Mark P. Robinson '72
Most of us probably got up this morning and drove to work to start our day. But what we may not have known is that our drive was likely made safer by Mark P. Robinson, Jr. From the litigation of the landmark 1978 Ford Pinto gas tank-fire case to his current role as co-lead plaintiffs’ attorney in the wrongful death and personal injury cases pending against Toyota in federal court, Robinson has devoted his legal career to keeping American consumers safe on the road and just about everywhere else.
Robinson is a senior partner with Robinson, Calcagnie & Robinson in Newport Beach, CA. A California native, Robinson received his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University prior to attending Loyola Law School. He was already familiar with Loyola before he started his journey to law school, since his father, the Hon. Mark P. Robinson, Sr., graduated from Loyola’s evening program in 1949. When the younger Robinson made the decision to pursue a career in law, he was determined to go his own way and considered several law schools during his search. Robinson really wanted a hands-on experience. “Loyola lawyers have a reputation for being lawyers in the trenches, and that’s right where I wanted to be,” he said.
And in the trenches he was. As a student at Loyola, Robinson worked as a law clerk and then by his second year was already taking depositions. Despite this busy schedule, he still found time to coach football at Loyola High School in Los Angeles. Robinson was also an active member of the moot court program and represented the Law School at several competitions.
After graduation, Robinson started his career on the defense side of the legal field. But he found his calling after starting work with a plaintiff’s firm in Santa Ana, CA. He worked on several auto cases and found that he had a great deal of passion for consumer safety. He eventually led several groundbreaking cases related to faulty fuel tanks against companies like Ford and General Motors.
Outside of the automotive realm, Robinson has been very successful with cases involving drug companies. In 2006, Robinson represented a victim of a heart attack caused by Merck & Co’s Vioxx medication. The result was a $51 million verdict for the plaintiff. Robinson continues to find success in consumer-safety cases because his passion for them runs deep. “I love the challenge of facing these big companies,” he said. “Even though I may be representing just one person, when you win, you really win for the public.” And knowing that his work helps to protect people, Robinson is driven to take on these challenging cases time and again.
Robinson is an active member of several trial-lawyer organizations, and his peers have regularly recognized and awarded him for his commitment and dedication to the civil justice system. In 2008, Robinson was named Trial Lawyer of the Year for California by the American Board of Trial Advocates. He has received numerous awards and honors for his leadership and service, including the Anti-Defamation League’s Orange County Jurisprudence Award, Loyola Law School’s Civil Justice Program Champion of Justice Award and the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association’s Mass Tort Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, just to name a few. Furthermore, Loyola’s flagship Robinson Courtroom was named in his family’s honor and serves as a training ground for the school’s many award-winning trial teams.
Now, as Robinson leads the landmark case against Toyota, he is truly working as a “lawyer in the trenches.” The law student who was determined to go his own way has done just that: He continues to take on difficult cases as a champion of the underdog, and is determined to protect consumers and promote safety.
“The civil justice system really does the heavy lifting in these cases,” he said. “And these cases are important because they reinforce the importance of safety regulations and encourage manufacturers to build products that meet quality and safety standards.”