One significant area of high stakes business litigation is consumer class actions. As with our general complex civil litigation practice, Farella has significant reputation, background, and talent.
We differentiate ourselves from other firms with respect to consumer class actions based in part on the same issues that differentiate us as to complex litigation generally: that our attorneys try cases and litigate with the end in mind, that our associates get early responsibility and develop better judgment earlier in their careers, and that we staff cases with smaller teams both to improve strategic judgments and also to control costs. Our experience in representing both plaintiffs and defendants also distinguishes us: we are better able to understand our adversaries and their pressure points because we have walked a mile in their shoes, and have developed discipline around deciding what work actually needs to be done. We discuss these elements at greater length in our response to the general complex litigation answer.
Consumer class actions under California Business & Professions Code section 17200 have become common as plaintiffs' attorneys appoint themselves as “private attorney generals” and bring claims that business conduct is “unfair, fraudulent, or unlawful” – even where no one intended harm, no on relied on the alleged false statement, and even where the rule or regulation wasn't intended to be privately enforced.
