Robert J. Mullins II
Education.
- University of Akron School of Law, J.D., 1998
- State University of New York at Geneseo, M.S. Business, 1993
Admitted to practice.
- State of New York
- United States District Court—Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of New York
- Supreme Court of the United States
Memberships.
- Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
- Defense Research Institute
- Trucking Industry Defense Association
Get to know Rob.
Credibility isn’t given. It’s earned.
During his military training to become a Judge Advocate General’s Corps officer, Rob Mullins won a spot to represent his class at the U.S. Army Airborne School in Fort Benning, Georgia. “Jump school” is primarily a voluntary course for JAG officers because it is designed to teach parachuting techniques and cultivate the aggressive spirit required for airborne infantry combat. Over three weeks, participants progress from land training, to jumping from a 34-foot tower, to five jumps from an aircraft, including one at night.
Rob is afraid of heights.
As a JAG officer, Rob would never use the skills that he was learning at jump school—in combat or otherwise—but the experience was important for another reason. Acrophobia notwithstanding, an even bigger concern was proving that he’s not just a lawyer—he’s a soldier.
“I had a concern that if I spoke to a career soldier who had done multiple tours and was spending every day in the field, he/she might just look at me like a civilian,” Rob says. “The way to try to earn their respect was to do something they would do, like airborne school.”
That same determination and drive to demonstrate credibility through experience has defined Rob’s entire career. From his Western New York upbringing to being the first in his family to attend college, to a three-year tenure as a U.S. Army prosecutor, to over two decades defending Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation, Rob has built his practice on one fundamental principle: You earn your place at the table.
Contact.
Email:
rmullins@mullinsmcdonnell.com
Direct phone number:
716-936-7903
“I always believed it would come,” Rob says of the ten years early in his civilian career when he waited for his first significant trial opportunity. “You have to persevere. The competitive part of me said, ‘I want to earn my spot, and if it’s going to take time, I’m going to wait as long as it takes.’”
When that opportunity finally arrived—defending against asbestos claims—Rob jumped on it. That first trial led to a relationship of mutual trust between Rob and his client. Since that first trial, Rob has spent more than a decade trying cases and defending clients in asbestos litigation and product liability cases throughout New York State and beyond.
Rob’s plainspoken approach to trial work reflects both his military experience and his roots. “If I can understand it, I can say it in a way that anybody can understand,” he says. “I’m just a guy speaking with juries in simple terms in a way that—if all goes right—makes them want to find for the clients he is representing.”
This straightforward communication style has served him well in defending clients ranging from automotive manufacturers to medical device companies to national transportation carriers. Rob focuses on clear storytelling that connects with real people making real decisions.
Rob approaches each matter with the understanding that someone’s livelihood—and sometimes their life’s work—depends on the outcome. That’s why, no matter the lengths, he’s jumping in.
