Robyn C. Crowther 

Robyn C. Crowther is Steptoe’s regional managing partner for California. In commercial disputes, she represents individuals, multinational corporations, municipalities, and small businesses. When her clients require a first-chair trial lawyer who uses all the litigation tools at her disposal to pursue favorable results, they rely on her strategic and trial skills across a variety of legal disciplines.

Among her notable cases was her representation in the sale of a family armored transport business, which included a client’s family baggage.

“There was a family armored transport business sold in 2007 for almost $350 million. It was a very successful company, and there was a dispute with the buyer that had to work itself out,” Crowther said. “In 2017, when that litigation was finally wrapped up, one of the brothers who had been the president of the company sued his mother, who was 92 years old, along with the trust that she had with her then-late-husband, and the company that succeeded to some of the real property assets that had been part of the sale.”

Crowther was able to navigate the complexities of the case and whittle down what the plaintiff was seeking.

“When the case started, the plaintiff wanted more than $60 million for himself, and over time, we were able to narrow that down to $5 million,” she added. “When we went to trial, he was only awarded $2 million. The bottom line is that even though we lost the trial, when you look at it in the context of what the demand was, it wasn’t at all a bad result. Especially given the dynamics of a family business dispute. I’ve learned a lot about those dynamics over time and how to approach them strategically.”

There was a risk that the jury would feel like these were wealthy people and both sides were wasting the jurors’ time, she noted.

“You work with your witnesses and with the facts to make sure that you’re explaining to the deciders why this case matters,” Crowther continued. “Our client felt like they had an obligation to implement their late father’s wishes. There were other siblings and other family members who had an interest in the results, so we felt like we had an obligation to them as well.”

Crowther said she and her colleagues are prepared to take on any case with the same level of enthusiasm and dedication, regardless of the magnitude or stakes involved.

— Douglas Saunders