Defending Class Actions in Canada is aimed at businesses that may become defendants in class actions in Canada and the lawyers who defend them. Companies doing business in this country now have an intense interest in the proliferation of class actions and the risks posed by that development to their operations. This book not only outlines all of the steps in such actions and the law that governs them, it provides a useful analysis on a national scale of the most important developments and predictions of future trends.

This report considers two central issues: whether Manitoba should adopt a class proceedings regime, and if so, what the defining features of that regime should be. After an introduction on the importance of class proceedings in improving access to justice, chapter 2 outlines the current Manitoba law on multi-party proceedings, provides a brief overview of class proceedings legislation in other jurisdictions, and describes the types of situations in which class proceedings have been used in those jurisdictions. Chapter 3 discusses reasons advanced for and against class proceedings, including access to justice, efficient use of judicial resources, windfalls for lawyers, and the effects on Manitobans of class proceedings in other jurisdictions. Chapter 4 proposes and discusses the features of a class proceedings regime, including general objectives, certification, class membership, costs and fees, and conduct of proceedings. The final chapter summarizes recommendations for reform and a proposed Class Proceedings Act is appended.

This groundbreaking volume of The ANNALS provides the first overview of class action laws and related mechanisms around the world. It features 30 "country reports" by leading scholars, describing the adoption, characteristics and consequences to date of class action and non-class group litigation procedures ranging across North and Latin America, Australia, Asia and Europe. In December 2007, Stanford Law School and the Oxford Centre for Socio-Legal Studies organized an international conference that studied the global spread of class actions and group litigation procedures. Scholars, jurists, and practitioners from around the world gathered to discuss and debate the use of group litigation procedures and initiate a research project on the evolution of class actions and aggregate litigation worldwide. This volume of The ANNALS is one result of that conference. Students, scholars and policymakers will find this anthology of reports to be an essential overview, providing a solid understanding of the effects of class actions around the globe.

Part I of the book provides a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction survey of the class action, group, collective, derivative, and other representative action procedures available across the globe. Each chapter is written from a local perspective, by an attorney familiar with the laws, best practices, legal climate, and culture of the jurisdiction.

Securities Litigation: A Practitioner's Guide can help companies cope effectively with this major challenge, by providing you with the guidance you need to help your clients get the competitive edge in securities class actions.

An expose of insurance injustice and a plan for consumers and lawmakers to fight it Over the last two decades, insurance has become less of a safety net and more of a spider's web: sticky and complicated, designed to ensnare as much as to aid. Insurance companies now often try to delay payment of justified claims, deny payment altogether, and defend these actions by forcing claimants to enter litigation. Jay M. Feinman, a legal scholar and insurance expert, explains how these trends developed, how the government ought to fix the system, and what the rest of us can do to protect ourselves. He shows that the denial of valid claims is not occasional or accidental or the fault of a few bad employees. It's the result of an increasing and systematic focus on maximizing profits by major companies such as Allstate and State Farm. Citing dozens of stories of victims who were unfairly denied payment, Feinman explains how people can be more cautious when shopping for policies and what to do when pursuing a disputed claim. He also lays out a plan for the legal reforms needed to prevent future abuses. This exposé will help drive the discussion of this increasingly hot- button issue.