Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association

Lunch Talk w/ Antitrust Appellate Litigator Matt Summers
2024-10-31 12:30 - 13:15 (America/New_York) | WCC 1015
Join HLSAA and HPLA for a career discussion and talk on developments in antitrust law with HLS alumnus (and founder of HLSAA!) Matt Summers.
After graduating from HLS, Matt clerked for the First Circuit. He now is an antitrust attorney at the plaintiff firm Berger Montague in their appeals practice. Please RSVP below!

Wrongly Accused of Terrorism and Drug Trafficking: A Case Study of One U.S. Navy Official’s Battle
2024-10-17 12:15 - 13:15 (America/New_York) | WCC 1023
Wrongly Accused of Terrorism and Drug Trafficking: A Case Study of One U.S. Navy Official’s Battle
Berger Montague will discuss the firm’s recent success in a Fair Credit Reporting Act case involving allegations that class members were wrongly flagged as potential terrorists and drug traffickers and were denied access to credit as a result. The lead plaintiff in the case, Mr. Fernandez, was denied a mortgage after he was reported as a potential match for a drug trafficker, even though he had a different age, name, and date of birth than the suspected trafficker. He was also a cybersecurity official in the U.S. Navy with a Top Secret clearance.
WCC 1023. Lunch provided! RSVP here.

Law & Social Change Dinner
2024-10-16 17:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Student Org Room
Join the Law & Social Change Program of Study for their fall community gathering. Meet other students interested in using law as a tool for social change, form community, and eat dinner! RSVP here!

You're Invited: Burns Charest Networking Dinner!
2024-10-16 17:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Harvest, 44 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
You’re Invited: Burns Charest Networking Dinner!
Wednesday, October 16 — 5:30pm — @ Harvest (Restaurant)
Burns Charest (BC) is a plaintiff-side litigation firm with offices in Dallas, New Orleans, and Washington D.C. It was founded in 2015, and in its nine-year history, has achieved stunning results in major antitrust, data privacy, toxic tort, and commercial litigation cases. Among other exciting work, BC is currently spearheading critical litigation against pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies charged with the wrongful marketing, distribution, and dispensation of opioids. BC lawyers have been honored by nearly all relevant attorney-ratings platforms, including Texas Lawyer, American Antitrust Institute, American Law Institute, Chambers and Partners, National Law Journal, Benchmark Litigation, and Lawdragon. RSVP to Hannah Crowe (hcrowe@burnscharest.com) by Friday, October 11, 2024. Because this is a reservation, please only RSVP if you’re sure you can make it.

Gambling with Deceptive Trade Practices: Not a Worthwhile Bet
2024-10-16 12:20 - 13:20 (America/New_York) | WCC 1023
Gambling with Deceptive Trade Practices: Not a Worthwhile Bet
Wednesday, October 16 @ 12:20pm — WCC 1023
Join Burns Charest for a conversation about two proposed class action lawsuits filed against online gaming marketers Avia Games and Papaya Games for deceptive trade practices. The gaming companies cheat consumers by telling them that they’re playing games of skill against other humans, but in reality they’re using bots and keeping the winnings for themselves. Lunch from Sweetgreen will be served. Please RSVP here.

Beating Billionaires & Companies At Their Own Game: Leveraging Arbitration As a Tool For Justice
2024-10-03 12:20 - 13:20 (America/New_York) | WCC 1010
How can lawyers achieve justice for victims of greed when companies & billionaires mandate arbitration? Join HPLA for a conversation with Finkelstein Blankinship Frei-Pearson & Garber (FBFG) about how How can lawyers achieve justice for victims of greed when companies & billionaires mandate arbitration? Join HPLA for a conversation with FBFG about how the firm turns the expectations of arbitration on their head to advocate for individuals by using arbitration as a tool to champion plaintiffs’ rights. Please RSVP here. Lunch served from Flour.

Lunch Talk: “The Retrievals” case with Kelly Fitzpatrick and Josh Koskoff
2024-10-02 12:20 - 13:20 (America/New_York) | WCC 1012
Join the Systemic Justice Project and Torts R Us to hear from Kelly Fitzpatrick and Josh Koskoff about their civil law case against Yale New Haven Hospital on behalf of Yale Fertility Center patients who were harmed in the story told in The Retrievals, a five-part podcast hosted by author and “This American Life” editor Susan Burton.
“The Retrievals” tells the story of a dozen women who underwent egg retrieval procedures at the Yale Fertility Center. For months they complained of severe pain. But nobody caught on to exactly what was wrong, until one day when an anesthesiologist noticed a loose cap on a vial of fentanyl. Soon the truth was revealed: a nurse at the clinic had been stealing the pain medication and replacing it with saline. Eventually the nurse has her own story, about her own pain, that she tells to the court. And then there is the story of how this all could have happened at the Yale clinic in the first place. “The Retrievals” is about the patients who say their pain was dismissed, a nurse who was hiding something, and the institution that failed to protect its patients.”
Read more about Kelly and Josh and RSVP here.
Event hosted by the Systemic Justice Project.

1L Donut Social
2024-09-18 15:00 - 16:00 UTC | WCC 1023
Drop in anytime from 3pm-4pm to meet upperclassmen in HPLA and other 1Ls interested in plaintiff-side work! We’ll provide donuts, coffee, and friendly faces. Can’t wait to see you! RSVP here.
Wednesday, September 18 @ 3-4pm (drop-in) —WCC 1023

Small Group Conversation with Wasserstein Fellow Michele Hall
2024-09-18 12:30 - 13:30 UTC | WCC 1015
HPLA is hosting a small group conversation with Wasserstein Fellow Michele Hall on Wednesday, September 18 at 12:30pm (location TBD). Join us by RSVPing here. Feel free to bring your lunch!
Michele Hall (HLS ’17) is an associate at Brown Goldstein & Levy and a 2024 Wasserstein Fellow. Michele is a criminal defense and civil rights attorney. Her practice is broad, and includes disability rights, employment discrimination, and prisoners’ rights. Michele also supports BGL’s work obtaining compensation for wrongfully convicted folks primarily in Maryland. Michele’s criminal defense practice builds upon her prior work as a public defender at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, where she worked as a trial and appellate attorney. Read her full bio here.
You can also register for her Community Discussion, How to Lose: Strategies for Long-Term Change as a Public Interest Lawyer (September 19, hosted by OPIA) here.

What is Plaintiffs' Law? An Introduction to HPLA!
2024-09-17 12:30 - 13:30 UTC | WCC 1010
Wondering what Plaintiffs’ law is (or know others who might be wondering)? Join us for lunch on September 17 to hear from HPLA board members about what plaintiffs’ law is, what summering (and post-grad work) looks like on the plaintiff-side, and how you can get involved! Lunch will be served! RSVP here.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024 @ Lunch — WCC 1010

Plaintiff-Side Appellate Litigation with Deepak Gupta
2024-04-01 12:20 - 13:20 (America/New_York) | WCC 1023
Gupta Wessler LLP is a national appellate and complex litigation boutique. It briefs and argues high-stakes cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and state and federal courts across the country. It also runs the HLS Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. Through all of its efforts, it aims to help shape the law in ways that enhance justice and improve people’s lives. RSVP here!
Monday, April 01 12:20 PM – 1:20 PM, WCC 1023

HPLA Panel on Clinics, Externships & Courses
2024-03-28 12:20 - 13:20 (America/New_York) | WCC 2004
Join the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association for a panel-style discussion featuring 2Ls and 3Ls. Panelists will discuss their favorite clinics, externships and courses. They’ll explain how they selected clinics & courses, what they learned from their experience, and give clinic-selection tips. Lunch will be served! RSVP here!
Tuesday, March 26 12:20 PM – 1:20 PM, WCC 2004

Using Class Actions to Force Law-Breaking Corporations to Change: A discussion of Two Certified Class Actions that are Heading to Trial
2024-03-26 12:20 - 13:20 (America/New_York) | WCC 1023
Lunch from Saloniki will be provided. RSVP here!
Tuesday, March 26 12:20 PM – 1:20 PM, WCC 1023

Seeking Justice in Complex Litigation: Insights on the Camp Lejeune Justice Act Mass Tort with Keller Postman
2024-03-21 12:20 (America/New_York) | WCC 2009
Over one million Marines, military families, and civilians were exposed to life-threatening chemicals in the water at Camp Lejeune. Join Keller Postman for a discussion about their work leading negotiations with the government on behalf of all Plaintiffs poisoned by the water.
Lunch from Sweetgreen will be provided. RSVP here!
Note: The presenters will be virtual.
Thursday, March 21 12:20 PM – 1:20 PM, WCC 2009

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd Networking Event
2024-03-19 17:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Russel House Tavern, 14 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Tuesday, March 19, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM @ Russell House Tavern (14 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138)
Join Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd for an evening networking event at Russell House Tavern. RSVP here.

The Other Side of the "v" with Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd
2024-03-19 12:15 - 13:15 (America/New_York) | WCC 2009
Tuesday, March 19, 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM, WCC 2009
Join us for a discussion with Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP about its landmark privacy action against Facebook for violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”). The $650 million settlement represents a groundbreaking privacy recovery and the largest of its kind under BIPA. Robbins Geller lawyers will also provide an introduction to the firm’s nationwide securities class action litigation practice from investigations through pleadings, discovery, and trial.
Lunch will be provided from Tatte! RSVP here!

Quinn Emanuel Mixer
2024-03-05 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Barcelona Wine Bar, 1688 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Quinn Emanuel Trial Lawyers invites you to connect with attorneys for conversation, cocktails, and canapes to get to know the law firm and learn about their work. Please RSVP to rebeccafogler@quinnemanuel.com.
Note: Quinn Emanuel does both plaintiffs’ and defense-side work.
Tuesday, March 5, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM @ Barcelona Wine Bar

Quinn Emanuel Lunch
2024-03-05 12:15 - 13:15 (America/New_York) | WCC 1023
Tuesday, March 5, 12:15 PM–1:15 PM @ WCC 1023
Co-hosted by HPLA

HPLA Member Social
2024-03-01 19:30 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Grafton Street Pub, 59 John F. Kennedy St, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Friday, March 1, 7:30 PM @ Grafton Street Pub
Join us for free food, drinks, and swag! RSVP here.

Drinks with Trial Panelists!
2024-02-07 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | The Hourly Oyster House, 15 Dunster St., Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
If you are interested in civil trial advocacy, plaintiff-side trial lawyering, and getting to know our panelists better, join HPLA and Spencer Pahlke, partner at Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, for a drink in Harvard Square!
Spots are limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. RSVP here.
Wednesday, February 7, 6:00–7:30 PM @ The Hourly Oyster House (15 Dunster St., Cambridge, MA 02138)

Trial Lawyering from the Plaintiff’s Side
2024-02-07 12:15 - 13:15 (America/New_York) | WCC 3012
Join HPLA for a discussion about the life of plaintiff-side trial lawyers on Wednesday, February 7 from 12:15-1:15 PM in WCC 3012.
Attorneys from Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger will provide a glimpse into their strategies and approach to trial lawyering.
This event is co-sponsored by the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association. Food provided from Sugar & Spice! RSVP here.

Plaintiff Lawyer Ethics in Planning Settlements
2024-01-25 12:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
Thursday, January 25, 12:30 PM on Zoom.
Plaintiff lawyers’ first goal is to maximize client recovery. But the true recovery is what a client keeps after fees, taxes, and liens, and any loss to public benefits. Plaintiffs have significant power to affect these variables, but not after settlement. Expert presenters will discuss what trial lawyers need to know to spot these types of risks and opportunities, and the extent of their ethical duties to do so. They’ll also discuss opportunities to volunteer with the Plaintiff Fund Charity, which supports and protects plaintiffs raising money for their medical care.
Join at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87993804812.
Co-Hosted by Harvard Law Mock Trial Association, National Plaintiffs’ Law Association, and HPLA.

1L Recruiting on the Plaintiffs' Side
2023-11-15 12:20 - 13:15 UTC | Hauser 102
Wednesday, November 15, 12:20–1:15 PM @ Hauser 102 → Curious about plaintiff-side work? Thinking about how to use your 1L summer to jumpstart a litigation career?
Join HPLA on 11/15 for a panel on 1L Retrospectives on the Plaintiff’s Side. Panelists will discuss their experiences at HPLA’s Job Fair and the Spring Interview Program—and how they built lasting career connections during 1L year. Food will be provided! RSVP here.

Top 8 Reasons to Not Be a Plaintiffs' Lawyer, and Why You Have to Do It Anyway
2023-10-26 12:20 - 13:15 UTC | WCC 1015
Thursday, October 26, 12:20–1:15 PM @ WCC 1015 → Join HPLA and Dovel & Luner to learn why HLS alum Greg Dovel left his job as a BigLaw partner to start a plaintiff-side practice—and why you should be a plaintiffs’ lawyer too. Dovel & Luner specializes in high-stakes business litigation. In courts across the country, the firm’s team of trial lawyers represents Davids against Goliaths who have committed corporate misconduct, consumer rights violations, and much more. Food provided! RSVP here.

Fighting for the Fighters: Litigating for Economic Justice for Athletes
2023-10-17 12:20 - 13:15 UTC | WCC 1023
Tuesday, October 17, 12:20–1:15 PM @ WCC 1023 → Join the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association for a conversation with Berger Montague on their antitrust class action against the UFC and the continuing struggle for economic justice for athletes. The panel will discuss where this UFC case fits in the long-running battle between athletes and sports monopolies and cartels and explore the ways in which sports entities can and do entrench and exploit their market power. It will also address ways in which antitrust can be a tool of antiracism. Food will be served! RSVP here.

Eye in the Sky: Protecting Content Moderators at Meta
2023-10-04 12:20 - 13:15 UTC | WCC 1019
Wednesday, October 4, 12:20–1:15 PM @ WCC 1019 → Join HPLA and attorneys from Burns Charest to learn how the firm brought a claim against Meta on behalf of content moderators responsible for viewing disturbing, graphic content on Facebook. Learn how Burns Charest’s groundbreaking work will “improve the safety of its U.S.-based content moderators by improving review tools and making counseling by trained, licensed professionals available.”
Burns Charest is a plaintiff-side litigation firm with offices in Dallas, New Orleans, and Washington D.C. The firm is currently spearheading critical litigation against pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies charged with wrongful marketing, distribution, and dispensation of opioids.
Food will be served! RSVP here.

Become an Antitrust Plaintiffs' Lawyer: Fight Corporate Abuse and Help Consumers and Small Businesses
2023-09-27 12:20 - 13:15 UTC | WCC 1010
Wednesday, September 27, 12:20–1:15 PM @ WCC 1010 → The Committee to Support Antitrust Laws (COSAL) invites members of the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association and Harvard Law School Antitrust Association to a luncheon panel discussion. Food from Saloniki Greek will be served! RSVP here.

What is Plaintiffs' Law? General Body Meeting
2023-09-21 12:20 - 13:15 UTC | WCC 1010
Thursday, September 21, 12:20–1:15 PM @ WCC 1010 → Do you want to sue corrupt police forces, surveillance giants, or unethical employers? Do you want to take responsibility over complex, intellectually challenging cases early in your career? Come to HPLA’s first general body meeting and hear from students who worked at firms representing workers, consumers, and small businesses—not corporations. Learn what makes plaintiffs’ law a prestigious and rewarding alternative to BigLaw. Food from Flour will be served! RSVP here.

Student Perspectives on EIP/V-PIIP for 2L Plaintiffs' Jobs
2023-04-05 12:15 - 13:15 UTC | WCC 2004
Wednesday, April 5, 12:15–1:15 PM @ WCC 2004 → On the fence about EIP? In the dark about V-PIIP? Unsure about your options? Hear from current students who are doing/have done plaintiff-side work their 2L summer about how they navigated EIP and V-PIIP. The panel will share their experiences and answer questions. Food provided! RSVP here.

Securities Litigation on the Plaintiffs' Side
2023-04-04 12:15 - 13:15 UTC | WCC 1023
Tuesday, April 4, 12:15–1:15 PM @ WCC 1023 → How do securities litigators correct corporate lies? Join the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association and attorneys from Berman Tabacco, Motley Rice, Labaton Sucharow, and Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann for a panel on careers as plaintiff-side securities litigators.
Attorneys will discuss how prosecuting securities fraud and fiduciary duties cases have made investors and pensioners whole, and how plaintiff-side securities lawyers go toe-to-toe with America’s largest corporate defendants — and win. Food provided! RSVP here.
