Robert Collins represents companies in complex commercial litigation, particularly involving class action defense and high-stakes business-to-business disputes.

Robert advises clients in bet-the-company litigation, including related to:

  • Multijurisdictional class actions and proceedings before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
  • Product liability, including allegations of product defects and false marketing and labeling
  • Consumer protection, including claims of violations of state consumer protection statutes
  • Data security and information privacy, including with respect to the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) and the California Consumer Privacy Act
  • Breach of contract and breach of warranty
  • Alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and class waivers

He draws on extensive knowledge of class action defense and courtroom experience across the country to devise strategies that help clients achieve successful outcomes. Robert distills technical legal concepts for clients, both before and during litigation, to facilitate informed business decisions and mitigate potential risk.

Robert maintains an active pro bono practice and has represented children with disabilities, prisoners, domestic violence victims, and asylum applicants.

He has served on the firm’s Pro Bono, Legal Professionals and Paralegal, and Business Development Committees, and co-leads his local LGBTQ+ Affinity Group. Robert also serves on the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Young Professionals Board.

Robert's experience includes representing:

Product Liability

  • fairlife in multidistrict class action litigation alleging false marketing and consumer protection claims related to the advertising of milk products
  • Certain LG entities in putative class action litigation alleging that General Motors used defective, fire-prone batteries in Chevy Bolt vehicles
  • Behr in class action litigation related to an allegedly defective deck-coating product
  • Weyerhaeuser in several class action and individual lawsuits alleging product liability, warranty, and consumer fraud claims related to floor joists
  • A pharmaceutical manufacturer in multiple state and federal lawsuits alleging public nuisance, product liability, and consumer fraud claims related to the marketing and sale of opioid medications
  • A refrigerator manufacturer in product liability class actions in California and Florida federal courts, as well as related indemnity litigation in Ohio federal court

Consumer Protection and Breach of Contract

  • Vivid Seats and Ticket Fulfillment Services in several class and individual lawsuits related to event cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Carvana in nationwide class action litigation related to state title, license, and registration fees
  • DTE Energy in class action litigation related to flooding in the Detroit metropolitan area
  • The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society in class and individual litigation related to event cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • The NCAA in multidistrict class action litigation related to head injuries in college sports
  • Peloton in class and individual litigation alleging failure to provide reasonable accommodations and discrimination based on disability
  • The Savannah College of Art and Design in class action litigation seeking tuition refunds due to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • A software company in several class actions related to a vehicle valuation product

Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources

  • A Texas-based solar plant in contractual disputes related to the Texas energy grid and the Texas deep freeze
  • An Arizona-based utility in an American Arbitration Association (AAA) arbitration with the Navajo Nation related to technical failures at a New Mexico power plant
  • A California utility in a multibillion dollar international arbitration related to defective steam generators that a Japanese company supplied to the utility’s nuclear power plant
  • A chemical manufacturer in multiple federal and state court cases alleging public nuisance and product liability claims related to contaminated water bodies
  • A global engineering and construction company in indemnity and veil-piercing litigation in Missouri state and federal courts related to lead contamination
  • A transformer manufacturing facility in remediation and tort toxic litigation, as well as related insurance and indemnity litigation, in Illinois and Mississippi federal and state courts

Data Security and Information Privacy

  • Herff Jones in nationwide class action litigation related to an alleged data privacy breach
  • e.l.f. Cosmetics in putative class action litigation alleging that its virtual try-on feature scans and stores facial geometry data in violation of BIPA
  • Mary Kay in a class action lawsuit alleging unlawful collection, use, storage, and disclosure of facial scans in violation of BIPA

Telecommunications

  • Netflix in 14 class action lawsuits seeking to extend the application of video franchise fees to online streaming content services
  • The Tampa Bay Buccaneers in class action litigation related to allegedly unauthorized fax broadcasts

Bar Qualification

  • Illinois

Education

  • JD, Harvard Law School, 2011
    cum laude
  • AB, Princeton University, 2007
    summa cum laude