Top Lawyers: Andrew Robb Of Robb & Robb On The 5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law

BY ERIC L. PINES

The legal field is known to be extremely competitive. Lawyers are often smart, ambitious, and highly educated. That being said, what does it take to stand out and become a “Top Lawyer” in your specific field of law? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law”, we are talking to top lawyers who share what it takes to excel and stand out in your industry.

As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Robb.

Andrew C. Robb is an Attorney with Robb & Robb LLC in Kansas City, Missouri, where he specializes in aviation law. Mr. Robb represents victims of aviation accidents from coast-to-coast, and he has been selected by his peers as “Ones to Watch” by “The Best Lawyers in America.” Recently, Mr. Robb represented Vanessa Bryant in her lawsuit arising out of the helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit more. What is the “backstory” that brought you to this particular career path in Law? Did you want to be an attorney “when you grew up”?

Growing up, I did not always want to be an attorney. I actually wanted to be an opera singer, and I studied Vocal Performance for my first two years in college. But even when I was deep into the music world, I was still interested in the law, and I could never fully put my interest in law to the side. I did Mock Trial in college, and some colleagues used to tell me that I could fulfill both of my passions by singing closing arguments during trial. None of the judges before whom I have appeared have allowed that yet.

As for my particular career path in law, I started off by clerking for two federal judges, and then working at a law firm in New York City. After a couple of years in New York, my wife (who is also a lawyer) and I decided that we wanted to work for a Firm that can make a real difference in its clients’ lives, and help prevent others from being injured by hazardous products and irresponsible conduct. And so we both joined my parents at Robb & Robb LLC in Kansas City.

Can you tell us a bit about the nature of your practice and what you focus on?

Robb & Robb LLC represents victims of aviation accidents. When someone is injured in an airplane or helicopter crash, our firm seeks to hold accountable the individual and/or company that caused the crash. Whether it’s corporate misconduct, defective design or manufacture of aircraft parts, improper maintenance policies, or pilot error, the consequences of negligence while designing or operating an aircraft are extremely severe.

For nearly forty years, our Firm has sought to use the civil justice system to make the products safer. And by holding companies and operators responsible for misconduct in Court, we’ve seen it happen. As aviation continues to be a central connector in the lives of many Americans, we are here to shine a spotlight on potential pitfalls, hold wrongdoers accountable, and help victims when wrongful conduct leads to serious injury.

You are a successful attorney. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? What unique qualities do you have that others may not? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Integrity. I think “affirmative honesty” is the central character trait that any lawyer should have. You should practice law as if every phone call and e-mail you send will be re-printed on the front page of The New York Times. Being a lawyer should be synonymous with being honest and having integrity to the Court, to your clients, to your opposition, and to yourself.

Patience. This has been a tough one for me to learn. A lot of the time, litigators are aggressive, type-A personalities who want to get stuff done, and quickly. For that reason, I think patience is sometimes a difficult tool to employ during active litigation. For example, I recently got into a back-and-forth with opposing counsel about their request to continue a trial setting. Whenever I would send an e-mail expressing our clients’ position, opposing counsel would respond very quickly, maybe an hour later. I understand the instinct to respond quickly, but I think taking extra few hours — or in some cases, a day or two — to mull it over and think about it really helps. And interestingly enough, I have found that my response after being patient is often different than what it would have been had I responded immediately.

Humility. In the practice of law, it’s really important to know what you don’t know. In the legal world, that means that there are lots of different types of law out there and a lot of thorny legal issues that can arise throughout a single case. For example, we often come across probate issues in our practice. I am not a probate lawyer. I could, in theory, walk into probate court and try to figure it out, but I don’t know the typical issues that arise in probate law. When we are confronting an area of law outside of our expertise, we consult with experienced legal counsel in that area instead of just trying to wing it ourselves. I think that approach has led to better results for our clients.

Do you think you have had luck in your success? Can you explain what you mean?

I consider myself unusually lucky in numerous respects. I am extremely lucky to practice with two incredible mentors in the law: my Mom and Dad. They have four decades of experience and wisdom to share, and I am just soaking it all in every single day. And then to have my wife working at the Firm as well — I am extremely lucky to be working with my family every day. It’s very joyful, and I don’t take it for granted.

Do you think where you went to school has any bearing on your success? How important is it for a lawyer to go to a top-tier school?

I am a proud alum of the University of Michigan Law School, and I don’t think I would have been able to be a federal law clerk if not for Michigan. I do think it helps to go to a top-tier law school, and I think the data plays that out. If someone wants to go to law school for three years and pay the expensive tuition, I think it’s wise to look at the employment data to see what graduates from that law school are doing. However, I know many extremely successful lawyers who did not go to a fancy school. I think going to a top-tier school can absolutely help at the beginning of your career, but it’s definitely not necessary.

Based on the lessons you have learned from your experience, if you could go back in time and speak to your twenty-year-old self, what would you say? Would you do anything differently?

When I was twenty-years old, I was still a sophomore in college pursuing a career in Vocal Performance. I think there’s a lot of pressure on college students to pick a major and have a focused path right away. I worked for two years in-between college and law school, and when I decided that I wanted to go to law school, I was fully committed, confident in my choice, and ready to dive in. I think it’s completely OK if you’re twenty years old and don’t know exactly what you want to do.

This is not easy work. What is your primary motivation and drive behind the work that you do?

Families comes to us when they are most in need, after what is often the single most devastating event of their lives. The feeling of deep satisfaction after helping a client is what motivates me. Without exception, our clients are innocent, deserving, and courageous. Deciding to file a lawsuit is not always an easy decision, and when our clients’ trust in the legal system — and their faith in our Law Firm — is rewarded, that’s a really great feeling.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

In the last several months, we have filed a number of new cases. We represent the family of Jason Myers, the WBTV meteorologist who was killed in a helicopter crash in Charlotte late last year. That litigation is currently pending in North Carolina.

We represent four Australian tourists who were seriously injured when a tour-helicopter crashed in Nevada earlier this year. This family came to Las Vegas for a vacation, and instead, they got into helicopter crash. For weeks after the crash, this family of four went back-and-forth between the hospital and Caesar’s Palace until they were cleared to fly home. That case is also pending.

We also represent the family of Lurean Wheaton, who was killed when a Broward County Sheriff’s Office helicopter crashed into her apartment when she was sleeping. We also represent her longtime partner, Zerney Taylor, who narrowly avoided death because he was going the bathroom when the helicopter crashed into the apartment. That claim is currently pending in Florida.

In 2024, we have four major trial settings, so it proves to be a busy year. Some of these trial settings were delayed because of COVID, but it seems that the Court systems have largely recovered from COVID-induced delays.

Where do you go from here? Where do you aim to be in the next chapter of your career?

My wife and I want to grow and protect the Firm’s legacy. One thing that I’m really proud of is our Firm’s commitment to using the civil justice system to make real, concrete improvements to the aviation industry. We’ve seen it many times, and in one of our recent cases, we helped introduce a Bill before Congress to mandate safer collision-detection equipment on all civilian helicopters. We want to continue using the civil justice system to make the world a safer place.

Without sharing anything confidential, can you please share your most successful “war story”?

When your wife is your law partner and you have a young child, out-of-town trials can be interesting. Recently, we had trial in Kentucky, and we basically moved our entire family there. We brought our son (who was one at the time), my mother-in-law, and our dog. It was quite the show. Ultimately, we ended up getting a great result for our clients, so it was all worth it. My mother-in-law still talks about Shiloh’s Steakhouse, which is where we ate every night.

Ok, fantastic. Let’s now shift to discussing some advice for aspiring lawyers. Do you work remotely? Onsite? Or Hybrid? What do you think will be the future of how law offices operate? What do you prefer? Can you please explain what you mean?

We are back in the office full time. Like everyone else, we worked remotely during the height of the pandemic, but we all prefer being in the office. For law firms, I think the hybrid work-from-home option is here to stay, but we are seeing law offices start to require a few days per week in the office. Even in our own building, we have seen the traffic increase dramatically over the past several months. I think employers are starting to realize that in-office work has some real tangible benefits, and it’s more than just socializing around the water cooler.

How has the legal world changed since COVID? How do you think it might change in the near future? Can you explain what you mean?

COVID has dramatically changed the legal world. Now, a lot of courts hold virtual hearings on routine matters, and that’s not going anywhere. Since we have cases in various states across the country, virtual court hearings can be greatly beneficial because we save a lot of travel time. We have court hearings most every week, and instead of traveling, I can just handle them from my desk. Courts across the country have recognized the efficiencies of the virtual platform, and virtual court hearings are here to stay.

Based on your experience, how can attorneys effectively leverage social media to build their practice?

This is a tough one. Personally, I don’t use social media for business, and our Firm does not advertise. Our clients come to us by either finding our website online, or though another lawyer that’s helping them find legal counsel after an aviation accident. I have seen some attorneys who have very active social media pages, and it seems to work for them.

What are your “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law?”

A Great Support Network. Being a litigator is inherently adversarial. In our practice, we go up against large corporations and their allies who are doing everything they can to fight us and our clients. Since my wife is also an attorney at the Firm, we can discuss our cases with each other and focus our attention on what matters most, both professionally and personally. Of course, you don’t need to be married to your law partner to be a successful litigator, but I think it’s important to have family and friends that understand the nature of the job.

Being a Counselor and Lawyer. Aviation accidents are extremely traumatic for all the reasons you might imagine. As a plaintiffs’ side aviation attorney, you can’t just be an attorney, but you also must be able to counsel and console your clients as they cope with their life’s most traumatic event.

Appetite for Complexity. Aviation law is complex in every conceivable respect, from the different legal issues that arise, to the inner-workings of how an aircraft flies. I do not think you need to be an “expert” in aircrafts or physics, by any means, but I do believe aviation law requires an ability to grasp some basic physics concepts so that you can understand how various design defects, maintenance deficiencies, and piloting errors can lead to air crashes. We work with experts in engineering, metallurgy, and design; I cannot effectively examine those expert witnesses at trial unless I can understand what they’re talking about.

Communication Skills. To be an effective attorney, you have to be an effective communicator. Litigators win cases by persuading judges and juries to believe what they are saying, which requires effective oral and written communication.

Start Broad, Then Specialize. I don’t think too many students walk into their first year of law school knowing they want to be an aviation attorney. I certainly didn’t. I clerked for two years, then worked for a BigLaw firm in New York City. Before specializing, I worked in several different areas of the law, including employment litigation, securities litigation, and class actions. This experience helped me realize that being an aviation attorney checked the boxes that were important to me; it’s interesting, challenging, and morally gratifying work.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read Authority Magazine. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might see this.

In my spare time I am an avid golfer and Kansas City Chiefs fan, so I’d love to play in a foursome with my Dad, Tiger Woods, and Patrick Mahomes. Me and Dad vs. Tiger and Patrick. That would be fun.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!