Class action lawsuits often force lawyers and judges to confront ethical issues. Many of these issues persist once the parties agree to a settlement, as class counsel and lawyers for the settling defendants join forces to seek approval of an agreement that will determine the rights of absent class members, who sometimes can number in the millions. In part owing to these concerns, settling a class action requires approval of the trial court judge under Rule 23(e), the provisions of which were significantly overhauled in recent years. And here in California, the United States for the Northern District of California has led the development of this area of the law, promulgating its innovative Procedural Guidance for Class Action Settlements, which was amended again in August last year.

This webinar will feature the perspectives of experienced advocates who have served as class counsel and defended class actions, as well as a settlement administrator adept at crafting solutions to address challenges that arise in implementing approved settlements and distributing funds to class members. The panelists will focus on settlements in antitrust cases in particular, where many of these issues arise, and they will take up questions concerning the appropriate scope of the release, in terms of claims and claimants, granted by the settlement; how to respond appropriately when any objections arise; the challenges of valuing and administering non-monetary settlement consideration including cooperation against remaining parties in ongoing litigation; and a retrospective on how the Northern District guidelines have worked so far and thoughts on improving them in the future. Please join us for an exciting and informative panel useful for class action litigators, in-house counsel, and anyone who advises companies.