eDiscovery

From her days litigating tobacco, pharmaceutical and medical device products cases when eDiscovery was still in its infancy, to her stewardship of Kutak Rock’s eDiscovery Practice, Robin has pioneered the development of efficient, practical and effective approaches to address the explosion of electronically stored information’s use in modern litigation. Today, Robin is recognized by her peers, judges, competitor firms, service professionals and think tanks as a global expert on electronic discovery, digital evidence and attendant issues. 

She is appropriately credited with the creation, development and ongoing success of the National eDiscovery Leadership Institute (“NeLI”). NeLI is a preferred venue for cutting-edge thought leadership, a recognized platform for top-tier judicial scholarship, and an accessible setting for practitioners and service providers to share their insights with the bench and bar on all things eDiscovery related. Through Robin's leadership, NeLI has attracted the best and brightest minds in the eDiscovery world and brought them to NeLI every year. Due to Robin's leadership of NeLI, it has become one of the leading eDiscovery seminar brands and a magnet for professionals in the eDiscovery area. Robin also serves on the ESI Rules Committee for the United States District Court Western District of Missouri and is an active member of the Sedona Conference Working Group 1 which works tirelessly to create a common framework for the discussion and resolution of eDiscovery disputes. These Sedona Principles, which she helped draft, are often considered and cited by the judiciary in rendering its decisions on electronic discovery disputes. 

Given Robin’s national reputation, she is a frequently sought-after speaker on eDiscovery. Her thought leadership is requested dozens of times per year across the country, and she actively works with conference organizers, bar organizations and CLE providers to craft and present informative seminars for both leaders in the field and newcomers alike.

Commercial Litigation

While Ms. Stewart regularly counsels clients in all aspects of the electronic discovery spectrum, she also maintains an active commercial litigation practice, which is rare in today’s super-specialized legal market. She has served as national lead trial counsel in dozens of state and federal litigation matters and has represented clients in numerous class action cases involving antitrust, environmental, product liability, false advertising, consumer protection, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and a variety of other state and federal claims. Some of her representative matters are listed below.

ADA Litigation

Robin represents numerous organizations across the country in their defense of ADA-related claims. Her clients include restaurants, educational institutions and large and small retailers. Most recently, she is defending many clients involved in the emerging area of website accessibility litigation matters. Given her expertise in this area, she frequently has been interviewed and quoted by legal publications and regularly writes and speaks on this area of law.

Financial Services

Robin represents numerous clients in the financial services industry in matters ranging from disputes between and among investors, to assisting clients in overcoming regulatory hurdles to defending clawback claims from receivers and trustees. Most recently, she represented one of the nation’s largest tax credit syndicators in successfully resolving litigation resulting from a dispute with its general partner; handled a complex investor dispute for one of the largest financial services and insurance firms in the world; and represented New York-based underwriters in a litigation matter stemming from the largest bankruptcy case in Kansas history.

Antitrust

Robin represented a large health care provider in a class-action matter alleging price fixing of nurse wages in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act (Cason-Merenda et al., v. Detroit Medical Center, et al., Case No. 06-15601 (E.D. Mich.)). She worked directly with the client, experts, and co-defendants on key legal issues, which led to a partial summary judgment and favorable class action settlement on behalf of the client.

Telecommunications

Robin served as the lead attorney representing several clients in both state and federal courts in matters involving alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) and several state statutory and common law claims. As a representative example, she recently obtained a class decertification ruling effectively ending an $85 million dispute that began with a default judgment against her client prior to her retention. Thomas C. Duke v. Construction Expo, et al., Case No. 1016-CV0353 (Mo. Cir. Ct. July 29, 2013).

Product Liability and Consumer Protection

Robin has represented a variety of Fortune 500 companies, including Philip Morris USA Inc., Lorillard Tobacco Company, Inc., Home Depot U.S.A., Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, Inc., Loews Corporation, Boston Scientific (formerly Guidant), and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. In addition to successfully defeating class certification motions on behalf of several clients faced with product defect and consumer protection claims, she played a key role in the Boston Scientific/Guidant MDL No. 1708, In re: Guidant Corp. Implantable Defibrillators Product Liability Litigation, which consisted of nearly 2,000 cases and 74 putative class actions cases pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. 

Environmental. Robin tried and defeated all claims brought against a client in a $34 million case in federal court involving complicated environmental and leasehold claims made by a landfill developer against a quarry operator. She also has represented insurance carriers involved in multimillion-dollar toxic tort and environmental class actions.