Class actions
Overview
Our class action team has a market-leading reputation that began in 1999 when Colin Biggers & Paisley advised on Australia’s first major class action.
Since then, our team has defended a broad range of class actions including shareholder, securities, investments, products, mass tort and employment class actions involving listed entities, financial services, manufacturing, education and retail sectors.
In addition to acting directly for major listed and privately owned corporations, our class action team is the ‘go to’ team for insurers when their insureds face a class action.
We also have significant experience in advising insurers in respect of coverage and monitoring. This experience adds another dimension to the insight, acuity and skill we bring to helping clients make the best decisions in fraught times.
Class actions are a mainstay of the Australian litigation landscape and represent a constant risk for companies and governments. Few forms of litigation have the same potential for business distraction, reputational and financial damage as class actions.
For more than 25 years Colin Biggers & Paisley has acted in group proceedings, multi-plaintiff claims and representative actions across Australia.
Our reputation has been built on consistently displaying a level of skill, tenacity, tactical nous, procedural excellence and teamwork that gives clients the assurance they value when dealing with high stakes class actions.
We are well known for acting in class actions involving companies in distress or liquidation. These actions rely heavily on insurer participation to coordinate a defence and execute a resolution strategy.
Our significant experience, as defence, coverage and monitoring counsel, provides a unique skillset in understanding and managing insurers' expectations and managing class actions in a cost-effective and timely manner. We ensure the defendant is positioned to make early assessments on the prospects of success and any appropriate settlement offers to be made.
Partners in our team are consistently recognised in respected guides including Chambers & Partners and Best Lawyers in Australia and the class actions practice is ranked in Legal 500.
‘Colin Biggers & Paisley are very good at managing complex disputes, often involving difficult insurance positions.’ Legal 500 2025 - Dispute Resolution: Class Actions
