Happy birthday, CAFA. And what a first year CAFA’s had! The CAFA Law Blog is preparing to celebrate CAFA’s First Birthday, so we decided to throw a party. Not that we needed a reason to throw a party, but we recognized that the passage of the Class Action Fairness Act in February of 2005 so quickly and dramatically revolutionized the class action landscape, that it remains – even one year later – dramatically different — some would even say virtually unrecognizable — to many experienced practitioners. Most of CAFA’s provisions and how they should be applied in the real world are still a mystery — even to those who have studied CAFA extensively.

While early court rulings by the score interpreting the initial CAFA skirmishes have laid down crude road markers for counsel attempting to guide their clients through the class action minefield, there are confusing, and even competing, fundamental conflicts in those markers, which lead litigants down dual, and often competing, forks in the road. And the stakes are too high. As Yogi said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” So, to help interpret the map, we’re issuing birthday party invitations to join CAFA Law Blog’s panel of experts for lunch on our Live Webcast as they report from the front lines and answer your questions, including:
– Where have first the major CAFA battle lines have been drawn?
– What are the various strategies utilized by the troops, both plaintiffs and defendants, in the trenches, and which have proven successful?
– What are the dangers, and where are the traps and pitfalls on the battlefield for unwary combatants?
– What do the outcomes of the early battles mean for you and your clients today? Where will the next major battles be fought? Where’s the CAFA Revolution headed?
Our panel of experts will help interpret the road markers and prepare you for the next battles. The panel and CAFA Law Blog welcome advance questions and comments regarding the upcoming Webcast, so feel free to drop us an email and tell us what you think. Tell us the issues you would most like to see the experts discuss. One thing’s for sure: based on the wide array of CAFA issues being litigated so intensely by so many during the first year, the final outcome of the CAFA Revolution will not be decided for years. Join us for the birthday party!