Up & Coming: Jennifer M. Robbins

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Associate attorney; Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi

Jenny Robbins can master the business and legal issues surrounding a case and fight in court like the best of litigators, but her people skills and understanding of the psychology behind each case really sets her apart.

A psychology major in college, Robbins applies her knowledge of human behavior and motivation to help clients through sticky situations or argue their cases.

She first got interested in law during a college internship at a halfway house, where she worked with women fresh out of prison. Fascinated by their experiences with the legal system — such as often not having strong advocates — Robbins decided that she could make more of a difference as a lawyer.

At first, Robbins said, she was reluctant to tackle the business side of law, but she faced down that intimidation and gave it a shot. For her, it was a wise decision. “It turns out that businesses are just made up of people. At the end of the day, most of the legal issues we’re looking at comes to litigation because people can’t come to a resolution on their own,” says Robbins, an associate at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi in Minneapolis.

“I really like to dig into the details,” she adds. “And I really want to understand why people do what they do or why they’ve done what they’ve done, which lends itself to making legal arguments later.”

Since she graduated from University of Texas School of Law and started practicing at Robins Kaplan in 2007, Robbins has handled a diverse range of cases, including defending a large multi-district class-action, defending individuals in white-collar crime investigations and successfully representing plaintiffs in complex commercial litigation. She also completed oral arguments before the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals as part of a criminal defense case.

When she’s not working with clients on their business and legal strategies, Robbins takes on a healthy dose of pro bono work. She pursued and secured asylum for a refugee from Uzbekistan, and she represents children through the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota. Robbins, a Latina, recently was named a fellow with the prestigious Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.