Overview

Ben Robinson is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Orlando office and focuses his practice on high-stakes construction litigation, complex business litigation, white collar crime and healthcare litigation.

Mr. Robinson represents corporations, corporate officers and individuals implicated in private arbitrations and litigations in state and federal court as well as civil and criminal matters before federal and state agencies. He has a wealth of litigation experience, including matters involving claims under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA), Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), False Claims Act (FCA), federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). He also has significant experience prosecuting and defending business torts, competition and consumer protection claims. Mr. Robinson has tried business disputes to verdict in jury and bench trials, and has handled briefing and oral argument in courts of appeals. In addition, Mr. Robinson has experience conducting internal company investigations and reviewing corporate compliance programs.

In his construction practice, Mr. Robinson represents contractors, owners and manufacturers in a range of industrial, commercial and infrastructure projects across the United States. His experience includes high-value lawsuits in state and federal courts arising out of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects; public-private partnerships (P3s); oil, gas, petrochemical and power-generation facilities; disruption and delay claims; construction defects and a multitude of other contract disputes.

Mr. Robinson's litigation experience informs how he drafts and negotiates construction and commercial contracts. In this area, he assists clients seeking to avoid or minimize disputes. Mr. Robinson prepares, reviews and provides counsel on an array of contract documents, covering construction projects and stakeholders of all types and all project delivery systems.

Mr. Robinson's pro bono contributions include asylum, immigration and trafficking matters. He has represented multiple children and families impacted by the government's "zero tolerance" forced separation and detention policy, in partnership with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). He also assists individuals facing severe persecution with applications for asylum, humanitarian parole, withholding of removal and relief under the Convention Against Torture.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Robinson was a litigation attorney for a Florida-based law firm, and for a global law firm in its Washington, D.C., office. Mr. Robinson also served in government as deputy rules officer and counsel to the Judicial Conference of the U.S. Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, and its five advisory committees on the Federal Rules of Appellate, Bankruptcy, Civil and Criminal Procedure, and Federal Rules of Evidence. His public service included providing counsel on rules-related issues to the federal rules committees, Judicial Conference, U.S. Supreme Court and Congress.

While in law school, Mr. Robinson worked as a judicial extern for the Honorable Gregory A. Presnell of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He also served on the editorial board of the Florida Law Review. Prior to law school, Mr. Robinson spent several years at IBM Corp. providing consulting services to various U.S. military and intelligence agencies.

Representative Experience

  • Defended a last-mile "Fiber to the x" (FTTx) communications construction and installation services provider in dispute brought by a municipality and multiple-system operator (MSO) alleging infrastructure damage and violations of the Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act
  • Successfully defended one of the world's leading heavy machinery manufacturers in sprawling $300 million federal suit brought by engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor arising from the construction of a 1,000-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired, combined-cycle power generation facility
  • Serving as project counsel to the EPC contractor responsible for the $2.3 billion public-private partnership (P3) reconstruction of a major highway corridor

  • Represented an industry leading manufacturer of large gas turbines and generators in prosecuting a trade secrets misappropriation lawsuit against a direct competitor in the power generation industry
  • Counsel to a major auto racing circuit and certain directors of motorsports racetracks in appraisal and fiduciary duty litigation arising from the companies' $2 billion merger
  • Represented a global utility infrastructure and vegetation management services company in prosecuting an unfair competition and trade secret misappropriation lawsuit against a direct competitor
  • Counsel to a global ocean fleet management company in confidential internal investigation
  • Lead litigation counsel in the prosecution (and favorable settlement) of a public bid protest with an expected contract value in excess of $1 billion
  • Successfully argued statutory interpretation case concerning entitlement to an attorney's fees award before Florida's Fifth District Court of Appeal
  • Secured court-appointed receiver and successfully levied trademarks and other intellectual property (IP) assets of sports-themed beverage company on behalf of private lender
  • Achieved a global settlement on behalf of client sued in arbitration for $11 million for breach of contract; defense strategy resulted in the client paying nothing, but the opponent, the original claimant, made a settlement payment to the client to resolve the dispute
  • Managed and successfully defended complicated low-income housing tax credit litigation, with multimillion-dollar guaranty in controversy
  • Successfully represented Saudi corporations and individuals in multidistrict litigation relating to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States
  • Represented a Fortune 100 independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products in successful litigation and arbitration to recover losses arising from pollution conditions at a California refinery under Pollution Legal Liability Select Insurance Policy

  • Defended a New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)-traded healthcare company in a breach of contract lawsuit brought by a health network concerning administration of management services agreement and processing of claims from healthcare providers
  • Trial counsel who helped win an eight-figure verdict against the state's largest privately held healthcare company in a Delaware reverse merger involving the squeeze out of minority owners, which included extensive issues of business valuation
  • Lead litigation counsel in complex healthcare dispute in both federal and state courts involving fiduciary obligations of accountable care organizations (ACOs); achieved pretrial settlement on behalf of client securing 100 percent of claimed damages
  • Assisted in successfully defending a renowned physician and nursing home medical director in investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into alleged violations of the federal Anti-Kickback and Health Care Fraud statutes

Credentials

Education
  • University of Florida Levin College of Law, J.D., cum laude
  • Wabash College, A.B., summa cum laude
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • District of Columbia
  • Florida
Court Admissions
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Memberships
  • Federal Bar Association, Chair, Government Relations Committee
  • Lawyers For Civil Justice
  • Orlando Science Center, Board of Trustees
  • DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar
  • The Florida Bar, Rules of Judicial Administration Committee, 2018-2021
  • George C. Young American Inn of Court, Barrister
  • Orange County Bar Association
  • National Association of Wabash Men, Board Member
  • Florida Law Review, Articles Editor
  • Phi Beta Kappa
Honors & Awards
  • Rising Star, Florida Super Lawyers magazine, 2017, 2018
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated

Publications

Speaking Engagements

News