It was roughly four decades ago when Elizabeth Cabraser, co-founder of the plaintiffs-side class action firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, began working with law partner Robert Lieff during her final year of law school.

At the time, Cabraser had no intention of becoming a plaintiffs attorney, she said. But she was hired to help Lieff — who was then in his 40s after years as a plaintiffs lawyer — wind down pending cases so he could retire early and run a vineyard.