Bio

Forrest James (“Jim”) Robinson, a senior partner and widely regarded as one of the region's top business and commercial litigators, brings extensive experience to his broad litigation and counseling practice. His expertise spans a variety of complex issues, including contract disputes, commercial and construction matters, officer/shareholder liability, intellectual property, professional liability, government liability, and product liability.

Jim’s exceptional skills and reputation have earned him numerous accolades. In 2020, Best Lawyers in America named him "Lawyer of the Year" for Bet-the-Company Litigation in Wichita, and in 2024 he received that honor for Litigation - Banking and Finance in Wichita. He is also ranked by Chambers U.S.A. as one of only six "Band 1" attorneys in Kansas for commercial litigation and is listed as a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation in Kansas. Additionally, he has been recognized in Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers from 2008 to 2024.

His practice spans both state and federal trial and appellate courts, with a client base that includes financial institutions, technology companies, consumer goods manufacturers, construction firms, oil and gas enterprises, aerospace companies, and other industrial sectors.

Jim has earned a host of honors throughout his career, including induction into the National Center for State Courts' prestigious Warren E. Burger Society, which recognizes individuals for their extraordinary commitment to the administration of justice. He has also received multiple awards from the Kansas Bar Association, Wichita Bar Association, Kansas Association for Justice, Kansas Appleseed, Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, and the Defense Research Institute (DRI).

In 2018, Jim was appointed by the Kansas Supreme Court to serve on the Kansas Judicial Council, further cementing his influence in the legal community.

A respected thought leader, Jim frequently lectures and writes on litigation, constitutional history, and the judiciary. Outside of his legal practice, he is a volunteer at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking in the mountains, gardening, and wood carving. Jim is married and the proud father of three children.

Education

• Southwestern College, B.A., 1980
• University of Kansas School of Law, 1983
• Year Started Practicing: 1983

Representative Experience

• Represented a public company in a six-week trial involving alleged misappropriation of trade secrets and violations of nondisclosure agreements in connection with a military contract in the aerospace industry.
• Following a two-week bankruptcy trial, the court collapsed the assets of the attorney debtor’s nominee and alter ego corporations and family trusts into the bankruptcy estate.
• Represented the officer of a public company in a series of trials involving an alleged theft of honest services.
• Summary judgment for a drug manufacturer on claims arising from the inadvertent administration of a solution to the plaintiff shortly after his birth.
• Summary judgment for defendant attorney in an action brought on behalf of a probate estate against a conservator bank and attorneys alleging a failure to bring a proceeding for a wife to elect against her husband’s will and trust resulting in an alleged unfavorable settlement of the probate case.
• Summary judgments for computer manufacturers in a host of cases brought by computer keyboard users who complained of repetitive stress injuries.
• Dismissal of alleged breach of fiduciary duty claims against an accounting firm for work done on behalf of a trust.
• Dismissal of legal malpractice claims due to the client’s refusal to obey the district court’s orders during discovery.
• Defense verdict following a four-month trial in an action alleging a refinery’s release of benzene and hydrocarbons.
• Summary judgment in a dispute over an alleged breach of a requirements contract for aerospace aluminum.
• Jury verdict against the owners of a large ranch who breached an exclusive right to sell contract with the real estate agent, resulting in an award of commissions, punitive damages, and attorney fees.
• Multimillion-dollar judgment for the lender bank, and an award of attorney fees, in a dispute involving the lender’s financing of a hotel project and whether the lender owed duties to the members of the limited liability company borrower to protect them against the alleged misconduct of the company’s general manager.
• Summary judgment for an indenture trustee in a bondholder class action.

Court Admissions

• Kansas, 1983
• U.S. District Court, District of Kansas, 1983
• Kansas Supreme Court, 1983
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit, 1983

Honors

• Best Lawyers In America 2025®, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Banking and Finance
• Best Lawyers in America, 2021-2024, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation  - Banking and Finance
• Best Lawyers in America,  Lawyer of the Year 2024  Litigation  - Banking and Finance
• Warren E. Burger Society, National Center for State Courts, 2018
• Liberty Bell Award, Thirteenth Judicial District Bar Association, 2018
• Champion of Justice Award, Kansas Appleseed Foundation, 2018
• William A. Kahrs Lifetime Achievement Award, Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, 2017
• Phil Lewis Medal of Distinction, Kansas Bar Association, 2017
• Howard C. Kline Distinguished Service Award, Wichita Bar Association, 2016
• Kevin Driskill Outstanding State Representative Award, Defense Research Institute, 2015
• State Leadership Award, Defense Research Institute, 2015
• Distinguished Service Award, Kansas Bar Association, 2014
• Distinguished Service Award, Kansas Association for Justice, 2013
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation, 2013
• Distinguished Service Award, Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, 2007
• Exceptional Performance Citation, Defense Research Institute, 2011
• President’s Award, Wichita Bar Association, 2009, 2013
• The F. James Robinson Silver Helmet Award for Legislative Advocacy, Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, 2006, 2009, 2013
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation, 2013-Present
• Leaders in Service Hall of Fame, Southwestern College, 2009
• National Award for Board Leadership, Child Welfare League of America, 2002

Professional Memberships

• Wichita Bar Association Member, Board of Governors, 2010-2012; Chair, Legislative Committee, 2008-2014; Past Chair, Professionalism Committee; Past Chair, Professional Diversity Committee; Member, Civil Practice Committee
• Kansas Bar Association (KBA) Chair, Legislative Committee, 2014- Present
• American Bar Association (ABA)
• Kansas Association of Defense Counsel (KADC) President, 2011; President-Elect, 2010, Secretary, 2009; Chair, Legislative Committee, 2006-2014
• Defense Research Institute (DRI) Kansas State Representative, 2012- 2015; Judicial Task Force, 2015-Present
• National Association of Women Judges, "Informed Voters—Fair Judges" Project Member, National Advisory Committee and Kansas Committee, 2013-Present
• Executive Committee, Lawyer's Committee, National Center for State Courts 2015-Present
• Kansans for Fair Courts Chair, Steering Committee, 2015-2016
• Kansas Judicial Council member 2018-present
• Gov. Kelly's Steering Committee for Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Task Force in 2020

Community Involvement

• United Methodist Youthville, Inc. Board of Directors, 1985-2006, Chair 1990-1991 and 2002-2003
• Kansas West Conference United Methodist Church Past Chair, Higher Education Commission and Commission on Institutional Ministries

Publications and Presentations

• “Judicial Selection in Kansas,” Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, November/December 2019
• Chapter author, “No Independence, No Justice:  Challenges to the American Judicial System”, DRI 2019
• Co-author with Hon. Barbara J. Pariente, "A New Era for Judicial Retention Elections," 68 Florida Law Review 6, November 2016
• Co-author with Hon. Barbara J. Pariente, "DRI's Commitment to Fair and Free Courts," Kansas Defense Journal, Summer 2015
• Co-author with Hon. Barbara J. Pariente, "Preserving a Fair and impartial Judiciary--the Cornerstone of our Democracy," Voir Dire, Vol. 22, Issue 1, Spring 2015
• “Protecting Fair Courts From Political Criticism and Budget Cuts,” Journal of the Kansas Association of Justice, January 2014
• "Storm Warning for Courts," Kansas Defense Journal, Late Summer 2013
• "Please Be More Specific: Courts Require Specificity when Describing the Alleged Trade Secret," Kansas Defense Journal, Summer 2013
• “A Time to Remember—Holocaust Remembrance Day,” DRI’s The Voice, Vol. 12, Issue 14, April 10, 2013
• “Weighing In on Proposed Changes to Judicial Selection in Kansas,” DRI’s The Voice, Vol. 12, Issue 8, February 27, 2013
• “Never Again!” DRI Veteran’s Network Quarterly, February 2013
• "Why We Must Keep Faith with Holocaust Witnesses," United Methodist Reporter, September 21, 2012
• “Who Needs Social Networking,” Kansas Defense Journal, Fall 2011
• “2011 Legislative Update,” Kansas Defense Journal, Summer 2011
• “Pleading Affirmative Defense to Comply with the Twombly/Iqbal Standard,” Kansas Defense Journal (Winter 2011
• “Funding Judicial Elections,” Kansas Defense Journal, Winter 2007
• “Contorts for Busted Business Deals,” Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, March 2003
• “Protecting Trade Secrets in the Record,” Kansas Defense Journal, Winter 2001
• “If Wishes Were Horses: The Economic Waste Doctrine in Construction Litigation,” Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, April 2001