Brian J. Robbins

PARTNER

Brian J. Robbins is co-founder and managing partner of the firm.  He has committed his entire career to representing shareholders, employees, consumers, and small businesses in complex litigation matters. Mr. Robbins has prosecuted hundreds of cases across the country, often in leadership roles, and has achieved sizable monetary recoveries and corporate governance improvements on behalf of his clients.  He passionately believes in the power of the shareholder derivative action as a tool to keep corporate mismanagement and fraud in check, and his dedication to shareholder causes has helped earn the firm recognition as a national leader in shareholder rights litigation.  In addition to litigating, Mr. Robbins oversees and coordinates the work of the firm's ten departments and approximately 100 employees.

Before starting Robbins Umeda LLP, Mr. Robbins worked at three plaintiff class action litigation firms and prosecuted a number of securities and consumer class actions, as well as shareholder derivative actions.

Mr. Robbins received his Juris Doctor degree from Vanderbilt Law School in 1997.  While at Vanderbilt, Mr. Robbins served as research assistant for two corporate and securities law professors: Professor Donald C. Langevoort, former Special Counsel for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the Office of the General Counsel, and Professor Larry D. Soderquist, one of the most respected professors in the field of corporate and securities law.  In 1998, Mr. Robbins received his Master of Laws degree in Securities and Financial Regulation from the Georgetown University Law Center.  He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in just two and one-half years from the University of California in 1993.

Selected Noteworthy Cases

• Titan, Inc. (now L-3 Communications Corp.), In re Titan, Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 04-CV-0676-LAB (NLS) (S.D. Cal. Dec. 20, 2005): Mr. Robbins served as co-lead counsel in a class action suit alleging securities fraud and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations against a governmental defense contractor.  He negotiated a $61.5 million settlement on behalf of the class, one of the largest securities fraud class action recoveries in San Diego's history.

• Tenet Healthcare Corporation, In re Tenet Healthcare Corp. Derivative Litigation, No. 01098905 (Cal. Super Ct.–Santa Barbara County May 5, 2006), aff'd, No. B192252 (Cal. App. Sept. 20, 2007): Mr. Robbins served as co-lead counsel in this shareholder derivative action, which was vigorously litigated for more than three years.  He negotiated a comprehensive settlement on behalf of the nationwide health care services and hospital operating company that secured a fund of $51.5 million to be paid to Tenet and sweeping corporate governance and remedial measures designed to ensure the independence and accountability of the company’s board of directors.

• OM Group, Inc., In re OM Group, Inc. Derivative Litigation, No. 1:03CV0020 (N.D. Ohio Nov. 10, 2005): Mr. Robbins led the firm as sole lead counsel in this derivative action arising out of a massive accounting fraud at this global solutions provider and specialty chemical manufacturer.  Following three years of contentious litigation and in-depth discovery, Mr. Robbins secured $29 million for OM Group, the removal of the company's long term chief executive officer, the addition of two shareholder-nominated directors, and secured other significant corporate governance reforms. 

• Hanover Compressor Company (now Exterran Holdings, Inc.), Harbor Finance Partners v. McGhan, No. H-02-0761 ("Hanover Compressor Derivative Litigation") (S.D. Tex. June 15, 2007): Mr. Robbins served as lead negotiator for a consortium of plaintiffs in this shareholder derivative action filed on behalf of Hanover Compressor Company, a leading provider of production and processing tools for oil, gas, and energy companies.  Mr. Robbins helped negotiate a settlement that included a $26.5 million payment to the company, the return of 2.5 million insider owned shares to the company, the appointment of two shareholder- nominated directors, and a requirement that the company rotate its outside auditing firm every 5 years.

• Dynegy Inc., In re Dynegy, Inc., No. 03-0768, Order (Tex. Sept. 8, 2003); In re Dynegy, Inc. Derivative Litigation, No. 2002-25250 (Tex. Dist. Ct.–Harris County July 8, 2005): Mr. Robbins served as co-lead counsel in this derivative action brought on behalf of a wholesale energy, power, capacity, and ancillary service provider.  After more than three years of hard fought litigation, including successfully demonstrating demand futility and a shareholder's right to discovery before the Supreme Court of Texas, Mr. Robbins secured sweeping corporate governance changes, including an overhaul of senior management, the board of directors, a change in the company's outside auditors, and a $150 million contribution to the company.
• Wireless Facilities, Inc. (now Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.), In re Wireless Facilities, Inc. Derivative Litigation, No. 04-CV-1663-JAH-(NLS) (S.D. Cal. Mar. 29, 2010): Mr. Robbins served as co-lead counsel in a derivative action on behalf of an independent provider of security systems engineering for the wireless communications industry.  After more than five years of hard fought litigation, Mr. Robbins negotiated a comprehensive settlement agreement that required certain officers to forfeit significant amounts of stock and/or stock options back to the company, restricted voting rights for certain former officers and directors, secured monetary reimbursement to the company, and implemented a number of important changes to the company's corporate governance, such as the addition of two independent directors to the board and an annual review of the chairman's performance.