Biography
SEAN COMMONS has deep experience litigating complex matters, including class actions and qui tam claims. He assists clients faced with class actions, mass actions, and coordinated proceedings brought under state and federal consumer protection, unfair business practices, common law, and usury statutes, including the UCL, CLRA, EFTA, FCRA, FDCPA, the “Holder Rule,” RICO, and TCPA. Sean handles class actions and qui tam complaints in state and federal courts, including through appeal, on behalf of clients in the automotive, banking, consumer electronics, entertainment, insurance, food supplement, food product, pharmaceutical, software, and defense industries.
In addition, Sean assists clients in implementing individual arbitration, forum selection, and choice-of-law provisions in consumer contracts. He also has advised clients regarding document retention policies.
The Daily Journal recognized Sean and the trial team that successfully represented Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. in a rare jury trial class action by naming the case to its Top Verdicts report, highlighting the largest and most significant verdicts in California in 2018. Sean was recognized by Variety in its 2022 “Legal Impact Report,” and was named “Rising Star in Class Action” litigation by Law360 in 2015. California Lawyer magazine awarded him with a 2014 California Lawyer “Attorneys of the Year” (CLAY) Award. His distinguished pro bono work earned him the ACLU 2016 Humanitarian Award and ACLU 2017 and 2012 Access to Justice Award. Sean has also been recommended in Legal 500 United States 2015 and 2016 for Product Liability and Mass Tort Defense.
Experience
Representative Matters
Sean has represented the following select matters:
- Defeating class actions at pleading, certification, summary judgment, and trial.
- Enforcing arbitration, forum selection, and choice-of law provisions, including to defeat or narrow the scope of class actions.
Community Involvement
Membership & Activities
- Board Member, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
- Member, Sidley Los Angeles Pro Bono Committee
- Member, Sidley’s Office of General Counsel
Pro Bono
- Assist immigrants and veterans in class and individual proceedings.
Credentials
- U.S. Supreme Court
- 美国第四巡回上诉法院
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
- 美国联邦巡回上诉法院
- 美国区域法院, 加州东部
- 美国区域法院, 加州北部
- 美国区域法院, 加州中部
- 美国区域法院, 加州南部
- U.S. District Court, W.D. of Wisconsin
- 美国加州
- 美国南加州大学法学院, 法学博士, 2001, Order of the Coif, Law Review, Law Alumni Award
- University of California, Berkeley, 文学学士, 1997
- George H. King, 美国区域法院, 加州中部 (2001-2002)