Rayna Kessler on What It Takes to Tell a Survivor’s Story at Trial

In Episode 28 of Raising the Bar with RebuttalPR, Ray DeLorenzi sits down with Rayna Kessler, partner at Robins Kaplan, for a conversation about what it really means to carry responsibility in high-stakes litigation.

Rayna’s career has placed her at the center of some of the most complex and emotionally demanding cases in the plaintiffs’ bar, from developing mass torts before regulators act to representing survivors whose abuse happened decades ago. She reflects on how clerking for legendary New Jersey Judge Carol Higbee shaped her understanding of trial advocacy, collaboration, and the long-term impact these cases can have far beyond a single courtroom.

The episode spends significant time on Rayna’s recent historic trial against Delbarton School under New Jersey’s Child Victims Act, the first case to reach a jury under the statute. Rather than focusing on headlines or verdict numbers, Rayna walks through how she thinks about telling a survivor’s story, earning trust, and explaining lifelong trauma to a jury without losing humanity in the process.

This is a candid conversation about preparation, restraint, and accountability, and about why some cases demand more from lawyers than simply winning. It is an episode about responsibility, both inside the courtroom and far beyond it.

Learn more about Rayna Kessler:

https://www.robinskaplan.com/professionals/new-york-lawyer-rayna-kessler