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Course Details

Course Information
  • smart_display Format

    Live Online with Live Q&A

  • signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level

    Intermediate

  • work Practice Area

    Class Action and Other Litigation

Date & Time
  • event Date

    Thursday, October 16, 2025

  • schedule Time

    1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT

  • timer Program Length

    90 minutes

Credit Information

  • This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.


  • Live Online


    On Demand

Early Bird Pricing!
MSRP
$297.00
$247.00
Save $50.00

Discount expires 8/28/25

This course is $0 with these passes:

CLE
ALL

This CLE course will prepare defense counsel to depose and plaintiffs' counsel to defend depositions of class representatives in class litigation. The panel will outline techniques for effectively preparing or questioning class representatives and offer strategies to leverage deposition testimony during certification, settlement, and trial.

Faculty

David T. Biderman
Partner, Chair Consumer Products and Services Litigation
Perkins Coie

Mr. Biderman focuses his practice on mass tort litigation and consumer class actions. He represents packaged food companies, coffee companies, dairy companies, footwear companies and others whose nutritional or health claims have been challenged. Mr. Biderman also has represented search engines and other online companies. For 15 years, he managed the firm’s full-service product liability team responsible for defending over 1,000 toxic tort cases pending in Los Angeles and Northern California state courts. Mr. Biderman speaks and writes regularly on class action issues.

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Josh A. Rubin
Counsel
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Mr. Rubin represents clients spanning numerous industries in complex commercial matters at all stages of litigation, from initial investigations through trial. He combines strong advocacy skills with a commitment to understanding and servicing the specific needs of each client. Mr. Rubin has extensive experience representing individuals and companies in a wide range of business disputes, including breach of contract, business torts, securities fraud, civil RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), intellectual property, employment law and unfair competition law. Prior to joining Akin, Mr. Rubin served as a law clerk to the Honorable Margaret M. Morrow in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

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Description

In deposing class representatives, the defense counsel's goal is to uncover evidence showing that the plaintiff cannot adequately represent the interests of the entire class and to identify differences among the class representative and absent class members that demonstrate a lack of commonality within the class. Oftentimes in consumer protection cases, the class representative will make other significant concessions.

The class representative's answers to the deposition questions will allow both plaintiff and defense counsel to better prepare for the next steps, depending on counsels' assessment of whether the information obtained strengthens or weakens the adequacy, typicality, and commonality showing.

Listen as our authoritative panel of class litigators discusses effective techniques for taking and defending depositions of class representatives and strategies for using deposition testimony during certification, settlement, and trial.

Outline

I. Qualities of a compelling class representative

II. Deposition timing

III. Deposition location

IV. Preparing the class representative

V. Preparing to depose the class representative

VI. Deposition strategies

VII. Post-deposition strategies: class certification, settlement, trial

Benefits

The panel will review these and other key issues:

  • What types of questions and questioning techniques will maximize the information obtained from named plaintiffs during depositions?
  • What are effective ways to prepare the plaintiff for their deposition?
  • What are some techniques for defending a named plaintiff deposition?
  • How are class litigators incorporating social media into the deposition process?
  • How can deposition testimony be used during class certification, settlement, and trial?