The highly accomplished attorney Roberta “Robbie” Kaplan is leaving the firm she started in the wake of the #MeToo movement. She’s a highly respected attorney known for her significant contributions to civil rights law, particularly in the realm of women’s and LGBTQ+ rights. Her career is marked by a series of landmark cases and notable achievements, and she’s been known to stand up to bullies.
But her coworkers don’t always have the best things to say about working with her personally, which may make it difficult for her to get followers to go with her in her new venture.
A Brief Bio
Kaplan went to some of the best educational institutions in the country. Following her magna cum laude Harvard undergrad with Columbia Law School, she held academic honors and was the Editor in Chief of the Columbia Law Review. She clerked for important federal and state courts after, before starting practice – and jumping right into Big Law.
Kaplan’s first “big kid” job was at the NYC-based white-shoe firm Paul Weiss, where she worked on a variety of complex commercial litigation matters. Within less than a decade, she’d made partner. But after a healthy stint in Big Law, the go-getter wanted to do her own thing. She co-founded a new firm in 2017, Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, where she continues to practice. The firm is known for its commitment to public interest work, and Kaplan has played a crucial role in shaping its mission and direction.
An Accomplished Attorney
Kaplan has been involved in several significant cases, including representing clients in matters related to gender equality, free speech, and other civil rights issues. Her work has earned her numerous accolades and recognition from her peers and various legal organizations. Kaplan’s work helped to change the law of the land and legal rights for countless Americans — including same-sex couples.
One of her most notable accomplishments is her role in the landmark case United States v. Windsor, which you may have heard of from over a decade ago. This was during the time Kaplan was a partner at Paul Weiss. Kaplan and Paul Weiss represented Edith Windsor in her challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law that defined marriage as the union between one man and one woman. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Windsor, striking down DOMA as unconstitutional. This decision was a monumental victory for LGBTQ+ rights and paved the way for the eventual legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide.
Kaplan has also been a thorn in the side of former president Donald Trump a number of times. After starting her own firm, she still continued working on pro bono matters with partners from Paul Weiss. Most famously, she and a Paul Weiss colleague represented nine plaintiffs who were injured at the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, where they scored a $26 million verdict. And a year ago, Kaplan was in the legal spotlight for winning her client E. Jean Carroll a defamation lawsuit against Trump and $83 million in damages, resulting in a landmark $83 million verdict against him this year.
In addition to her litigation work, Kaplan is a prolific writer and speaker on legal issues. She has authored articles for prominent legal publications and frequently speaks at conferences and events, sharing her expertise and advocating for justice and equality.
Roberta Kaplan's dedication to civil rights and her impressive legal career has made her a prominent figure in the legal community. She says that her eponymous law firm was founded “on the principle that there always must be someone to stand up to a bully.” It is perhaps ironic, then, that she is now being called out by employees of her firm for being a bit of a bully herself.
Difficulties in Store for a Difficult Boss?
Several people who worked with Kaplan came public with claims that the legal eagle had “insulted employees, inappropriately commented on their looks, and threatened to derail people’s careers.” Kaplan’s own lawyers denied these claims, saying that “there is nothing more unremarkable than trial lawyers using colorful language, criticizing their peers and representing diverse clients with no expectation of ideological purity.”
Her treatment of employees might have been a reason that she had a hard time getting people to follow her when she recently announced she would be leaving the firm she helped found.
Kaplan just announced she will be venturing out on her own – yet again – to start up a new law firm. This came after months of simmering tensions within her current firm over Kaplan’s conduct towards the other lawyers. Kaplan was eventually removed from the firm’s management committee for these reasons.
Now, Kaplan is having a hard time getting colleagues to follow her to the new firm she plans to start. Kaplan explained that because she takes on bullies, she’s going to make enemies. In a statement, she said, “The work I do is high-stakes and challenging, requiring both toughness and precision . . . there are people who don’t like me, which comes with the territory, particularly when you are a woman. I am proud of my record as a lawyer, colleague and mentor.”
Effective Monday, Kaplan’s name will be taken off of her former firm, which will be renamed just “Hecker & Fink.” Is the country in store for more groundbreaking advocacy from Robbie? We certainly hope so. She may not be pleasant to work with, but she gets the job done.
Related Resources:
- How Eminent Lawyer Joshua Wright's Shady Past Caught Up With Him (FindLaw's Practice of Law)
- Flying Solo: Starting Your Own Law Practice (FindLaw's Law Firm Management)
- Lawyer's Tragic Mental Health Breakdown Is a Cautionary Tale (FindLaw's Practice of Law)
