Amir is the National Co-Chair of Shook’s Class Action Practice Group and co-leads Shook’s Automotive Industry Group. His practice is primarily dedicated to defending companies in class actions and aggregated litigation. In that area, Amir is recognized as one of the leading products class action lawyers in the United States, and regularly speaks on strategies to defend high stakes class actions.
Amir has led the defense of over 150 class actions throughout the United States, including successfully leading the defense of class actions with multibillion dollar exposure. He has defended national and international class actions in the United States, Australia, Canada and Israel. In the United States, Amir has led teams to successfully dispose of class actions in California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.
In securing positive results, Amir has helped pioneer favorable law in a number of areas, including personal jurisdiction challenges in class actions, class waiver arbitration clauses, developing limitations on consumer fraud and common law fraud theories, and curtailing injunctive relief classes. Amir has also helped develop the law to limit the impact of challenging state consumer protection laws such as California’s Unfair Competition and False Advertising Laws (Business & Professions Code § 17200 and § 17500).
Based on his class litigation acumen, Amir serves in a national class counsel role for six product manufacturers and distributors. He also regularly defends other companies in regional and specialty class action roles.
Beyond traditional class actions, Amir also serves as lead counsel in mass and aggregated litigation, including JCCP and MDL proceedings, and in managing class opt out litigation and mass arbitrations.
Representative Class Action Matters
Amir has successfully defended 150+ class actions of all types, including automotive, food, beverage, pet food, cosmetics, personal care products, and insurance class actions. Some of his recent cases include:
- Hawkins v. Ford Motor Company (C.D. Cal.): Defeated alleged unfair business practices class action.
- Philips v. Ford Motor Company (N.D. Cal.): Defeated multistate consumer fraud class action alleging power steering defect concealment.
- Sansoe v. Ford Motor Company (N.D. Cal.): Defeated consumer fraud class action alleging unfair marketing practices.
- Lohr v. Nissan North America (W.D. Wa. 2022): Defeated alleged unfair business practices class action.
- Lassen v. Nissan North America (C.D. Cal.): Defeated multistate consumer fraud class action alleging concealment of alleged defect.
- Drake v. Toyota Motor Sales (C.D. Cal.): Defeated consumer fraud class action.
- Roscoe v. Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. (Massachusetts): Defeated consumer fraud class action.
- Leon v. American Honda (In Re Continental Airbag Litigation) (S.D. Fl.): Defeated multistate consumer fraud class action alleging concealment of alleged airbag defect.
- Bovgirya v. American Honda (New Jersey): Defeated alleged unfair business practices class action.
- Sasso v. Tesla (North Carolina): Defeated consumer fraud class action.
- Fish v. Tesla (California): Defeated consumer fraud class action.
- Horowitz v. Tesla (N.D. Cal.): Defeated class claims via class waiver arbitration clause.
- Vinci v. Hyundai Motor America (C.D. Cal.): Defeated class action claiming concealment of alleged defect.
- Barnett v. Hyundai (C.D. Cal.): Favorable disposition of alleged Monrony error class action.
- Wallace v. SharkNinja (N.D. Cal.): Defeated consumer fraud class action.
- Rosenthal v. SharkNinja (New Jersey): Defeated consumer fraud class action.
- Lucero v. Tyson Foods (New Mexico): Defeated alleged unfair business practices class action.
- Fitzpatrick v. Tyson Foods (E.D. Cal.): Defeated putative consumer fraud mislabeling class action.
- Brown v. Madison Reed (N.D. Cal.): Defeated consumer class action.
- Lauchung-Nacarino v. Hostess Brands (N.D. Cal.): Favorable resolution of consumer fraud matter.
- James v. Hostess Brands (New York): Favorable resolution of consumer fraud class action.
- LaFontaine v. Mitsubishi Motors of North America (C.D. Cal.): Defeated California consumer fraud class action.
- Grossman v. Diamond Pet Food (E.D. Cal.): Favorable resolution of consumer fraud matter.
- Chaidez v. Esurance (C.D. Cal.): Disposed of insurance premium class action.
- Watkins v. MGA Entertainment (N.D. Cal.): Defeated consumer class action.
Pro Bono Matters
In addition to his regular practice, Amir also dedicates time to pro bono in areas that have included addressing domestic violence, eviction defense, homeless advocacy, civil rights and immigration appeals. His pro bono contributions have included TROs, trials and appeals, and he has been recognized for his pro bono efforts by local state and federal bar associations on nine separate occasions.
Publications and Presentations Highlights
Co-Presenter, Class Action Litigation Trends in 2023, Trial Lawyers of Mass Torts Conference, December 5, 2023.
Moderator, Cutting Edge Management of Complex Cases Breakout Track, Alameda County Bar Association Complex Litigation Symposium, November 27, 2023.
Co-Presenter, A View from the Bench: Trial Tips and Best Practices in Complex Litigation, Government Investigations and Civil Litigation Institute Annual Meeting, November 15, 2023.
Co-Presenter, Certification and Case Management, Global Class Actions Symposium 2023, November 13, 2023.
Co-Presenter, Navigating Landmines with Class Waiver Arbitration Clauses, American Bar Association Class Actions 2023, October 19, 2023.
Co-Presenter: Bellwether, Case Batching, and Other Case Management Tools and Protocols: Views From Both Sides, MassArbCon, September 5, 2023.
Panelist: Advisory Committee on Civil Rules Examination of Proposed Amendments to Rule 23(b)(3), Annual Review Class-Action Development Conference, July 21, 2023.
Co-Author: Product Liability & Safety 2023, Chambers and Partners, June 22, 2023.
Speaker: 2023 Motor Vehicle Product Liability Litigation Conference, American Bar Association, April 20, 2023.
Defending Clients in the New Era of Products Litigation, FDCC Corporate Counsel Symposium, October 16 - 18.
Co-Presenter: What’s on the Front Burner: Cutting Edge Issues in Class Actions, Mass Arbitrations & Opt-Out Litigation, Update of the Law CLE webinar, June 16, 2022.
Speaker: Best Practice in Resolving Class Actions and Addressing Parallel Opt-Out Litigation, 2022 Motor Vehicle Product Liability Litigation Conference, April 8, 2022.
Guest Lecturer at KU Law School: Automotive Class Actions, April 2022.
Co-Presenter: Hot Topics in Consumer Class Actions, IADC Mid-Year Meeting, February 20, 2022.
A Practitioner’s Guide to Class Actions, Third Edition, American Bar Association, November 2021 (National Co-Editor; also, co-author of chapters, “Automotive Class Actions” and “Food & Beverage Class Actions”).
Co-Presenter: Hot Topics in Consumer Class Actions, PLAC, June 17, 2021.
Moderator of Judges’ Panel: A View from the Bench: Judicial Insights on Managing Complex Litigation, ABA Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Conference Regional Program, San Francisco, CA, February 26, 2021.
Contributing Author: “California Pharmaceutical and Medical Device” Chapter, California CEB Practice Guide.
Moderator of Judges’ Panel: A View From the Bench Judicial Perspectives on Managing MDLs, JCCPs, and Other Aggregated Litigation, ABA Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Conference, New York, NY, October 25, 2019.
Speaker: Strategies in Managing Large Scale and Aggregated Litigation, Manufacturers’ Litigation Seminar, Los Angeles, CA, July 12, 2019.
Moderator: Recent Trends in Food and Beverage Class Litigation, ABA TIPS 28th Annual Spring CLE Meeting - Hot Topics in Toxic Torts and Environmental Law, Coronado, California, April 6, 2019.
Moderator of Judges’ Panel: A View From the Bench: Judicial Perspectives on Managing Complex Litigation, Diversity in the Courtroom and Developing the Next Generation of Lead Lawyers, ABA Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Litigation Conference, San Diego, California, April 5, 2019.
Moderator of Judges’ Panel: A View From the Bench: Best Practices in Managing Complex Litigation, Current Issues in Pharmaceutical, Medical and Biotech Litigation - ABA Section of Litigation Regional CLE Event, North Wales, Pennsylvania, November 8, 2018.
Moderator of Judges’ Panel: A View From the Bench: Best Practices in Managing Complex Litigation, ABA Life Sciences Legal Summit, San Francisco, September 26, 2018.
Panelist: Class Action Blockbuster: Key Developments in Consumer Class Litigation, ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, Los Angeles, May 4, 2018.
Panelist: Blockbuster Developments in Products Related Class Actions, ABA Motor Vehicle Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, April 2018.
Panelist: Protecting Your Company’s Brand: How to Minimize the Risk of a Consumer Class Action Lawsuit and Maximize the Chances of Winning if One Is Filed, Association of Corporate Counsel, San Francisco, December 4, 2017.
Moderator of Judges’ Panel: A View From the Bench: Best Practices in Mass Torts and Class Actions, ABA Life Sciences Legal Summit, September 2017.
Panelist: Recent Developments in Class Action Litigation, ABA TIPS Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Litigation Conference, April 2017.
Guest Lecturer at KU Law School: Automotive Class Actions, April 2017.
Panelist: Key Developments in Products-Related Class Actions, Perrin National Class Action Conference, May 2016.
Moderator: Key Developments in Class Action Litigation, ABA TIPS Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Litigation Conference, April 2016.
Program Co-Founder and Planning Committee: ABA National Class Action Symposium, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 2016.
Moderator: Recent Developments in Class Action Litigation, ABA National Class Action Symposium, March 2016.
Panelist: Key Developments in Class Action Litigation, ABA TIPS Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Litigation Conference, March 2015.
Speaker: The Current Battleground for Class Action Litigation: Class Certification and Managing Experts, Attacks on Pleadings in Class Claims, ACI Products Liability Conference, June 2014.
Panelist: Hot Topics in Class Action Litigation, ABA TIPS Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Litigation Conference, April 2014.
Moderator: Developments Affecting the Future of Class Action Litigation, ABA Annual Meeting, August 2013.
Speaker: Food Labeling Class Action Update, ABA Annual Meeting, August 2013.
Speaker: Using Class Action Waiver Arbitration Clauses, ACI Products Liability Master Class Workshop, June 2013.
Speaker: Class Action/Product Recall Interplay, SHB Update of the Law, June 2013.
Speaker: Consumer Fraud Class Actions, ACI Products Liability Conference, June 2013.
Speaker: The Blockbuster Developments in Class Action Litigation, ABA TIPS Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Litigation Conference, April 2013.
Panelist: The Blockbuster Developments in Class Action Litigation, ABA TIPS Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Litigation Conference, April 2012.
Moderator of Judges’ Panel: Judicial Perspectives on Managing Complex Litigation, ACI Products Liability Conference, June 2011.
Speaker: Recent Developments in Consumer Class Actions and Mass Torts, ABA TIPS Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Litigation Conference, April 2011.
Media Coverage
How Shook, Hardy & Bacon Is Mining Emerging Class Action Litigation Trends, The Recorder, February 2, 2021.