Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
Encyclopedia
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is a sixty-plus attorney AV-rated law firm
with offices in San Francisco, New York
and Nashville. Lieff Cabraser is one of the largest law firms in the United States that only represents plaintiff
s.
as "one of the nation's premier plaintiffs firms." In 2004, The American Lawyer
recognized Lieff Cabraser as one of "the most successful plaintiffs firms in the land."
In the 2010 edition of its annual list of the top plaintiffs' law firms in the U.S., The National Law Journal
selected Lieff Cabraser. In compiling the list, The National Law Journal examined recent verdicts and settlements and looked for firms "representing the best qualities of the plaintiffs' bar and that demonstrated unusual dedication and creativity." This is the eighth consecutive year since 2003 that Lieff Cabraser has received this honor.
: The nationwide class action settlement approved by the District Court in May 2008 brought to end an alleged 60-year global conspiracy by the De Beers group of companies to monopolize the sale of rough diamonds.
Multi-State Tobacco Litigation: Lieff Cabraser represented the Attorneys' General of Massachusetts, Louisiana and Illinois, several additional states, and 21 cities and counties in California, in litigation against U.S. cigarette manufacturers. The suits were part of the landmark $206 billion Master Settlement Agreement
announced in November 1998 between the tobacco industry and the states' attorneys general. Lieff Cabraser's work led to the disclosure by R.J. Reynolds of the notorious "Project SCUM
" marketing plan.
California Uninsured Patient Hospital Pricing Litigation
: In a series of class action lawsuits, uninsured patients alleged that several of California's largest hospital chains imposed exorbitant fees for medical care and engaged in price gouging
. Under settlements reached in cases in 2006-2008, almost a million patients received refunds or bill adjustments, and millions more benefited from reduced prices for future medical care. These hospital cases returned almost $1 billion to patients.
Gonzalez v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores
: In April 2005, the Court approved a settlement which required the retail clothing giant Abercrombie & Fitch to provide monetary benefits of $50 million to Latino, African American, Asian American, and female applicants and employees who charged the company with discrimination. The settlement also required the company to institute through 2011 a range of policies and programs to promote diversity among its workforce and to prevent discrimination based on race or gender.
Mraz v. DaimlerChrysler: In March 2007, a California state jury returned a $54.4 million verdict for a family of Richard Mraz, whose Dodge Dakota pickup jumped from park to reverse, backing over and killing him. The jury found that a defect in the Dodge Dakota's automatic transmission led to Mr. Mraz's death.
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
: Lieff Cabraser represented pro bono seven victims and their decedents in hearings before the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and obtained awards totaling over $5 million. Lieff Cabraser represented clients independently and through the auspices of Trial Lawyers Care, a non-profit corporation set up by volunteer trial lawyers and the Association of Trial Lawyers (now known as the American Association for Justice) to provide free legal services to the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Swiss Banks Holocaust Litigation: Lieff Cabraser served as Settlement Class Counsel for Holocaust survivors and their families who alleged that Swiss banks had blocked their efforts to reclaim money that they deposited in the banks or that the Nazis had looted and stored in the banks. In 2000, the federal court approved a $1.25 billion settlement of the action. Lieff Cabraser donated its attorneys' fee award in the Swiss Banks case in the amount of $1.5 million to endow a Clinical Professorship in Human Rights Law at Columbia Law School
to train future lawyers to help victims of human rights abuses.
in the San Francisco Bay Area. The series offers listeners social and political opinions on a broad spectrum of contemporary issues.
In 2007, Lieff Cabraser attorneys assisted in the launching of the Carver HEARTS Project. The project is a partnership between interested community members, San Francisco's George Washington Carver Elementary School, and UCSF's Department of Infant, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to provide a therapist skilled in treating trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on-site at Carver Elementary School.
William Audet, partner at Audet & Partners, LLP
Joshua Davis, professor of law, University of San Francisco School of Law
James M. Finberg, partner at Altshuler Berzon
Barnaby J. Feder, medical reporter, The New York Times
Daniel Girard, partner at Girard Gibbs
John E. Hill, principal at Law Offices of John E. Hill
David W. Marcus, professor of law, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
Michael Ram, of counsel, Sanford Wittels & Heisler
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
with offices in San Francisco, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Nashville. Lieff Cabraser is one of the largest law firms in the United States that only represents plaintiff
Plaintiff
A plaintiff , also known as a claimant or complainant, is the term used in some jurisdictions for the party who initiates a lawsuit before a court...
s.
Practice Areas
Lieff Cabraser represents plaintiffs in individual, class and group cases in the fields of antitrust, aviation, civil and human rights, consumer protection, employment discrimination and unfair employment practices, environmental and toxic exposure, personal injury and mass torts, product defects, and securities and investor fraud.Reputation and Recognition
Lieff Cabraser has been described by The American LawyerThe American Lawyer
The American Lawyer is a monthly law magazine published by ALM. It was founded in 1979 by Steven Brill. Features include the annual AmLaw 100 Survey and AmLaw 200 Survey , "The View From the Top", their annual poll of law firm chairpersons, and their "Corporate Scorecard"...
as "one of the nation's premier plaintiffs firms." In 2004, The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer is a monthly law magazine published by ALM. It was founded in 1979 by Steven Brill. Features include the annual AmLaw 100 Survey and AmLaw 200 Survey , "The View From the Top", their annual poll of law firm chairpersons, and their "Corporate Scorecard"...
recognized Lieff Cabraser as one of "the most successful plaintiffs firms in the land."
In the 2010 edition of its annual list of the top plaintiffs' law firms in the U.S., The National Law Journal
The National Law Journal
The National Law Journal, a U.S. periodical founded in 1978, reports legal information of national importance to attorneys, including federal circuit court decisions, verdicts, practitioners' columns, coverage of legislative issues and legal news for the business and private sectors.The...
selected Lieff Cabraser. In compiling the list, The National Law Journal examined recent verdicts and settlements and looked for firms "representing the best qualities of the plaintiffs' bar and that demonstrated unusual dedication and creativity." This is the eighth consecutive year since 2003 that Lieff Cabraser has received this honor.
Prominent Cases
De Beers Diamonds Antitrust LitigationDe Beers Diamonds Antitrust Litigation
The De Beers diamonds antitrust class action sought to end an alleged 60-year conspiracy to fix the price of rough diamonds in the U.S. by the De Beers group of companies. The litigation includes several cases including Hopkins v. De Beers Centenary A.G., et al., No. CGC-04-432954, which commenced...
: The nationwide class action settlement approved by the District Court in May 2008 brought to end an alleged 60-year global conspiracy by the De Beers group of companies to monopolize the sale of rough diamonds.
Multi-State Tobacco Litigation: Lieff Cabraser represented the Attorneys' General of Massachusetts, Louisiana and Illinois, several additional states, and 21 cities and counties in California, in litigation against U.S. cigarette manufacturers. The suits were part of the landmark $206 billion Master Settlement Agreement
Master Settlement Agreement
The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement was entered in November 1998, originally between the four largest US tobacco companies and the attorneys general of 46 states...
announced in November 1998 between the tobacco industry and the states' attorneys general. Lieff Cabraser's work led to the disclosure by R.J. Reynolds of the notorious "Project SCUM
Project SCUM
Project SCUM was a plan proposed by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company to sell cigarettes to members of the "alternative lifestyle" areas of San Francisco, in particular the large number of gay people in the Castro and homeless people in the Tenderloin...
" marketing plan.
California Uninsured Patient Hospital Pricing Litigation
California Uninsured Patient Hospital Pricing Litigation
In a series of class action lawsuits, uninsured patients alleged that several of California's largest hospital chains imposed exorbitant fees for medical care and engaged in price gouging. Under settlements reached in cases in 2006-2008, almost a million patients received refunds or bill...
: In a series of class action lawsuits, uninsured patients alleged that several of California's largest hospital chains imposed exorbitant fees for medical care and engaged in price gouging
Price gouging
Price gouging is a pejorative term referring to a situation in which a seller prices goods or commodities much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. In precise, legal usage, it is the name of a crime that applies in some of the United States during civil emergencies...
. Under settlements reached in cases in 2006-2008, almost a million patients received refunds or bill adjustments, and millions more benefited from reduced prices for future medical care. These hospital cases returned almost $1 billion to patients.
Gonzalez v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores
Gonzalez v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores
The lawsuit Gonzalez, et al. v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc., et al. , filed in June 2003, alleged that the nationwide retailer Abercrombie & Fitch "violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by maintaining recruiting and hiring practices that excluded minorities and women and adopting...
: In April 2005, the Court approved a settlement which required the retail clothing giant Abercrombie & Fitch to provide monetary benefits of $50 million to Latino, African American, Asian American, and female applicants and employees who charged the company with discrimination. The settlement also required the company to institute through 2011 a range of policies and programs to promote diversity among its workforce and to prevent discrimination based on race or gender.
Mraz v. DaimlerChrysler: In March 2007, a California state jury returned a $54.4 million verdict for a family of Richard Mraz, whose Dodge Dakota pickup jumped from park to reverse, backing over and killing him. The jury found that a defect in the Dodge Dakota's automatic transmission led to Mr. Mraz's death.
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund was created by an Act of Congress, the AirTransportation Safety and System Stabilization Act , shortly after 9/11 to compensate the victims of the attack in exchange for their agreement not to sue the airline corporations involved...
: Lieff Cabraser represented pro bono seven victims and their decedents in hearings before the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and obtained awards totaling over $5 million. Lieff Cabraser represented clients independently and through the auspices of Trial Lawyers Care, a non-profit corporation set up by volunteer trial lawyers and the Association of Trial Lawyers (now known as the American Association for Justice) to provide free legal services to the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Swiss Banks Holocaust Litigation: Lieff Cabraser served as Settlement Class Counsel for Holocaust survivors and their families who alleged that Swiss banks had blocked their efforts to reclaim money that they deposited in the banks or that the Nazis had looted and stored in the banks. In 2000, the federal court approved a $1.25 billion settlement of the action. Lieff Cabraser donated its attorneys' fee award in the Swiss Banks case in the amount of $1.5 million to endow a Clinical Professorship in Human Rights Law at Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
to train future lawyers to help victims of human rights abuses.
Commitment to the Community
Since 1991, Lieff Cabraser has underwritten the radio series, "Perspectives," airing on the public broadcasting station KQED-FMKQED-FM
KQED-FM is an NPR-member radio station owned by Northern California Public Broadcasting in San Francisco, California.KQED-FM was founded by James Day in 1969 as the radio arm of KQED Television. The founding manager was Bernard Mayes who later went on to be Executive Vice-President of KQED TV and...
in the San Francisco Bay Area. The series offers listeners social and political opinions on a broad spectrum of contemporary issues.
In 2007, Lieff Cabraser attorneys assisted in the launching of the Carver HEARTS Project. The project is a partnership between interested community members, San Francisco's George Washington Carver Elementary School, and UCSF's Department of Infant, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to provide a therapist skilled in treating trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on-site at Carver Elementary School.
Notable alumni
Richard P. Alexander, partner at Alexander Hawes, LLPWilliam Audet, partner at Audet & Partners, LLP
Joshua Davis, professor of law, University of San Francisco School of Law
James M. Finberg, partner at Altshuler Berzon
Barnaby J. Feder, medical reporter, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
Daniel Girard, partner at Girard Gibbs
John E. Hill, principal at Law Offices of John E. Hill
David W. Marcus, professor of law, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
James E. Rogers College of Law
James E. Rogers College of Law is the law school at the University of Arizona located in Tucson, Arizona and was the first law school founded in the State of Arizona, opening its doors in 1915. Formerly known as University of Arizona College of Law, it was renamed in 1999 in honor of noted...
Michael Ram, of counsel, Sanford Wittels & Heisler