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The article examines problems associated with class action suits in the U.S. Three years ago a couple of little-known law firms stood poised to reap the biggest shares of a huge legal fee: $262 million--$10,861 per billable hour--for their role in landing a $3.2 billion settlement against scandal-scarred Cendant Corp. Then Leslie Conason got in their way. Conason, a staff lawyer for New York City, whose pension fund was one of three lead plaintiffs represented by the two firms in the Cendant suit, was outraged by the sum. She tried coaxing the pair of firms--Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann of New York and Barrack, Rodos & Bacine of Philadelphia--into taking less. They refused. Then she appealed to the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court called the fees "staggering" and ordered the parties to agree on a smaller sum. But here's the weird part: Conason had to wage this fight alone. The other two lead plaintiffs--the New York State Common Retirement Fund and the California Public Employees' Retirement System--did not join her push for lower fees. H. Carl McCall, who at the time was state comptroller and the sole trustee of the New York State fund, says there was no need for him to challenge the legal fees because the city was taking care of it. Was that the only reason he wasn't complaining about the $10,861-per-hour fee? McCall's ties to the two law firms are close. He played a role in naming Bernstein Litowitz and Barrack, Rodos to handle the Cendant case and a few others, including a suit against WorldCom and Citigroup in the wake of the telco's belly flop. McCall, meanwhile, received $140,000 in campaign contributions from the two class action firms. And so it goes in the cozy confines of the class action racket. Plaintiff lawyers give handily to the politicians who hire them. None of this is illegal per se; nor does it violate existing rules of legal ethics. But even some lawyers have problems with it. INSETS: Negative-Sum Game;Money on the Table.

This article presents information about a criminal complaint brought by Connecticut bankruptcy attorney Zenas Zelotes against Total Attorneys, a referral service that sends clients to various attorneys. Zelotes alleges that such referrals are illegal and also a violation of the ethics code for attorneys. Total Attorneys runs ads on Google and refers responders to a local attorney in exchange for a fee.

The article profiles securities lawyer William Lerach and mentions the class-action lawyer's union allies. He's entangled in a federal investigation of whether class action plaintiffs were illegally rewarded for signing onto lawsuits; he had a bitter 2004 breakup with onetime mentor Melvyn Weiss; and in 1995 Congress passed a law specifically designed to rein him in. Yet Lerach keeps getting hired. Last year he was the lead lawyer in a third of all securities class action settlements. His San Diego firm, Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins, bagged the largest securities settlement in history, a total of $7.1 billion from Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and CIBC last summer for their roles in the Enron collapse. The firm's likely fee: $680 million and counting. Lerach's main client in the Enron case is the University of California. Far more often, however, he represents another type of plaintiff: labor unions, particularly those in the corruption-infested construction trades. Of those 37 cases last year he represented union-affiliated funds 13 times. Lerach needs such allies to maintain control of securities class actions under the 1995 reform law, which was designed to end the practice of using figurehead plaintiffs to mount nuisance suits that mostly enriched plaintiff lawyers.

The article discusses the litigation against Redux manufacturer Wyeth as of October 2004. Houston lawyer George Fleming has been spending a lot of time in Philadelphia lately, preparing for trials against Wyeth that never seem to make it all the way to a verdict. He has 8,500 lawsuits pending against Wyeth claiming that the appetite suppressant fen-phen, a combination of Wyeth's Redux (dexfenfluramine) and generic phentermine, caused heart problems. The suits alleging primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), a nearly always fatal condition, are the most valuable. Wyeth lost a $1 billion jury verdict in plaintiff-friendly Beaumont, Texas in April 2004 and says it plans to settle most of the 75 or so remaining PPH lawsuits. Fleming graduated from the University of Texas law school and spent five years as a trial attorney with the Justice Department in Washington before returning home to practice tort law. Fleming's biggest score came against U.S. Brass, which filed for bankruptcy in 1994 after a flood of lawsuits over defective plastic plumbing. Even so, Fleming has been dogged by allegations he finessed the evidence to make clients look sicker than they are.

The article discusses Axiom Law. Founded by Mark Harris, Axiom provided attorneys on a temporary basis to other firms. Axiom began by catering mainly to the financial-services industry, but felt compelled to expand beyond that following the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. In 2011 Axiom expects to generate over $100 million in revenue, with 40% of that coming from finance.

The article profiles a Washington, D.C. attorney, Theodore H. Frank. He protects U.S. consumers by filing objections in class action cases where an agreement was made between a company and the lawyers who benefit more from a settlement than do the plaintiffs. The "quick pay" clause used by class action lawyers and a settlement involving Take-Two Interactive Software are mentioned.

This article focuses on a leak of information from a private Internet discussion group for lawyers. Trial lawyers in Palm Beach, Fla. have a leak scandal almost as good as Valerie Plame's. In early October somebody with access to a members-only Internet discussion group sent Circuit Judge Diana Lewis unflattering remarks that Brian LaBovick, among other attorneys, had made about the judge's jury selection technique in an accident case he'd recently lost. Hello, Patrick Fitzgerald! The Palm Beach County Trial Lawyers Association, which runs the Web discussion, hired a forensic expert to investigate the breach. The perpetrator, if found, might be hauled before the Florida Bar Association for violating the oath of privacy each lawyer and paralegal signed before joining the group.

The article focuses on lawyer Mark Lanier who shares his views on the Protecting Access To Care Act. Topics discussed include the U.S. supreme court's decision on the Roe v. Wade case that limited the power of states to outlaw abortion, the right to jury trials that are in federal civil lawsuits, and reduction in the cost of asbestos litigation.

The article reports on impact of the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2017 legislative bill introduced by congressmen Bob Goodlatte on February 10, 2017 over the U.S. class-action lawyers. Topics discussed include criticism of the bill by several members such as the Myriam Gilles of the "Cardozo Law" periodical; discouragement of lawsuits with declaration of wide damages by plaintiffs; and elimination of relatives and friends selection as class representatives for settlement.

The article reports that a Superior Court judge Barbara Bellis dismisses a closely watched lawsuit against Remington Outdoor over the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre. It states that plaintiff lawyers representing families of Sandy Hook victims argued it was a top-down case where the entrustment was to public and public was incapable of handling military-style weapon Adam Lanza used. It mentions that judge rejected the plaintiffs' attempt to slip claims under Connecticut's consumer protection law.

The article reports that plaintiff lawyers who helped negotiate a settlement with automaker Volkswagen over the diesel emissions scandal have lashed out at critics who posed doubts on their request for over 300 million dollars in fees for work that largely overlaps the accomplishment of the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Lead attorney Elizabeth Cabraser of Lieff Cabraser Heiman & Bernstein led a filing calling the work of plaintiff lawyers complementary.

The article reports that lawyers representing everybody from the State of Texas to the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers to technology company Google will file into a Washington courtroom to argue over whether the U.S. president Barack Obama overstepped his authority by ordering a sweeping restructuring of the U.S. electricity grid. Topics include the conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court stated to have already signaled the extraordinary nature of the case.

The article reports that lawyers who used to file suits over more than 90 percent of mergers and acquisitions valued at about 100 million U.S. dollars have scaled back their litigation because judges in Delaware have made it more difficult for plaintiff lawyers to settle cases for a quick fee. Topics covered include the percentage of deals drawing suits dropping from 94 percent in 2014 to 64 percent in the first half of 2016.

The article discusses the rising salaries of associates in U.S. law firms. Topics discussed include Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP's move to increase the base salary of first year associates to 180,000 dollars, law firms' efforts to meet associates' salary expectations, and the implications to clients of the increase in associate salaries.

The article reports that a roster of the biggest class-action firms will get an unspecified but huge amount of fees, likely measured in the billions. It reports on the 15 billion dollars Volkswagen (VW) settlement the government and private attorneys announced. It states that the settlement does promise full restitution to consumers plus a few thousand more in cash and a path for VW to mitigate the damage it caused by spreading excess nitrogen oxide, a lung irritant.

The article reports on the litigation facing Remington Arms Co. LLC in Bridgeport, Connecticut, over the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. A Connecticut judge struggled for reasons to avoid dismissing the lawsuit against Remington Arms and asked lawyers whether claims against Remington Arms were similar to tobacco litigation.

The article reports that entrepreneurial lawyers now using the New Jersey Truth in Consumer Contract, Warranty and Notice Act that prohibits companies from putting conditions in their warranties that are prohibited under state law. The law provides a 100 dollar penalty for each consumer supposedly affected by the improper language.

The article reports that U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen has accused Justice Department attorneys of making misrepresentations to him about when the administration would begin a program allowing parents of legal residents to remain in the country. Those lawyers constantly told Hanen in his Texas court and in writing that the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program and modifications to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) wouldn't begin until February 2015.

The article comments on an article published by the "New York Times" exposing arbitration clauses. Topics discussed include some of the report's shortcomings including its incorrect explanation of how a class action lawsuit works, its failure to name the lawyers who are handling the consumer class action, and confusing lawyer-driven litigation with legitimate claims.

The article focuses on the changes that the Rule 23 Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure of the U.S. Supreme Court could adopt that may make multibillion-dollar class-action business even more expensive and distracting for corporate defendants. Topics covered include the need for the subcommittee to address abuses instead of making it easier to bring class actions according to defense lawyers and class-action opponents.

The article reports that insurer Everest Re Group, Ltd. has filed court papers seeking the bankruptcy case of building materials company Pittsburgh Corning to be re-opened. Topics mentioned include a rejection by a federal district court judge of Everest's challenge to the plan in 2014, Everest's accusation against several law firms for manipulating or hiding evidence, and admission by lawyers of delaying filing trust claims until after they had concluded cases against solvent companies.

The article focuses on a contract signed by legal service firm Axiom Law to process a global bank's complex trading agreements on the electronic platform run by Axiom's team of lawyers and paralegals. Topics cited include the system Axiom developed with the bank, the problem with the mass-customization aspect of many modern financial instruments like swaps and derivative, and the views of Axiom Law founder Mark Harris and former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Mary Shapiro.

The article reports that underemployed class-action lawyers are shifting attention to labor law cases in 2015. It notes that more lawyers attending to labor cases will prompt employers to ensure compliance on a range of issues such as payroll, wage-and-hour standards, and misclassification of employees. The article also cites landmark court decisions involving worker pay claims for waiting in line at Amazon.com, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) violations at Ford Motor Co.

The article reports on U.S.-based personal injury lawyer Eric Turkewitz's criticism on those who sued him because of the things he wrote on his web log. Topics covered include the dismissal of the case filed by orthopedic surgeon Michael J. Katz against Turkewitz and the details of the case filed by "puppy lawyer" Joseph Rakofsky against Turkewitz.

The article reports on the lawsuit filed against the lawyers of Paul Ceglia by Facebook Inc. and Mark Zuckerberg. Paul Ceglia is the founder of several internet businesses like StreetFax, PageBook, and Allegany Pellets. In 2003 Ceglia sued Facebook Inc. claiming the ownership of 84 percent of the company.

The article focuses on the settlement of a class action suit of Radio Shack at the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Topics covered include the query of judges on the 1-million-dollar cash payment for lawyers when the client will receive a smaller amount in coupons as to the Center for Class Action Fairness. Also mentioned are sample questions asked by Judge Posner on lead lawyer Paul Markoff regarding the rationale of the settlement and the wide difference between the coupons and fees.

The article reports that Ohio trial lawyer Stanley Chesley was ordered to pay $42 million due to scandal over fen-phen litigation in the U.S. It states that Chesley has earned the nickname as master of disaster for his role in lawsuits over airplane crashes and other tragedies. It notes that Chesley had violated the provisions of the code of ethics for lawyers including to negotiate a class settlement without telling individual clients of the terms, excessive fee and splitting fees.

The article discusses the proposed greenhouse gas rules in the U.S. which will target existing power plants. Topics covered include the opinion of lawyer Thomas Lorenzen on the three main strategies that lawyers can use in the legal war against the regulation and the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court which upheld the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) to regulate carbon dioxide as a dangerous pollutant.

The article reports on the possible fraud by claimants concerning exposure to asbestos without providing firm evidence. Topics discussed include the nature of the asbestos trust, a commentary from attorney Thomas M. Wilson, a list of step which enables a claimant to seek compensation without proof of exposure and how plaintiff lawyers exploit the system.

The author discusses the chances of collecting compensation after settling a class action lawsuit. Topics covered include the characteristics of a consumer class action, claims by critics on the results, a list of reforms needed to benefit lawyers and consumers and a modification of the class action rules by the U.S. Congress.

The article criticizes the practice of some lawyers in the U.S. to file meritless lawsuits to challenge corporate mergers. It explains that these lawsuits costs shareholders millions of dollars a year. It also cites a study which reveals that lawyers have filed lawsuits in more than 90 percent of public company mergers worth more than 100 million dollars for four straight years since 2010.

The article focuses on the fraud on the market theory that gave plaintiff lawyers a powerful tool to extract settlements from public companies whenever they disclose information that causes their share price to fall. It provides an overview of how the theory was formed in 1988 and cites some cases that deal with the same problem. Also highlighted is a paper on the outlook for fraud on the market by Professor Donald C. Langevoort of Georgetown Law Center in Washington, D.C.

The article reports that the health insurance companies joined the list of parties that wanted to pry open the records focused on secretive bankruptcy trusts that plaintiff lawyers plans to pay asbestos-related claims. It offers information on the complaint filed against H.K. Porter Asbestos Trust for demanding claims records.

The article reports that New York Times Co. attack the expert who opposes the speculation focused on lawsuits in the U.S. It mentions that populist politicians blame everything in the economy including greedy international bankers and the lawyers who make money from the class actions designed to play sentiments with potential jurors.

The article suggests that security lawyers and private equity firms are the two clear winners in the Volcker Rule adopted on December 10, 2013 by five U.S. regulatory agencies. It informs that the rules require bank directors to review and chief executives to personally attest to the effectiveness of their compliance programs. It also argues that the Volcker Rule completes a transition to a regulatory system where U.S. banks resemble public utilities operating under detailed rules.

The article reports that plastic pipe maker JM Eagle has escalated its fight against plaintiff lawyers including Eric Havian of Phillips & Cohen who won the first phase of a U.S. federal lawsuit case against it in November 2013. It reveals that JM Eagle hired celebrity attorney Anthony Michael Glassman to accuse the plaintiff lawyers of making false and defamatory statements about the company. The jury found JM Eagle guilty of presenting false or fraudulent claims to U.S. government purchasers.

The article presents information on the plans of energy company Chevron to begin a racketeering case against New York attorney Steven Donziger. Antitrust lawyer Jeffrey Shinder is likely to testify against Donziger for writing a report, which an Ecuador judge relied upon for accessing damages in Chevron's environmental suit.

The article reports on the rejection made by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on a class-action settlement that would have paid lawyers 2.73 million dollars, absolved Procter & Gamble of liability, and handed 1,000 dollars each to the named plaintiffs. The move was reportedly another victory for Center for Class Action Fairness, the group founded by lawyer Ted Frank. According to Judge R. Guy Cole, the settlement did not take the right of consumers to sue real cases of diaper rash.

The article discusses some of the most important Supreme Court decisions of the fall 2012 session that highlight biggest business triumphs. The justices have reportedly reined in class-action lawyers, tightened the requirements for job-discrimination lawsuits, and loosened the regulations on wastewater pollution. These court cases include financial services corporation American Express vs. Italian Colors Restaurant and cable company Comcast vs. cable television subscribers.

The article reports that lawyers defending Steven Donzinger in a civil racketeering suit filed by Chevron against the defendant were allowed to withdraw from the case by a skeptical, New York federal judge. The reason for the move is that the lawyers alleged that they were owed more than 1 million U.S. dollars in fees and that they find it difficult to cope with Chevron's aggressive motion practice and endless discovery requests. The judge called the claims exaggerated.

The article reports on the decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the U.S. to throw out a 45 million U.S.-dollar settlement case involving information services group Experian. It notes that the Court held that the plaintiff lawyers created a conflict of interest by negotiating a deal under which clients will receive 5,000 dollars each given that they do not object to smaller awards for other class members. Judge Ronald Gould considers the deal as an unethical conflict of interest.

The article reports that plaintiff fee of 100 million U.S. dollars being charged by lawyers for the 590-million U.S. dollars settlement negotiation of Kirby McInerney with Citigroup. According to the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), clients do not pay such amounts to contract attorneys while ethics rule of the American Bar Association (ABA) prohibits unreasonable attorney fee markups. It also notes that members of ACC call for closer scrutiny of legal bills and lower legal fees.

The article reports on the decision of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to reject a class-action settlement filed by Murray & Murray against Midland Funding over robosigning allegations that would have paid the lawyers who negotiated it 1.5 million dollars. The settlement would have also relieved the plaintiffs of their debts, but leave the others stripped of a defense against fraudulently obtained judgments against them. Details of the case are presented.

The article reports that Wayne County, Michigan Judge Kathleen MacDonald has issued Dearborn lawyer, Moughni an injunction ordering him to take down his Facebook comments critical of a class-action settlement of a case against McDonald's for selling non-halal meat. Moughni criticized the settlement as a "backroom deal" and urged followers to "like" his comments to register their opposition. MacDonald's move to serve the injunction and public reaction to the legal action are also discussed.

The article discusses the use of firms of contract attorneys and its impact on law school graduates. It examines the case of class action suits which lead to lawyers hiring inexpensive contract workers and presenting them as evidence for their fees. It notes the possible billings for the securities-fraud lawsuit against Citigroup. It mentions the state of employment for law school graduates who have student loans to pay.

The article reports on plaintiff lawyers responsible for negotiating a 590 million U.S. dollar settlement of a securities lawsuit against Citigroup who are seeking almost 100 million dollars in fees, including over 1,000 dollars per hour for outside contract attorneys who likely earned a small fraction of that amount working on the case. It cites some of the contract attorneys who worked on the case, including India Autry. It notes the opposition of lawyer Ted Frank to this fee request.

The article offers an outlook for U.S. litigation in 2013 according to Jones Day's U.S. Businesses and Tort Litigation practice head Paul M. Pohl, as he lists five categories that are seen to provide lucrative employment for lawyers. It believes that the Health Care law will be the most heavily litigated law, citing the contraceptive mandate that employers must provide contraception even if it is against their religious principles. Other categories include financial, social media and pensions.

An obituary for U.S. conservative jurist Robert Bork is presented.

The article discusses a study released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Legal Reform, which looked at how plaintiff lawyers took advantage of the court system to make large amount of dollars in fees from merger-related litigation. The study also described a loophole in the federal securities litigation law that enables lawyers to launch lawsuits challenging mergers in multiple state and federal courts.

The article features conservative justices of the Supreme Court asking questions on University of Texas (UT) defendant-lawyers about the race-based affirmative-action program of UT. The justices who will probably use the Abigail Fisher lawsuit vs. University of Texas in voting against the use of race in college admissions includes Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito. It also notes the questions of Justice Anthony Kennedy and the Fisher lawsuit.