Thomas Hamlin Email & Phone Number

A partner with more than 40 years of experience in high-stakes business litigation and intellectual property disputes, Thomas Hamlin has seen his involvement in some of the firm’s largest verdicts and settlements. He was one of the principal trial lawyers in Minnesota’s landmark Big Tobacco matter, which resulted in a $6.6 billion settlement after 15 weeks of trial. Hamlin also litigated Kraft v. Starbucks, which resulted in a $2.7 billion award, Honeywell v. Minolta ($93.3 million jury verdict), and Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Reinsurance Association et al. v. Wells Fargo Bank ($57 million jury verdict). Recently, Mr. Hamlin prevailed in a copyright matter over a large publishing house on behalf of a nonprofit group.Hamlin's successful representation in high-value, high-stakes litigation has been recognized by numerous organizations. Thomas was selected as a member of Best Lawyers in America for 2023. In 2019, he was included on America's Top 100's list of the Top 100 Bet-the-Company Litigators in Minnesota. He has also been named "Trial Lawyer of the Year" by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, "Attorney of the Year" by Minnesota Lawyer, and "Member of the Year" by the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association.In addition to his work with Robins Kaplan, Hamlin has served as a member of the faculty of the University of Minnesota Law School (1977-1981) and an Adjunct Professor at William Mitchell College of Law (2012-2013). He previously served in the U.S. Navy.

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  Partner

  Robins Kaplan Llp

  Apr 1981 - Present - Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

  Case results include:Led a team of lawyers against an international bank which participated in a Ponzi scheme. Result: Verdict of $563,743,110.State of Minnesota and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota v. Big Tobacco: Represented the State of Minnesota and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota against Big Tobacco. The case settled after a four month trial, when the tobacco defendants agreed to pay the State and Blue Cross Blue Shield more than $6.6 billion. Prior to this case, Big Tobacco had never paid a penny in damages in nearly fifty years of litigation.Kraft Foods Group, Inc./Mondelez International, Inc. v. Starbucks Coffee Company: Represented Kraft in a three-year arbitration regarding a breach of contract after Starbucks unilaterally terminated its agreement, cutting off Kraft’s exclusive rights to sell, market and distribute Starbucks roast and ground coffee in grocery and other retail outlets. The arbitration resulted in a $2.7 billion cash award to Kraft.Honeywell v. Minolta: Represented Honeywell in a patent infringement matter against Minolta involving Honeywell’s patent on an SLR autofocus camera. After a six month trial in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, the jury awarded Honeywell $96.3 million.Successfully represented two professors in a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against the Department of Homeland Security to obtain documents regarding human trafficking.Successfully represented ACLU in First Amendment litigation against City of Minneapolis and Major League Baseball. Also represented private parties in free speech and defamation cases.Accredited to represent veterans before the Department of Veterans Affairs.