Four Partners Named to Minnesota Lawyer’s Business Litigation Power List

Robins Kaplan LLP is pleased to announce that partners Patrick Arenz, Elizabeth Burnett, Michael Collyard, and Ronald Schutz have been recognized on Minnesota Lawyer’s Business Litigation Power List, honoring the state’s top business litigators. 

According to Minnesota Lawyer, this list was compiled based on interviews with respected attorneys and other leaders around the state, as well as a review of the attorneys’ achievements and outcomes of significant cases.

Patrick Arenz is a Fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, an honor reserved for the world’s most accomplished trial attorneys. A renowned trial lawyer, he has successfully tried high-stakes cases across intellectual property, personal injury, and business disputes. In 2024, he secured a record-setting $42.4 million patent infringement verdict for Willis Electric, reported to be the largest patent jury verdict in District of Minnesota history. The district court later entered final judgment of over $71.4 million. A five-time Minnesota Lawyer “Attorney of the Year” and American Lawyer “Trailblazer,” Arenz represents clients ranging from individuals to Fortune 100 companies and is deeply committed to pro bono service.

Elizabeth Burnett serves as Deputy Chair of the firm’s National Business Litigation Group. She was named an “Attorney of the Year” in 2024 by Minnesota Lawyer following a $73 million jury verdict after an eight-week trial in a complex product liability and breach of contract case. She has also been listed in the past four editions of The Best Lawyers in America and recognized as a “Woman Worth Watching in Leadership” by Profiles in Diversity Journal in 2023. Burnett represents clients nationwide as plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes product liability, commercial, and disaster litigation, with particular experience in cases involving fires and explosions.

Michael Collyard is known for securing the largest jury verdict in Minnesota history—a $564 million verdict. Widely respected for his courtroom skill and relentless work ethic, Collyard has led high-stakes financial and commercial litigation for clients ranging from individuals to global corporations, trustees, and hedge funds. He has handled multi-billion-dollar cases on both sides of the aisle, taking on and representing some of the largest banks and corporations in the country. Collyard is consistently recognized among the nation’s top litigators, with honors including Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America, Minnesota Lawyer’s “Power 30” and “Attorney of the Year,” Chambers USA for Commercial Litigation in Minnesota, and The Best Lawyers in America. He is also an elected member of the firm’s Executive Board and chairs the firm’s Banking and Financial Fraud Litigation Group.

Ronald Schutz is a Fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only fellowship limited to the top 1% of trial lawyers across North America. He is the immediate past Chair of the firm’s Executive Board and has achieved numerous headline-making verdicts, including an $89 million victory in Grantley v. Clear Channel, which earned him a spot on The National Law Journal’s list of “Top 10 Winning Litigators in the United States.” Schutz is ranked Band 1 in Chambers USA for Intellectual Property Litigation and has been consistently recognized by Lawdragon, Benchmark Litigation, and Super Lawyers for over a decade. He was also named among the “Top 200 Lawyers in the United States” by Forbes in both 2024 and 2025.