attorney of the Year” by the New York Law Journal, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Law Journal, and has been honored as “Litigator of the Year” by The American Lawyer, “Lawyer of the Year” by Above the Law, and “Most Innovative Lawyer of the Year” by The Financial Times.
Kaplan’s track record speaks to her ability to navigate high-stakes litigation. In recent years, she secured a $26 million jury verdict against neo-Nazis and white supremacists involved in the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally and won two separate jury verdicts against Donald Trump on behalf of E. Jean Carroll, resulting in damages totaling $88.3 million.
For lawyers observing this development, Kaplan Martin LLP represents an intriguing model that combines the agility of a boutique firm with the high-profile expertise typically associated with larger institutions. The firm’s focus on both commercial litigation and public interest cases suggests a continued commitment to leveraging private sector legal skills for broader social impact.
Moreover, the assembly of founding partners with diverse backgrounds – including experience in government, in-house roles, and private practice – indicates a multifaceted approach to legal challenges. This could prove particularly valuable in an era where legal issues often intersect with political and public policy concerns.
As the legal landscape continues to evolve, Kaplan’s new venture may serve as a template for experienced attorneys seeking to craft a practice that balances commercial success with public interest advocacy. It also highlights the ongoing importance of adaptability and strategic positioning in the legal profession, even for the most established practitioners.
The launch of Kaplan Martin LLP on July 15th will undoubtedly be watched closely by the legal community, as it represents not just a new firm, but potentially a new model for high-stakes, high-impact legal practice in the 21st century.
