Hartford law firm Robinson+Cole has named its first-ever woman managing partner.
Rhonda J. Tobin has been selected to lead the 175-year-old law firm beginning March 1. She will succeed Stephen E. Goldman, who has been managing partner since the beginning of 2016.
A trial lawyer who has spent her entire 30 law career at Robinson+Cole, Tobin’s practice focuses on the litigation, arbitration and mediation of complex disputes involving insurance and reinsurance coverage.
She has significant trial experience in state and federal courts, and has been involved in high-profile coverage litigation, including the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, sexual abuse claims involving the Catholic church and academic institutions, and coverage issues arising out of the #MeToo movement and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m extremely proud and humbled to be entrusted to lead our great firm of incredibly talented lawyers and professional staff,” Tobin said. “We have achieved so much over the last few years, and I look forward to continuing the aggressive growth of our practices while also maintaining the essence of our identity.”
Tobin has served on Robinson+Cole’s managing committee for the last 12 years and as a chair of the firm’s litigation section for the past 13 years. She played a leading role on the 2019 committee that developed the firm’s current strategic plan, and was part of management’s proactive response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During Goldman’s five-year tenure, the firm developed and began the implementation of a three-year strategic plan, improved its profitability significantly, doubled the size of its New York office, opened offices in Philadelphia and Wilmington, and added leading national practices in bankruptcy, insurance coverage and real estate development, the firm said.
As of March 2020, Robinson+Cole had 112 local attorneys and three Connecticut offices, ranking it the second-largest law firm in Greater Hartford, according to HBJ’s Book of Lists.
Tobin serves on the board of directors and the executive committee of Hartford Stage. She was recognized in 2020 by Business Insurance as one of its 30 “Women to Watch” in North America, and by the Hartford Business Journal as one of its 15 “Women in Business” honorees.
