Class Actions Seminar

This seminar explores the class action device, tracing its historical origins from the earliest forms of aggregate litigation through various amendments to Rule 23 and passage of the Class Action Fairness Act. Although other non-class aggregation techniques are discussed, they are addressed only for comparative purposes. The unique nature of representative litigation and the special issues that arise during the course of a class action are the subject of discussion and student presentations during seminar sessions. Considerable discussion is devoted to the roles of the various "players" in a class action: the qualifications of the class representative, the qualifications and interest of class counsel, and the fiduciary role of the district judge. This course satisfies the upper-level writing seminar requirement.