Antitrust Opt Outs Open Doors for Defense Lawyers

Los Angeles-based Antitrust Group partner and head of the firm's Los Angeles office, Jason C. Murray, spoke with The Recorder for a piece examining the increasing number of large firms working on opt-out antitrust cases. Antitrust lawyers say the appetite for opt-outs is growing because recent Supreme Court decisions, including Comcast v. Behrend, have made it more difficult and costly to reach class certification. Because of the risks involved with opting-out, firms conducting plaintiffs-side work are often asked to employ alternative billing arrangements. "Our [plaintiffs] antitrust recovery practice is a traditional plaintiffs practice," Murray said. "We share risk with our clients." Murray, who spends a majority of his time focusing on opt-out cases, attests that "it was really about being entrepreneurial," he said. "It was about finding ways to talk to clients about other opportunities."