The National Law Journal has launched a new beat specifically focusing on the plaintiffs bar. Coverage will include in-depth analysis of innovative litigation strategies and trends, a closer look at latest business of law developments as well as profile interviews with plaintiffs bar leaders. Here are some of our latest highlights.
Christine Schiffner | July 06, 2023
Plaintiffs firms around the country are starting to explore ways to use evolving AI to speed up case assessment, data analytics and even some legal writing. But they have their concerns about the new tech, too.
Christine Schiffner | June 09, 2023
The Chicago-headquartered plaintiffs firm has added 26 new team members over the last year while emphasizing its commitment to DE&I. The firm is also trying to leverage AI as an internal and external collaboration tool.
Christine Schiffner | May 24, 2023
For the first time, the firm selected 60 students for its summer associates program, which allows all participants to get exposure to the various levels of plaintiffs work from intake to trial, with a "large percentage" of them likely to land a job offer.
Christine Schiffner | May 23, 2023
Post-COVID, plaintiffs firms are leveraging the increased focus on purpose-driven work, though they still have similar struggles to Big Law on return-to-office policies and paths to equity.
Gail J. Cohen | May 09, 2023
"Massive opportunities" prompted Berger Montague’s foray into the Canadian market, the firm said.
Christine Schiffner | March 21, 2023
DiCello Levitt pushes its aggressive growth strategy forward by opening a San Diego office with five Robbins Geller securities class action attorneys.
Christine Schiffner | February 27, 2023
Growing racial biases against Asian-Americans has led to 'skyrocketing' caseloads for Sanford Heisler, which is pushing to expand its Asian-American litigation practice group.
Emily Saul | February 24, 2023
The complaint says the partner used the firm to boost her own separate practice. But lawyers for the defendant said she had been preparing her own action against the firm and said the complaint was preemptive.
Christine Schiffner | February 06, 2023
Plaintiffs firms are off to a dynamic start into 2023 with diverse partner classes and a strong commitment to antitrust, MDL and health care litigation.
Christine Schiffner | January 27, 2023
Since its inception in 2019, the HPLA has doubled in student size and has steadily grown support by leading plaintiffs firms as an expanding career pipeline.
Christine Schiffner | December 08, 2022
Despite a Dec. 25 law that promises to open up the EU class action framework, U.S. firms face hurdles to expanding globally if they don't have the backing of funders and local firms.
Christine Schiffner | November 09, 2022
Three Black female attorneys aim to strengthen the firm's mass tort, civil rights and class action litigation.
Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | October 20, 2022
Mark Lanier, founder of Houston's Lanier Law Firm, along with the COO of his firm and two English barristers have opened a firm in Manchester to handle the kind of litigation Lanier does in the U.S.
Christine Schiffner | September 29, 2022
Securities litigation boutique Saxena White pushes the needle on diversity by creating a director level DEI role.
Jessie Yount | September 27, 2022
The new office, with six lawyers, puts the plaintiff-side firm in "closer proximity to technology sector employees and to the Asian American workers and businesses," according to chairman David Sanford.
Christine Schiffner | September 13, 2022
As plaintiffs firms are looking for cost savings on back-office work, more and more find Puerto Rico's tax incentives and talent pool an attractive draw.
Christine Schiffner | June 06, 2022
From data privacy concerns to cryptocurrency fraud and identity theft, plaintiffs attorneys view the nascent metaverse as a growth market for future litigation.
Christine Schiffner | May 31, 2022
Historically hard-pressed to afford lengthy battles with Big Tech, smaller companies—and plaintiffs firms—are seeing glimmers of hope through litigation funding and friendlier juries.
Christine Schiffner | March 11, 2022
As court cases drag on due to pandemic-related delays, the portion of a settlement owed to funders may start to rise.
Christine Schiffner | June 27, 2022
New York legal tech provider Mighty is launching a broad scope, one-stop-shop personal injury legal service—with a promise that it's not all about money but instead more about the clients.
Christine Schiffner | June 21, 2022
Chicago plaintiffs boutique is handing the key to its newly added DC office to former Assistant Deputy AG Jimmy Rock, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
Christine Schiffner | June 07, 2022
Opening an office in the metaverse is an exciting proposition for a growing number of plaintiffs firms. As with any new technological frontier, firms are weighing business opportunity against data safety concerns.
Christine Schiffner | January 31, 2022
Some boutique plaintiffs firms pay big bucks to attract and retain top law school talent—effectively competing with Big Law despite a riskier, contingency-based revenue structure.
Christine Schiffner | November 15, 2021
Litigation software has been a "game-changer" for plaintiff firms, revolutionizing how cases are processed and ultimately increasing their bottom line.
Christine Schiffner | July 17, 2023
Elite Trial Lawyers Lifetime Achievement Award winner Joseph Sellers on his role in drafting the Civil Rights Act of 1991 and on his practice group viewing itself "as something of a private attorney general. We try to take on matters of public importance that serve our clients' interests as well as places where the federal, state or local enforcement efforts haven't worked as well."
Christine Schiffner | April 27, 2023
"There's the follow your passion. There's the work hard. There's the taking care of yourself in that work so you don't burn out," says civil rights attorney Debra Katz on the three key elements of being a good lawyer.
Christine Schiffner | March 29, 2023
"If something hasn't been working before, come up with a new angle. That's, that's how we approach our cases. Thinking outside the box is critical if you want to do cases that change the status quo."
Christine Schiffner | March 22, 2023
"I think the legal field has become a profession of specialists." The key for young lawyers is to "get a real gut instinct for where their strengths are, what they really want to see themselves doing" and focus on those areas.
Christine Schiffner | February 14, 2023
"More and more clients want to see women at the helm, I think it's very important for the law firms to promote women," Emma Gilmore told NLJ, adding "these are the days of women empowerment."
Christine Schiffner | January 26, 2023
Two attorneys fight for sexual assault victims and the stigma that comes with it.
Christine Schiffner | December 14, 2022
There has always been an effort to paint the plaintiffs bar as unnecessarily proliferating stupid litigation—we're investing a lot in being very well-informed plaintiffs and plaintiffs lawyers and making sure that when we get before a court, we always have a credible position.
Christine Schiffner | November 29, 2022
"Everyone's going to have their own style, but you need to have confidence in your style and your talents and your abilities, because once you have your confidence, you will be an effective advocate. There isn't a one-size-fits-all to this."
Christine Schiffner | November 17, 2022
'It's simple. Figure out what you love and do what you love. And don't worry about the money.'
Christine Schiffner | November 01, 2022
"There is a mystique—to think that those of us in the mass tort and class action arena somehow have a magic wand. What they're not realizing is, there are a lot of nights a week where we're not sitting at a dinner table."
Christine Schiffner | October 25, 2022
Reid Collins & Tsai senior founding partner Bill Reid and managing partner Lisa Tsai also discuss recent trends in financial and securities litigation in light of recession fears as well as creating a pipeline for diverse recruitment.
Christine Schiffner | October 17, 2022
Post-COVID office policies and remote case management are a big issue. "It's a concern and an opportunity—I just don't know where the sweet spot is for it anymore."
Christine Schiffner | September 26, 2022
"We are in really perilous times and it is so important for lawyers to be speaking out about the rule of law, what the Constitution means, what it protects and why we need to ensure that it is safeguarded."
Christine Schiffner | September 19, 2022
Edelson, part of what he describes as the reform wing of the plaintiffs bar, says the old guard isn't always representing plaintiffs' interests.
Christine Schiffner | September 06, 2022
"We do things that are vitally important. We pick the right cases and litigate them hard. A lot of times judges think that we put a quarter in the machine, we pull the handle and out comes a lot of money. That’s not true."
Christine Schiffner | August 29, 2022
Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan opens up about his secrets of success, plaintiffs bar industry trends and offers personal insights on why he became a lawyer.
Christine Schiffner | August 15, 2022
"There are still those frontiers that we need to be pushing ahead more and helping lawyers not just get into the system but also stay and want to reach the highest levels of the profession. That is going to require more development," says Susman Godfrey managing partner Kalpana Srinivasan.
Christine Schiffner | August 08, 2022
"We’re at a crisis point in many ways in the country — in democracy and certainly with respect to the judiciary."
Christine Schiffner | August 02, 2022
"Representing tribes has given me such a unique perspective into the problems tribal nations face in this country," says Robins Kaplan national tort group chair Tara Sutton.
Christine Schiffner | July 25, 2022
"Right now the scary thing is that there are big companies that have done a lot of harm and exploring a bankruptcy option to get out of compensating victims."
Christine Schiffner | July 20, 2022
"I try to remember that not everyone who comes through the door and works here has the innate sense of 'I am wonderful and I am going to succeed no matter what,'" Lieff Cabraser founding partner Elizabeth Cabraser says.
Christine Schiffner | July 12, 2022
"I want my last trial to be the best case I ever try, where I got the most skill, the most ability, the most understanding of what I’m doing," explains Mark Lanier in his never-ending effort to learn.
Christine Schiffner | July 07, 2022
"What I tell young lawyers when they come to interview: I feel like we work on really complicated cases, antitrust and securities, like you do on the defense side — but we also have an opportunity to really help here."
Christine Schiffner | June 23, 2023
The polarized nature of society—and therefore the jury pool—has plaintiffs lawyers spending more on focus groups and mock juries to get their story just right.
Amanda Bronstad | June 22, 2023
"This historic settlement is the largest amount ever paid by a single company to resolve claims involving contaminated drinking water and provides compensation critical to protecting our nation's drinking water supplies and upgrading our water treatment infrastructure to deal with this new threat," said Paul Napoli, a partner at Napoli Shkolnik and co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs.
Christine Schiffner | April 24, 2023
State attorneys general and plaintiffs firms join forces in fight against environmental pollution caused by "forever chemicals," ushering in a new era of litigation which could cost billions.
Christine Schiffner | April 19, 2023
As bankruptcy and the Texas Two-Step are being used as litigation strategy in MDLs, court watchers are wondering how viable this avenue will be in the long run. One judge is hearing arguments on it April 19.
Amanda Bronstad | April 20, 2023
U.S. Bankruptcy Chief Judge Michael Kaplan on Thursday limited his preliminary injunction order to 60 days and allowed discovery to move ahead in pending talc cases against Johnson & Johnson.
Amanda Bronstad | April 11, 2023
Chief Judge Michael Kaplan, of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, cautioned lawyers on Tuesday at the first hearing in this month's Chapter 11 case to tone down the vitriol. "The world is watching," he said.
Brad Kutner | April 06, 2023
“My father was an attorney and he always said ‘don’t tell me what you made, tell me what you ended up with,’” said Baird Mandalas Brockstedt Federico & Cardea partner Philip Federico.
Adolfo Pesquera | April 04, 2023
"This is the largest products liability settlement ever realized after a bankruptcy filing," said Mikal Watts.
Christine Schiffner | March 27, 2023
Since the founding of the group with its mission to increase Black and Brown leadership in mass tort and multi-district litigation, the organization has seen several of its members gain key roles in MDL steering committees and growing support from judges.
Christine Schiffner | March 27, 2023
U.S. District Judge William Orrick III for the District of Northern California on his two-minute pitch to land a leadership role in an MDL and the importance of diversity in steering committees.
Amanda Bronstad | March 21, 2023
U.S. Chief Bankruptcy Judge Jeffrey Graham, in Indianapolis, is set to take up the dispute over 3M CEO Mike Roman's possible deposition at a Wednesday hearing.
Christine Schiffner | March 15, 2023
Cleanup and litigation costs could amount to billions of dollars, attorneys say, given the scope of pollution and extensive use of PFAS in consumer products.
Amanda Bronstad | March 17, 2023
Several lawyers and federal judges noted a rise in class action trials this week at the annual Class Action Law Forum, hosted by the University of San Diego School of Law and sponsored by Western Alliance Bank.
Amanda Bronstad | March 03, 2023
“It’s one of the most racially diverse slates we’ve ever seen,” said Diandra “Fu” Debrosse Zimmermann, of DiCello Levitt, of the leadership team, which a federal judge approved on Thursday. She and Ben Crump of Ben Crump Law, who both founded Shades of Mass, are two of the co-lead counsel.
Christine Schiffner | March 02, 2023
Sanford Heisler Sharp has sued 3 firms appointed to co-lead counsel in the Equifax MDL, which was settled in 2019, over attorney fees distribution.
Christine Schiffner | February 10, 2023
Crypto, Big Tech and the threat of a commercial real estate bubble are some of the areas plaintiffs attorneys are closely watching as targets of potential securities litigation this year.
Amanda Bronstad | January 05, 2023
Attorneys have alleged in at least six new class actions that TikTok has inserted JavaScript code into websites of third parties its users accessed through its app.
Amanda Bronstad | December 16, 2022
On Friday, U.S. District Judge William Orrick III said the April 17 trial in a case brought by the San Francisco Unified School District over Juul's e-cigarettes will go forward against Altria, parent company of Philip Morris.
Amanda Bronstad | December 08, 2022
U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg ruled that plaintiffs' experts in the Zantac multidistrict litigation had "unreliable methodologies" and "analytical leaps" from existing data.
Christine Schiffner | November 28, 2022
Robins Kaplan banking and financial fraud litigation chair discusses trial strategy in a high-stakes Ponzi scheme litigation.
Amanda Bronstad | November 17, 2022
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote, on Wednesday, approved the plaintiffs' leadership team in lawsuits against Tylenol manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and more than a dozen retailers, including Walmart Inc. and CVS Pharmacy Inc.
Amanda Bronstad | November 14, 2022
Plaintiffs lawyers and Apple's attorneys filed a Nov. 11 motion to approve the deal, which the Ninth Circuit reversed on Sept. 28.
Christine Schiffner | October 31, 2022
While U.S. regulators are pushing for more transparency and audit quality of Chinese firms listing on U.S. stock exchanges, some plaintiffs firms still see high risks for investors.
Amanda Bronstad | October 24, 2022
Attorney Danielle Mason said she planned to file two more lawsuits this week.
Christine Schiffner | October 20, 2022
From battling for MDL leadership, to positing one-off arguments on precedential matters, to undercutting fees, senior members of the plaintiffs bar warn colleagues on the need to be more unified.
Amanda Bronstad | September 16, 2022
In a ruling on Friday, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel found the defendant companies, including 3M, had “significantly greater knowledge” than the U.S. government about the risks of "forever chemicals" in their aqueous film-forming foam products.
Christine Schiffner | September 07, 2022
Plaintiffs and defense firms alike are bracing for a new wave of environmental litigation centering on "forever chemicals," after the EPA has signaled to set new regulatory standards classifying these substances as hazardous under CERCLA, commonly known as "Superfund."
Amanda Bronstad | August 26, 2022
Friday’s order by Chief Bankruptcy Judge Jeffrey Graham in Indianapolis means lawsuits would go forward against 3M alleging the earplugs caused hearing loss and ringing of the ears.
Christine Schiffner | August 23, 2022
Black attorneys hope to foster more diversity and meaningful participation in MDL leadership committees by launching a new interest group focused on educating diverse attorneys about mass torts.
Amanda Bronstad | July 29, 2022
Allergan's $2.37 billion settlement, reached with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general to resolve lawsuits over the opioid crisis, comes five days after another drug manufacturer, Teva, reached a $4.25 billion deal.
Amanda Bronstad | July 26, 2022
Under the settlement, announced on Tuesday, Teva would provide $3.7 billion to states, local communities and Native American tribes, plus $1.2 billion worth of generic Narcan, a nasal spray used to treat opioid overdoses.
Amanda Bronstad | July 08, 2022
The class action settlement, which is up for court approval on Aug. 4, contained many of the same provisions within a similar $100 million class action agreement with Apple, approved last month.
Christine Schiffner | May 13, 2022
As plaintiff firms evaluate risks of international class actions, rules in various jurisdictions are often still patchy. Often faced with lengthy trials, litigation funding gains relevance, especially across the E.U.
Christine Schiffner | May 02, 2022
While everything from rap videos to detailed reports are claiming a problem with low claims rates, other plaintiffs lawyers say the issue isn't that simple.
Amanda Bronstad | June 21, 2022
Tuesday’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court ensures that court battles will continue over Monsanto's Roundup, which lawsuits contend causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Amanda Bronstad | July 01, 2022
The Official Committee of Talc Claimants filed an opening brief on Thursday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, challenging a Feb. 25 order refusing to dismiss the bankruptcy of LTL Management, a newly created subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
Amanda Bronstad | July 05, 2022
U.S. District Judge David Faber, in a bench trial that concluded last year in the Southern District of West Virginia, sided with distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen in a 184-page decision about the opioid crisis.
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