David E. Robbins

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Mr. Robbins is a partner in the New York City law firm of Kaufmann Gildin & Robbins LLP and specializes in commercial arbitration and mediation.1 He represents investors, brokers and firms in disputes and brokers and firms before regulatory agencies. His firm also specializes in all aspects of franchise law, nationwide and worldwide. He is an expert witness in malpractice cases arising out of securities arbitrations. He and his firm have been responsible for the return of tens of millions of dollars to investors and have represented brokers in arbitrations and regulatory matters. Mr. Robbins served as Special Deputy Attorney General of New York State, responsible for the civil and criminal prosecution of securities fraud cases, and was the American Stock Exchange Director of Compliance and Director of its Legal and Regulatory Policy Division, where his was Director of Arbitration and Director of Disciplinary Hearings. He has the highest Peer Review Rating (AV) from Martindale-Hubbell and in 2016 and again in 2020 was approved as a “Super Lawyer” in securities law.

Mr. Robbins is the author of Securities Arbitration Procedure Manual (Dec. 2022 Matthew Bender, a division of Lexis Publishing2 ), which has been the primary text in this area of the law and which he has updated for over 30 years. This two volume, 4,200+ page book presents pragmatic, balanced guides to the practice of securities arbitration and mediation for attorneys representing investors, brokers and firms. In 2023, Securities Arbitration Commentator wrote: “The SAPM – a true tour de force – is now over three decades in the making, starting publication in 1990 and continually updated by the author and practitioner over the years, as the practice evolves and new rules and procedures adjust to an ever-changing landscape. Author Robbins has chronicled securities arbitration’s modern history and participated at the center of events and developments that have shaped it. What has set SAPM apart and has made it the enduring leader in its field has been the dedicated efforts of its author to update and revise the book every year without fail and to inform those updates and revisions with the practical knowledge and observations of a versatile and respected practitioner. To us, David Robbins occupies a special place of honor in the field of securities arbitration.” Since 1995, Mr. Robbins has written the annual Practice Commentary to McKinney’s Consolidated Laws of New York, Article 23-A of the General Business Law – on securities arbitration and mediation. 3 A revised and updated compilation of the 1995 -2021 Commentaries was published in 2022 along with his December 2022 Commentary. He has written over 75 articles on securities law, including “Trust Established – Trust Breached” and “Nothing But The Truth? Lying in Arbitration,” published by The PIABA Bar Journal.

Mr. Robbins served as the Chairperson for more than 20 Practising Law Institute (PLI) continuing education programs on securities arbitration and mediation. He is the recipient of the Public Investors Advocate Bar Association (PIABA) lifetime achievement Golden Bow Tie Award and was a member of FINRA Dispute Resolution’s National Arbitration and Mediation Committee. He is a member of the New York City Bar Association and PIABA and is on the Board of Editors of Securities Arbitration Commentator and The PIABA Bar Journal. Mr. Robbins has been co-chair of the New York State Bar Association program on securities arbitration. He is also a long-time, active member of the Board of Directors of The Friends of Sagamore Hill,4 the National Historic Site and home of President Theodore Roosevelt in Oyster Bay, Long Island, where he and his wife live.

  1. https://friendsofsagamorehill.org/
  2. http://www.lexisnexis.com/store/catalog/booktemplate/productdetail.jsp?prodId=7156
  3. http://legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/law-products/law-books?FindMethod=Menu_LB_LawBks
  4. https://friendsofsagamorehill.org/

Areas of Practice

  • Regulatory Enforcement
  • Arbitration
  • Mediation
  • Employment Contracts -- Employee
  • State & Local Agencies
  • Securities Fraud & Insider Trading
  • Securities Regulation

Bar Admissions

  • New York, 1975
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1975
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, 1975

Education

  • Villanova University School of Law, Villanova, Pennsylvania
    • J.D. - 1974
    • Honors: Award for Meritorious Service. Philadelphia Community Legal Services Assoc.
  • Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
    • B.A. - 1971
    • Honors: magna cum laude

Published Works

  • Securities Arbitration Procedure Manual, Matthew Bender, Lexis Publishing, December, 2012

Honors and Awards

  • Practicing Law Institute (PLI), Chair of Annual Securities Arbitration and Mediation Program, 1986 to 2009
  • Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Arbitrator and Mediator, 1985 to Present
  • American Arbitration Association (AAA), Arbitrator and Mediator, 1985 to Present
  • New York City Bar Association, Arbitration Committee, 1998 to Present
  • New York County Lawyers' Association, Securities and Exchange Committee, 1985 to Present
  • Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA), Member, 1991 to Present
  • Compliance and Legal Division of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), Member, 2007 to Present
  • Securities Arbitration Commentator, Board of Editors, 1997 to Present
  • FINRA Dispute Resolution's National Arbitration and Mediation Committee, Member
  • New York State Bar Association Program, Co-Chair, 2012 to 2012

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Practicing Law Institute (PLI), Chair of Annual Securities Arbitration and Mediation Program, 1986 to 2009
  • Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Arbitrator and Mediator, 1985 to Present
  • American Arbitration Association (AAA), Arbitrator and Mediator, 1985 to Present
  • New York City Bar Association, Arbitration Committee, 1998 to Present
  • New York County Lawyers' Association, Securities and Exchange Committee, 1985 to Present
  • Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA), Member, 1991 to Present
  • Compliance and Legal Division of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), Member, 2007 to Present
  • Securities Arbitration Commentator, Board of Editors, 1997 to Present
  • FINRA Dispute Resolution's National Arbitration and Mediation Committee, Member
  • New York State Bar Association Program, Co-Chair, 2012 to 2012

Past Employment Positions

  • Special Deputy Attorney General of New York, 1976 to 1980

Pro Bono Activities

  • Director, Compliance Department, American Stock Exchange, 1980 to 1985