Attorneys

Steve Robison is a proven trial lawyer with broad experience in the litigation of complex civil, criminal and administrative disputes.  His practice is concentrated in white-collar defense matters, both civil and criminal, in commercial litigation, and in eminent domain proceedings. 

Steve has represented defense contractors and health care providers in dozens of investigations commenced by the Department of Justice, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the United States Attorney for Kansas.  In many cases, he has been instrumental in persuading an investigating authority not to seek an indictment. In others, he has successfully shepherded the contractor or provider through proceedings commenced by the government and/or private False Claims Act (qui tam) cases. 

His representation of property owners affected by the expansion of Kellogg Avenue (Wichita’s highest-volume arterial roadway) has resulted in millions of dollars in payments from the condemning authority over and above the amounts initially awarded.  He has been equally successful in his representation of property owners affected by the construction of INTRUST Bank Arena in Downtown Wichita.

Steve was a member of the team that successfully defended American Airlines in “bet the company” antitrust proceedings commenced by the federal government.  (United States v. AMR Corp., 140 F.Supp.2d 1141 (D. Kan. 2001, aff’d, 336 F.3d 1109 [10th Cir. 2003]).  Other recent cases include:

• United States v. Hall, ___ F.Supp.2d ___, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 131466 (D. Kan. 2010) (dismissal of mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and other charges on vagueness grounds)
• United States v. Apollo Energies, Inc., 611 F.3d 679 (10th Cir. 2010) (strict liability crimes)
• Pollock v. Crestview Country Club Assoc., 41 Kan.App.2d 904, 205 P.3d 1283 (2009) (dismissal of due process claim)
• Barnesco, Inc. v. Liftco, L.L.C., 192 P.3d 184, 2008 Kan. App. Unpub. LEXIS 773 (2008) (dismissal of temporary injunction and trade secrets claim upheld)
• Wade v. Emcasco Ins. Co., 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29105 (D. Kan. 2004), affirmed, 483 F.3d 657 (10th Cir. 2007) (successful defense of $3.15 million excess liability claim against insurer)
• Coventry Health Care of Kansas, Inc. v. Via Christi Health System, Inc., 176 F.Supp.2d 1207 (2001) (successful defense of antitrust claim against health insurer)

Steve was born in Topeka, Kansas on September 29, 1947. He graduated from Emporia State University in 1969 and received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas in 1975. He is admitted to the Kansas Supreme Court, the United State District Court - Kansas, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. 

Steve is one of four Kansas lawyers appointed by the Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court to serve on the Kansas Judicial Council, a group dedicated to the improvement of substantive and procedural law in Kansas.  He is listed in The Best Lawyers In America® and in Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers®.  He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. 

Steve has served for many years as a director of the Wichita Crime Commission.  His article entitled “Introducing the Kansas False Claims Act: A Primer” (authored with Dan Lawrence) was published in the October, 2010 edition of the Journal of the Kansas Bar Association.