A surge in pandemic-related insurance claims last year caused Robins Kaplan to redirect many of its litigators to its insurance group and health care litigation practice, which firm leaders expect to continue to be a booming area in the years following the global health crisis.

Ronald Schutz, chair of the Minneapolis-based law firm's executive board, said lawyers at the firm billed more hours last year than the year previous because of a busy year in the insurance group and greater productivity from the efficiencies of remote work. Relationships with insurance company clients have "deepened" as a result of their increased workload, which is likely to carry over into years to come, Schutz said.