Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.
244.62 sec. 001 - Litigating Class Actions (Spring 2025)
Instructor: Anne Bloom
Instructor: Jocelyn D Larkin
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Units: 1
Grading Designation: Credit Only
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
Th 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: TBA
From January 16, 2025
To February 27, 2025
Course End: February 27, 2025
Class Number: 33026
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 34
Waitlisted: 2
Enroll Limit: 34
As of: 01/02 06:35 PM
This course provides an introduction to litigating class actions. Some background in civil procedure is essential as the cases raise complex procedural questions. We will also be considering how class actions fit into the larger procedural system. The material is complicated and deals with issues that have been subjects of judicial and political controversy, in Congress and state legislatures, in the Supreme Court, and in the federal rulemaking process. We will discuss the relevant doctrine and policy, nurture the ability to think like a lawyer about the many strategic and tactical issues involved in litigating these cases on both sides of the "v.", and consider the policy choices involved in the availability of the class action device.
Anne Bloom is the Executive Director of the Civil Justice Research Initiative, an access to justice think tank housed at Berkeley Law. She has taught courses on class actions for over 20 years. Before becoming a law professor, she was a staff attorney at Public Justice, where she was the first director of their class action project. She has served as class counsel, counsel for objectors, or counsel for amici, in many class actions, in both trial and appellate courts. Prof. Bloom has also published scholarly articles on class actions and served as a guest lecturer/trainer at various class action training programs for the practicing bar.
Jocelyn Larkin is Of Counsel at the Impact Fund. She joined the Impact Fund in 2000 and served as the organization’s Executive Director from 2010 to February 2024. Her practice has focused on complex employment discrimination and class action practice on behalf of plaintiffs. Larkin has served as class counsel in many major class actions, including Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Ellis v. Costco Wholesale Corp., Parra v. Bashas’ Inc, Williams v. City of Antioch, and Stender v. Lucky Stores. She was twice named California Lawyer Magazine Attorney of the Year for her work in employment class action litigation. For many years, Prof. Larkin also spearheaded the Impact Fund’s complex litigation training program. She first developed its Class Action Training Institute and its annual Class Action Conference.
Submit teaching evaluations for this course between 27-FEB-25 and 04-MAR-25
Exam Notes: (TH) Take-home examination
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Exam Length: 2 hours
Course Category: Litigation and Procedure
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Consumer Law & Economic Justice
Social Justice and Public Interest
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Books:
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