CLASS ACTIONS

Plaintiff lawyers now recognized in the Chambers

list.

working on the union side. So it is with plaintiff-side class action work. Clients may wish to know something about the people on the other side of the courtroom.

My interest in the Chambers class action coverage dates from the pioneering work done by my predecessor as Legal Post editor, Jim Middlemiss. He realized early on that class actions were on track to become one of the biggest practice areas for high-end corporate litigators. He had good reason to assume this. One had only to look at the size of the class action business in the United States, particularly that involving securities class actions. He knew this business would eventually take root in Canada, and he was right. That has indeed happened.

A class of dedicated Canadian class action litigators has developed with this business. And as can often arise in Canada, they have fallen into two camps: the plaintiff-side special- ists and the defence-side experts. Both are worthy of recognition, because each side faces its own set of challenges.

Plaintiff-side counsel might enjoy a nice payday when they receive their share of a massive settlement or court award. But class actions are tough to mount, and victory is no sure thing. It can take years before a case is resolved and plaintiff-side counsel (and their clients) see any of that money.

Meanwhile,defence-counselmight bill by the hour and receive regular payments from well-moneyed corporate clients. That might sound sweet, except such clients will keep paying only so long as the defenceside counsel ring up a stream of successes. Again, no easy feat.

Class actions are an important business, and it’s good to see Chambers cover it fully.