Updated: April 6, 2020
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2020 Women in Business Awards
Tobin marks 30 years as a top lawyer at Robinson+Cole
Photo | Contributed
By Wendy Pierman Mitzel
Rhonda J. Tobin Q&A
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Rhonda Tobin, partner at Hartford law firm Robinson+Cole, is the only woman, and one of only five Connecticut attorneys, named as a fellow in the American College of Coverage Counsel, the preeminent association of lawyers who represent the interests of insurers and policyholders.
She also has been named a fellow of both the Connecticut and American Bar Associations, and holds membership in the Defense Research Institute and Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, among other groups.
From 2007 to 2016, Tobin served as chair of the litigation committee of the United States Law Firm Group, a 17-member association of leading national law firms, of which Robinson+Cole is the exclusive Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island member.
Those accomplishments are not surprising, according to her colleagues, although Tobin had not even planned on taking up law as a career.
“One thing I knew when I graduated from college, was that I didn’t want to be a lawyer like my brother and sister. I thought it wasn’t going to be exciting enough,” she explained. “I followed in their footsteps, anyway.”
Tobin, a frequent lecturer at insurance industry conferences who regularly provides training sessions to her insurer clients, said one of her proudest accomplishments has been spending her entire law career with one firm. This year she is marking her 30th year at Robinson+Cole, a testament to her loyalty to the firm and vice versa.
Robinson+Cole Managing Partner Stephen Goldman said Tobin “provides much of the glue that binds our firm together. She has the unconditional respect of our lawyers and staff and serves as a role model for many of our younger lawyers who are in the process of building their careers.”
She attributes her management and people skills to lessons she learned in retail before heading back to Duke University School of Law.
In 1990, Tobin joined Robinson+Cole, one of the 200 largest law firms in the country, and represents insurance companies in litigation, arbitration and mediation of disputes involving insurance and reinsurance coverage, insurance bad faith, and extracontractual liability.
She has significant trial experience in state and federal courts, and participates in high-profile litigation, including several multimillion-dollar cases arising out of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers.
“I love the challenge, I haven’t had two cases the same,” she said. “It keeps you on your toes … . The law changes all the time. And I get to work with a team of people who are really amazing.”
“Our culture is important to us,” she added. “It’s why I came to R+C back when I was starting. There is a commitment to collaboration, inclusion and civility.”
Tobin said she is proud to have been a leader for the last 12 years in firm management.
“I want to ensure the decisions that we’re making are consistent in perpetuating that culture,” she explained. “I want to be a voice that guides us so that we do not go astray.”
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