Bob Atkins has been a litigator at Paul, Weiss for 25 years, is a member of the firm’s Management Committee and the Chairman of the firm's Professional Representation Committee. He has tried cases, on both the plaintiff and defendant side, in state and federal courts, as well as in several alternative dispute resolution forums including the International Chamber of Commerce and the American Arbitration Association.

Experience

Bob handles litigations and government investigations in a wide range of matters and industries, including antitrust and product liability class actions in the medical products business, mass tort actions arising from the 9/11 attacks, struggles for corporate control in the insurance and newspaper industries, charges of payola in the radio industry, false advertising lawsuits in the healthcare industry, and trademark and copyright infringement in the movies and on TV.

Bob represents Becton Dickinson in antitrust lawsuits and class actions, as well as government investigations regarding the sale of medical devices. He also has represented IBM in unfair competition litigation and employment disputes.

Bob has litigated high profile disputes over corporate control and management, including the representation of AIG, the litigations between Hollinger and its former CEO Lord Conrad Black, and the thwarted hostile takeover of True North Communications.

Bob also defends product liability and negligence suits involving allegations of unsafe pharmaceuticals, defective medical devices, the transmission of infectious diseases, and occupational exposure to asbestos. In product liability litigation, Bob has represented:

• Boeing against design defect claims in the multi-billion property damage lawsuits arising from the destruction of the World Trade Center.
• Becton Dickinson in product defect class actions and individual suits claiming fatal injuries to healthcare workers.
• Take-Two Interactive in dismissing wrongful death and strict liability claims against the creator of the Grand Theft Auto video game.

In addition to his commercial practice, Bob regularly litigates voting rights cases and Constitutional challenges to voter registration and identification laws. Bob serves as a Member of the Advisory Board of the Brennan Center for Social Justice.

From 1983 to 1984, Bob served as Political Director for then Congressman Robert G. Torricelli (N.J.) and was the campaign manager of Congressman Torricelli's 1984 reelection.