Tara D. Sutton

An acclaimed mass tort attorney, Tara D. Sutton is a partner at Robins Kaplan LLP and the chair of its National Mass Tort Group. Based in Minneapolis, she represents clients throughout Minnesota and Colorado. Admitted to practice in Minnesota since 1992, she also appears before the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 8th and Federal Circuits. Her practice areas include mass tort attorneys, business litigation, intellectual property and technology litigation, patent litigation and childhood sexual abuse litigation. 

With a B.S. in political science from The University of Iowa, Ms. Sutton further pursued law at The University of Iowa College of Law, graduating in 1992 with honors. Her client base includes people who have been harmed by defective drugs and medical devices. She has represented them in individual lawsuits, class actions and multidistrict litigation throughout her distinguished career. In most of her cases, she has been able to obtain significant compensation for her clients, both through jury awards and negotiated settlements. Earlier in her career, she was trial counsel for the state of Minnesota and health insurers in a case against cigarette manufacturers and distributors, resulting in a settlement of more than $6.6 billion.

Ms. Sutton's successful track record has earned her high regard among her fellow attorneys and the broader legal community. She has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for several consecutive years, and the National Law Journal has named her to its annual Elite Women of the Plaintiffs' Bar, Litigation Trailblazers and Outstanding Women Lawyers lists. Benchmark Litigation has also included Ms. Sutton as one of the Top 150 Women in Litigation and named her a “Litigation Star.” Excluding these, she has received many more awards and mentions from other prominent legal associations and publications.   

In addition to being a highly influential mass tort attorney, Ms. Sutton is also an eloquent speaker and author, giving lectures in notable law schools and events and having her writings published by well-known law journals such as Lawdragon. Passionate about combating social and economic injustice, she also engages in pro bono work through her leadership positions at the Public Justice foundation. She upholds membership affiliations with the American Association for Justice, the American Bar Association (fellow), the Federal Bar Association (co-chair of Minnesota Chapter, Mass Tort, Multidistrict Litigation and Class Action Practice Group) and the Hennepin County Bar Association. Furthermore, she is a member of the Litigation Counsel of America, the Minnesota Association for Justice, the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Minnesota Women Lawyers and so on.