As specialists in group actions, we are used to representing huge client cohorts to fight against common defendants. Many people may have a basic understanding of what a group action is, but most may not know exactly how the legal proceedings work in these lawsuits. A Steering Committee is normally one of the key elements needed to bring a group action to court.
We are always keen to demystify consumer claims for our clients, as we believe that understanding more about the process can help them to feel confident and reassured about their claim. Any claimants who join our group actions can be sure that we will keep them updated at every step of the process.
What is a Steering Committee?
A Steering Committee is usually made up of a group of law firms who are collaborating on behalf of their claimants in a group action. As part of the Steering Committee, these firms are usually responsible for the overall conduct of the group lawsuit.
In consumer law, we often see many claimants bringing claims about the same grievances. To pool together knowledge and resources, these similar individual claims can be brought together in a single group action. Then, if separate firms have created separate claimant groups regarding the same matter, they may choose to collaborate when bringing claims to court. When a formal Group Litigation Order is established, the firms chosen to lead the litigation can then be appointed to the Steering Committee.
When working together on a Steering Committee, each firm can bring its own expertise and evidence to the table, allowing the law firms to bring a strong case together. This can mean that the formation of a Steering Committee can help the claimants, as it can allow law firms to ensure their clients’ interests are being considered in the overall litigation.
Large group action cases
We are now involved with over 50 separate group and multi-party action cases, representing thousands of clients across several legal cases. These cover the emissions actions, data breaches like the British Airways hacks and the Virgin Media data breach, and infamous leaks like the 2015 56 Dean street Clinic leak.
Working across so many actions and on behalf of so many clients is our speciality. This has placed us as a leading group action law firm in the UK, and we continue to pursue cases in ground-breaking areas of law.
Having been the first law firm to bring claims to the High Court for our Volkswagen group action, we were later appointed to the Steering Committee for that litigation. Our role in this case allowed us to pave the way for the additional car emissions group actions that we are running against car manufacturers including Porsche, Nissan and Renault.
Claiming in a group action
When claimants join one of our group actions, they do not risk getting lost in the crowd. We can still consider each claim on an individual basis, bringing our knowledge and evidence from other claimants to the table to support the action as a whole. Our group actions really do embody the phrase “there is strength in numbers”.
If you think may have a compensation claim to make regarding a violation of your consumer rights, you can contact us for free, no-obligation advice on your potential claim.