Pillsbury Addresses Hot Trend in Antitrust Cases

Many large Bay Area law firms have traditionally focused their antitrust practices on representing defendants in price-fixing cases against tech component manufacturers. But some large firms are increasingly choosing to represent plaintiff companies that opt out of class litigation in price-fixing cases.

Pillsbury is one such firm, as San Francisco-based Litigation counsel Drew Lanphere told The Recorder. Lanphere says he and other Pillsbury lawyers monitor their clients’ positions in price-fixing class action cases and may advise a company to opt out and pursue the case alone if they can make a lucrative solo claim. Many attorneys say the trend of opting out of class actions is growing due to recent Supreme Court decisions that make it more difficult to reach class certification and an increase in U.S. Department of Justice enforcement.