Any insights on Dovel & Luner? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Dovel & Luner mailed a promotional "book" to every WLRK (junior?) associate's office a few weeks ago telling us to consider referring them for contingency/plaintiff's work. (have no idea if this was specific to WLRK and sort of assume not but never bothered to ask around)

book seemed ... fine? read into that what you will I guess

Sidley senior associate here. Also got the book.

[Anonymous User]

I interviewed with them. Part of the screener was a mock cross-examination.

Other than the cross, what kinds of questions did they ask you? And how hard was the cross?

[Anonymous User]

When I was in law school (grad 2016), I remember hearing about 7 figures to senior associates and you need top grades at H to even be considered.

Fast forward to now, I think every single one of the partners is a big LinkedIn personality now trying to expand their class action practice. I wonder if they're expanding or just trying to become a major class action player.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have any idea of their comp? I've seen a few anecdotal pieces talking about big bonuses in good years. But in general, do they pay market?/clerkship bonuses?

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have any idea of their comp? I've seen a few anecdotal pieces talking about big bonuses in good years. But in general, do they pay market?/clerkship bonuses?

According to ATL, their clerkship bonus is 140K.

They talk a ton about associate development. Can anyway say if that's just talk? Or do they really train ppl better than other lit shops?

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have any idea of their comp? I've seen a few anecdotal pieces talking about big bonuses in good years. But in general, do they pay market?/clerkship bonuses?

According to ATL, their clerkship bonus is 140K.

They talk a ton about associate development. Can anyway say if that's just talk? Or do they really train ppl better than other lit shops?

I don't work there but I wouldn't be surprised. Generally, plaintiffs' firms have greater latitude to give responsibility to associates. After all, it's in their interest to keep costs low and there aren't pesky general counsel complaining about associates crossing important witnesses on the stand.

[Anonymous User]

When I was in law school (grad 2016), I remember hearing about 7 figures to senior associates and you need top grades at H to even be considered.

Fast forward to now, I think every single one of the partners is a big LinkedIn personality now trying to expand their class action practice. I wonder if they're expanding or just trying to become a major class action player.

For a long time--and up until maybe 2017 or 2018 when the writing on the wall became clear with Judge Gilstrap--they handled patent-troll cases in E.D. Tex. almost exclusively. As that work dried up, they moved onto plaintiff-side class-action work. All the grating LinkedIn posts that started popping up around the same time smelled to me like part of the "transition plan."

[Anonymous User]

Their class action cases seem to fall into a couple of molds: (1) supplement mislabeling; (2) lawsuits against mid-sized and small online retailers for fake discounts, illegal auto-renewal policies, etc. They don’t do a lot of class action work in the auto defect, tech/privacy, or food labeling spaces, which are really saturated with good firms and have a high barrier to entry.

[Anonymous User]

Their class action cases seem to fall into a couple of molds: (1) supplement mislabeling; (2) lawsuits against mid-sized and small online retailers for fake discounts, illegal auto-renewal policies, etc. They don’t do a lot of class action work in the auto defect, tech/privacy, or food labeling spaces, which are really saturated with good firms and have a high barrier to entry.

Who are the "good firms" who are heavily involved in the advanced class action work?
I'd like to apply.

[Anonymous User]

Their class action cases seem to fall into a couple of molds: (1) supplement mislabeling; (2) lawsuits against mid-sized and small online retailers for fake discounts, illegal auto-renewal policies, etc. They don’t do a lot of class action work in the auto defect, tech/privacy, or food labeling spaces, which are really saturated with good firms and have a high barrier to entry.

Who are the "good firms" who are heavily involved in the advanced class action work?
I'd like to apply.

Hagens Berman, Cohen Milstein, and Edelson are the three firms that stand out because of a combination of size and sophistication. I work in a niche that is dominated by smaller plaintiff's firms, many of whom are very good. (Trust me when I say that lawyers from firms you've heard of can be very bad and lawyers from "The Law Offices of John Doe" can be really impressive.)

I should add that Dovel & Luner does a lot of THC mislabeling work as well, to the extent that's of interest.