Since our founding in 2020, HPLA has hosted dozens of lunch talks and other events on campus, connecting HLS students with top plaintiff-side attorneys and firms from around the country. Our goal is to promote plaintiff-side law among the HLS student body as a viable, attractive, and prestigious career path. Events range from case presentations to job panels to alumni events. We also regularly co-sponsor plaintiffs’ law-focused events with other student organizations.
Top 8 Reasons to Not Be a Plaintiffs’ Lawyer, and Why You Have to Do It Anyway
Thursday, October 26, 2023
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, IP infringement, consumer rights violations, and much more.
Eye in the Sky: Protecting Content Moderators at Meta
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
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.
Become an Antitrust Plaintiffs’ Lawyer: Fight Corporate Abuse and Help Consumers and Small Businesses
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
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.
What is Plaintiffs’ Law? General Body Meeting
Thursday, September 21, 2023
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.
Student Perspectives on EIP/V-PIIP for 2L Plaintiffs’ Jobs
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
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.
Securities Litigation on the Plaintiffs’ Side
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
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.
Earth Lawyering: Environmental Justice on the Plaintiffs’ Side
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
How do plaintiffs’ firms litigate for environmental justice? Attorneys from Sher Edling; Shute, Mihaly, and Weinberger; and Burns Charest will discuss how they vindicate the rights of victims of environmental harm, challenge corporate policies that exacerbate climate change, and protect natural resources.
This event is cosponsored by the Environmental Law Society.
Breaking up the Elite College Cartel: Suing Colleges for Financial Aid Price Fixing
Monday, March 20, 2023
Sixteen elite colleges, including Yale and UPenn, collaborated to create financial aid policies that “give a leg up to the children of past or potential donors,” while “reduc[ing] institutional dollars to students from working- and middle-class families.” Attorneys estimate that over 18 years, these colleges hurt more than 170,000 students who received inadequate financial aid.
Join HPLA and attorneys from Berger Montague to learn how the firm brought an antitrust class action against some of America’s top colleges for illegal coordination and price-fixing.
This event is co-sponsored by the HLS Antitrust Association.
Tricks are for Kids: The Dark Side of Children’s Gaming Apps
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
A six-year-old’s $16,000 spending spree on in-app purchases for a mobile game recently made headlines. Children are often pushed into purchases by targeted ads, informed by user data that developers of children’s gaming apps collect without consent.
Join HPLA and attorneys from Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein to learn how the firm brought class actions against Disney, Viacom, and ten advertising technology companies for these privacy violations–and how their recent settlements promise to “reshape the children’s app market” by requiring that developers stop collecting data from children.
This event is co-sponsored by JOLT.
Fighting Fraud at Twitter with Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd
Thursday, March 2, 2023
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd will discuss their recent suit against Twitter for concealing stagnant user growth from investors, causing its stock to trade at artificially high levels. RGRD and co-lead counsel Motley Rice obtained the second-largest securities fraud class action recovery ever on behalf of investors. Come learn about RGRD’s strategy prosecuting securities fraud cases from complaint to trial.
Trial Lawyering from the Plaintiff’s Side
Thursday, February 23, 2023
Join HPLA for a panel discussion about the life of plaintiff-side trial lawyers. Attorneys from Kline & Specter, PC, and Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger will provide a glimpse into their strategies and approach to trial lawyering.
This event is co-sponsored by the Harvard Law School Mock Trial Association.
Monday, February 6, 2023
In 1982, Marine Corps scientists discovered toxic chemicals in the tap water at Camp Lejeune. The government waited decades before notifying the families, leaving injured veterans with no relief. Join HPLA and members of the Keller Postman team—including Partner Zina Bash and Law Clerk Fred Messner—to discuss how the Camp Lejeune Justice Act vindicates the rights of the poisoned victims, and how they plan to the hold the U.S. government accountable.
This event is co-sponsored by the Harvard Law Armed Forces Association.
David v. Goliath: Why You Should Be a Plaintiffs’ Lawyer – with Dovel & Luner
Thursday, October 27, 2022
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, IP infringement, consumer rights violations, and much more.
Tech Platform Immunity? A Conversation with Carrie Goldberg
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Carrie Goldberg is an attorney and founder of C.A. Goldberg, a victim’s rights firm providing cutting edge legal help for clients under attack. Carrie and C.A. Goldberg have brought multiple cases against technology platforms like Amazon, Omegle, Snapchat, and Facebook on behalf of victims of online harassment, sexual assault, revenge pornography, and personal injury. Carrie will discuss developments in Section 230 through the lens of her work and will discuss new platform liability developments.
This event is hosted by JOLT and co-sponsored by HPLA and WLA.
Models for Change: Private Public Interest Firms Panel
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
To celebrate National Pro Bono Week, the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs (OCP) is hosting an event on the models, practices, and missions of private public interest law firms, co-sponsored by OPIA and HPLA. Deepak Gupta of Gupta Wessler will be moderating a panel featuring HLS alums Katie Ali of Ali & Lockwood, a civil rights boutique that she founded earlier this year; Tara Ramchandani of Relman Colfax, where she represents individuals and organizations in housing, lending, and public accommodations discrimination cases and advises non-profits and other organizations on civil rights issues; and Anand Swaminathan of Loevy & Loevy, where he works on a broad range of constitutional and civil rights cases, including wrongful convictions, police shootings, the denial of medical care to inmates and detainees in jails and prisons, and retaliation for exercising free speech rights.
Holding Corporate Executives Accountable: A Discussion on the Versatility and Power of Securities Litigation with Block & Leviton
Friday, October 14 , 2022
Join HPLA and Block & Leviton to discuss how shareholder litigation can hold corporate management accountable. With a securities fraud practice that has recovered billions for clients, the firm will share how it has held C-suite executives personally accountable for misconduct in industries spanning tech, healthcare, entertainment, and more. Learn why, as some commentators put it, “Everything is securities fraud.”
Practice with Purpose: Public Interest Law in Private Practice with Cohen Milstein
Thursday, September 29, 2022
Join HPLA and attorneys from Cohen Milstein for a conversation about applying public interest law in private practice. Cohen Milstein will discuss their diverse plaintiff litigation practice and the cutting-edge litigation, in which the firm is currently involved to address the national opioids crisis, the Flint water crisis, wage suppression collusion, #MeToo claims and shareholder activism, workplace discrimination, and human rights violations by the oil industry. Hear about their creative approach to public interest law and how their work is helping shape the legal landscape, while holding corporations (and industry) accountable.
Data Privacy After Dobbs with Edelson PC
Monday, September 19, 2022
In the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, abortion rights and privacy advocates have sounded the alarm about the use of personal data — from geolocation to browser search histories — in the enforcement of anti-abortion laws. Edelson PC will discuss threats posed by private data collection and opportunities for lawyers to protect individuals’ rights in a post-Dobbs world.
Protecting Workers with Antitrust Litigation: A Conversation with Berger Montague
Thursday, April 14, 2022
Join HPLA, LEAP, and attorneys from Berger Montague for a conversation about antitrust litigation in the labor market. Berger Montague will discuss how they are using antitrust strategies to protect workers — from UFC fighters, to workers in poultry processing plants, to aerospace engineers. Hear about the successes and challenges of their current work and their insights into how the field will change in the future.
West Coast Club Private Public Interest Firm Panel
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Join the West Coast Club and HPLA for a panel on private public interest firms on the west coast. Panelists will introduce attendees to the exciting matters that their firms work on and share information about summer and post-graduation employment opportunities and necessary (or helpful) qualifications. Like traditional not-for-profit public interest organizations, public interest law firms usually have a particular social, political, or economic vision that includes helping underrepresented groups and/or promoting change, and pursue cases that will advance this vision. However, these firms operate as for-profit businesses and may consider a broader set of factors when selecting cases. Firms represented include Altshuler Berzon, Constantine Cannon, Hadsell Stormer, King & Siegel, and Outten & Golden.
Protecting the Environment on the Plaintiffs’ Side
Monday, April 11, 2022
Do you care about the environment? Wonder how plaintiff-side litigation can protect our planet? Join HPLA and the Environmental Law Society for a Q&A with two environmental litigators: Quentin Karpilow of Sher Edling and Adam Stolorow of Sive, Paget & Riesel. Both have used litigation to defend the environment in a variety of ways, from suing the fossil fuel industry for climate change to challenging environmentally destructive development projects and government action.
How to EIP/V-PIIP for 2L Plaintiffs’ Jobs
Friday, April 8, 2022
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.
Plaintiff-Side Litigation and You with Quinn Emanuel
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Join Quinn Emanuel and HPLA to learn how representing plaintiffs can provide you with early, stand-up experience as you begin your litigation career.
Labor Jobs Panel
Monday, March 28, 2022
Join LEAP and HPLA for a labor jobs panel with HLS alums working in the labor movement. Panelists include Rachel Sandoval Ash ’20 at SEIU, Ivy Yan ’20 at McCracken, Stemerman & Holsberry, LLP, and others.
Lunch with Hausfeld’s Brent Landau ’01
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Please join the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association for a lunch with Brent Landau ’01, Global Managing Partner of DC-based plaintiffs’ firm Hausfeld. Brent will discuss his career as an accomplished antitrust and human rights lawyer.
Fighting Workplace Sexual Harassment with BLB&G
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Learn how Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP prosecuted claims on behalf of Fox and L Brands’s shareholders after employees publicly accused senior executives including Roger Ailes and Les Wexner of fostering cultures of workplace sexual misconduct.
Keeping Your Doors Open: How EIP Is More Limiting Than It Seems and Public Interest Careers Are More Expansive Than You Realized
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Join the Harvard Law and Political Economy Association and HPLA for a panel of HLS alums as they discuss some of the common mythologies and misconceptions around EIP and offer a diverse array of less-discussed, public-spirited alternatives to Big Law. Featuring keynote speaker Pete Davis ’18 and panelists Imani R. Franklin ’19, Antonia Domingo ’15, and Julian M. Hill ’14.
Fighting for Workers’ Rights with Outten & Golden
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
How can plaintiffs’ lawyers vindicate workers’ rights? Join HPLA and the attorneys at Outten & Golden to learn how the firm has defended whistleblowers, DACA recipients, and incarcerated individuals from employment discrimination. Outten & Golden will discuss how the plaintiff’s bar can partner with government agencies and nonprofit organizations to circumvent mandatory arbitration and pursue strategic litigation in the public interest.
Human Rights Work at Public Interest Law Firms
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Join HLS Advocates, the WLA Public Interest Committee, and HPLA for a conversation with human rights lawyers and HLS alums working at public interest law firms. Poppy Alexander is a partner in Constantine Cannon’s San Francisco office, where she represents whistleblowers and government entities in qui tam lawsuits in both federal and state court, as well as under the various agency whistleblower programs. Russell Kornblith is the New York managing partner and general counsel of Sanford Heisler Sharp, where his practice focuses on employment discrimination, sexual assault, and whistleblower cases. Lee Boyd is a partner at Hecht Partners, where she has litigated more than 30 trials and arbitrations and represented clients in a variety of high-profile disputes.
Facebook and Facial Recognition: Protecting User Privacy with Edelson
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
How can plaintiffs’ lawyers protect consumer privacy in the digital age? Join HPLA and attorneys from Edelson PC to hear about their recent landmark $650 million Facebook class action settlement. Learn how they leveraged the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act to protect consumer biometric data harvested from facial-recognition software. Edelson PC will also discuss other groundbreaking cases on their roster.
Plaintiffs’ Law Roundtable
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Please join HPLA at the second annual Plaintiffs’ Law Roundtable, featuring leading plaintiffs’ firms in the profession — including many private public interest law firms — who combined have won billions of dollars in judgments on behalf of victims, consumers, shareholders, and working people everywhere. They look forward to introducing students to a career making people whole.
Finding a 1L Job on the Plaintiff Side
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Join HPLA to learn how to navigate the 1L job search and land an exciting summer gig on the plaintiff side.
Standing up for Shareholders with Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd
Wednesday, November 17 , 2021
Join HPLA, WLA, and attorneys from Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd to learn how plaintiff-side securities lawyers combat fraud and police markets. RGRD’s women-led team will be on hand to discuss their landmark $1.025 billion recovery for investors in a fraudulent real estate investment fund.
Outsourcing Antitrust Enforcement to Plaintiffs’ Firms: State AGs v. Google
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Plaintiffs’ lawyers are teaming up with state attorneys general all over the country to protect consumers. Join HPLA, JOLT, and lawyers from Keller Lenkner to learn how one firm is helping them take on Google’s monopoly power.
Ridesharing for All: The Struggle for Disability Accommodations at Lyft
Monday, November 8, 2021
Public accommodations should be for everyone. Join HPLA and attorneys from Finkelstein, Blankinship, Frei-Pearson & Garber to learn how advocates are using the courts to make Lyft wheelchair accessible.
Fighting Fraud and Fiduciary Breaches: Holding Executives Accountable through Securities Law
Thursday, November 4, 2021
What happens when a CEO exposes their company to harsher legal sanctions to protect their own reputation? How can plaintiffs’ lawyers use shareholder litigation to hold them to account? Join HPLA and the attorneys of Block & Leviton to learn how plaintiff-side securities lawyers hold executives accountable and protect the public.
Tackling Abusive Pharma Monopolies with Berger Montague
Friday, April 9, 2021
Join HPLA and Berger Montague in a conversation about antitrust litigation against pharmaceutical monopolies. Come learn how Big Pharma drives up profits by excluding generic competition — and how plaintiffs’ attorneys at Berger Montague are working to stop them from exploiting vulnerable consumers.
Life at Lieff: An Introduction to One of the Nation’s Premier Plaintiffs’ Firms
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Get a closer look at the work of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, one of the top private public interest and plaintiffs’ firms in the country. At this information session, you will have the opportunity to learn about their wide range of public interest practice areas, and opportunities available for students and graduates. Sponsored by the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association, Women’s Law Association, and OPIA.
Taking on Goliaths: Holding Mega-Corporations Accountable
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Want to learn how lawyers hold huge corporations accountable? Join the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association and the attorneys of Block & Leviton to discuss litigating against large corporations, like Facebook and BP, to expose wrongdoing and compensate victims.
Private Public Interest Law Firms on the West Coast
Thursday, February 25, 2021
Join the West Coast Club, the Office of Public Interest Advising, the Equal Democracy Project, and the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association as we explore this alternative to the traditional BigLaw route. Reps from Shute, Mihaly, & Weinberger, Altshuler Berzon, and Levi Merrithew Horst will answer questions about their practices and employment opportunities. All three firms will offer insight into what they look for in candidates, and what a summer/post-graduate experience will look like. Practice areas include environment & land use, public health, civil rights, criminal defense, local government, and impact litigation.
Representing Workers Who Were Forced to Sign Arbitration Agreements
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Join Jeremiah Frei-Pearson and Amanda Chan (HLS ’20) from the law firm of Finkelstein, Blankinship, Frei-Pearson & Garber for a conversation about how to fight for workers’ rights in the era of the Federal Arbitration Act. Hosted by the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association, Queer Trans People of Color (QTPOC), People’s Parity Project (PPP), and American Constitution Society (ACS).
HLS Plaintiffs’ Law Roundtable
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Please join the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association at the Plaintiffs’ Roundtable, Harvard Law School’s first ever exclusively plaintiff-side job fair. Joining students will be the leading plaintiffs’ firms in the profession, including many private public interest law firms, who combined have won billions of dollars in judgments on behalf of victims, consumers, shareholders, and working people everywhere. They look forward to introducing students to a career making people whole.
Fighting for the Essential Worker: Introduction to Employment Law
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
The Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association invites lawyers from Berger Montague, who will discuss how they fight – and win – against wage theft, worker misclassification, and employers who take advantage of their employees. We’re proud to co-sponsor this event with the Labor and Employment Action Project (LEAP).
Challenging Forced Arbitration Head-On
Thursday, November 12, 2020
The Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association and the People’s Parity Project (PPP) host partners from Keller Lenkner to talk about coercive forced arbitration clauses and the novel tactics plaintiffs’ attorneys are innovating to challenge — and defeat — abusive employers on their own turf.
Sexual Harassment Litigation in the Wake of #MeToo
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
A joint collaboration between the Harvard Women’s Law Association (WLA) and the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association, this event will profile FeganScott partner Elizabeth Fegan’s recent work in the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements and will explore the innovative legal strategies FeganScott employed to achieve success for survivors in effort to contextualize how Harvard Law students can combat injustice with the law.
Life as a Plaintiffs’ Lawyer with James E. Payne
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
The Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association hosts James E. Payne, a former big law attorney who is now a partner at a plaintiffs’ side law firm. Mr. Payne will speak about his career path, the specifics of plaintiffs’ side practice, and answer any questions about plaintiff side work that students may have.