A.J. de Bartolomeo | Tadler Law LLP

A.J. de BARTOLOMEO is a shareholder of Tadler Law LLP, with thirty years of experience prosecuting class actions, complex and collective matters in courts throughout the country. Ms. de Bartolomeo has earned a national reputation as a zealous and passionate advocate, “[S]he is not only extremely intelligent but is tireless in her representation of her clients and no one cares more about doing a great job for her clients than A.J.” ¹ Because of her experience and character, Ms. de Bartolomeo has been appointed by Courts as Lead or Co-Lead Counsel, or as a Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee member in numerous MDL class action, mass torts and bankruptcy proceedings. She has also served on Law and Briefing committees and been involved with Daubert challenge briefings in a number of these cases. Ms. de Bartolomeo has been named among the highest class of attorneys for professional ethics and legal skills with an AV-Preeminent™ rating by Martindale Hubbell and has been recognized by her peers as a Northern California Super Lawyer every year since 2013.

Ms. de Bartolomeo is committed to advancing opportunities for women lawyers. She is the former Chair of the Women’s Trial Lawyer Caucus of the American Association of Justice (2015-2016), where she oversaw the caucus’s work in leadership training, student scholarship, membership and political outreach, and other pro-civil justice functions. She is an active member of the American Bar Association Sections on Tort Trial and Insurance Practice and the Consumer Attorneys of California. She is a former member of the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Ms. de Bartolomeo is frequently an invited speaker before industry organizations and public corporations on the subjects of ethical procedures for client and case management, best settlement practices and procedures in complex litigation and MDL practice, ESI protocols and compliance, Daubert challenges, Federal Rule 37, corporate litigation risk management and compliance procedures, and class action notice and settlement administration. She has also authored articles on class action settlement procedures and best practices.

¹ Judge David R. Herndon (Ret.), U.S. District Court, S.D. Ill.

University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D. – 1988
Fairfield University, B.A. – 1982
London School of Economics, General Course Certificate in Economics – 1981

Case Leadership

Court-Appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee – In re Glumetza Antitrust Litigation
Co-Lead Counsel – Hope Solo v. United States Soccer Federation
Court-Appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee – In re Avandia Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation
Court-Appointed to the Plaintiffs Steering Committee and Co-Chair of the Plaintiffs’ Law and Briefing Committee and Daubert briefing team – In re Yasmin and Yaz (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation
Court-Appointed to the Plaintiffs Steering Committee and served on the Legal Briefing Committee – In re Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation
Lead Counsel – In re Motors Liquidation Company, et al., f/k/a General Motors Corp., et al. (Bankruptcy Litigation)
Court-Appointed to the Plaintiffs Steering Committee and served on the Daubert briefing committee – In re Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation
Co-Lead Counsel – Fitbit Cases, Special Title (Rule 3.550) Coordinated Proceeding
Co-Lead Counsel – In re Literary Works in Electronic Database Copyright Litigation
Court-Appointed to the Plaintiffs Steering Committee – In Re TVM Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation
Lead Counsel – In re Girls Gone Wild Consumer Fraud Litigation
Appointed by Co-Lead Counsel to the Discovery and Law and Briefing Committees – In re Medtronic, Inc. Implantable Defibrillators Product Liability Litigation
Second Chair to Co-Lead – In re American Express Financial Advisors Securities Litigation
Co-Lead Counsel – CalSTRS v. Qwest Communications, et al.
Lead Counsel – In re Cosmo Store Services
Lead Counsel – Telstar v. MCI, Inc.
Lead Counsel – Lehman v. Blue Shield
Second Chair to Co-Lead – In re PayPal Litigation
Second Chair to Co-Lead – In re MCI Non-Subscriber Telephone Rates Litigation
Lead Counsel – Powers Law Offices v. Cable & Wireless, USA
Co-Lead Counsel – In re America Online, Inc. Version 5.0 Software Litigation
Second Chair to Lead Counsel – Mitchell v. American Fair Credit Association

Awards

The Best Lawyers in America, 2023 Edition. (2023)
Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers, 2022 Edition. (2022)
Top U.S. E-Discovery and Information Governance Practice & Band-4 Notable Practitioner by Chambers USA (2021)
Included in The Best Lawyers in America® for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs (2020-2022)
Martindale Hubbell AV® Preeminent ™ Peer Review Rated for outstanding achievement and demonstration of the highest legal ability and professional ethics. (2004 – Present)
Rated by Northern California Super Lawyers (2013 - Present)
Top 50 Women Lawyers in Northern California by Super Lawyers (2017-2018)
Top Women Attorneys in Northern California (2014)
Above and Beyond Award, American Association for Justice (2018)
Distinguished Service Award, American Association for Justice (2016)

Media

Seminars

Moderator, "Complex Litigation – Class, Mass, Case Leadership and More!" (Consumer Attorneys of California Annual Conference, November 2022)
Co-Presenter, "Hot Topics in Electronic Discovery" (Practicing Law Institute, May 2022)
Co-Presenter, "Discovery in the Age of COVID- Remote Depositions and Discovery," (Western Alliance Bank Annual Class Action Forum, March 2022)
Co-Presenter, "Class Action and Mass Tort Leadership – Making Strides in Diversity" (Consumer Attorneys of California Annual Northern California Conference, March 2022)
Co-Presenter, "When the Settlement Is Just the Beginning" (American Bar Association Women in Products Liability Conference, November 2021)
Co-Presenter, "MDL Leadership Appointments, Committees, and Settlement Strategies: Tips and Advice to Help Navigate the MDL Process" (Western Alliance Bank Webinar Series, upcoming 2021)
Co-Presenter, "Protocols Around Non-Email Communications in Domestic & International Practice" (Global Advanced eDiscovery Institute, November 2020)
Presenter, "Mass Torts and MDLs" (Class Action Law Forum, March 2020)
Co-Presenter, "The Power of E-Discovery: Best Practices in the Tech Age" (Leadership Summit by Women’s Trial Lawyer Caucus, American Association for Justice, February 2020)
Moderator and Facilitator, "FAQs about Class Actions" (Consumer Attorneys of California Annual Conference, November 2019)
Team Co-Captain, "Brainstorming Group on the Need for Guidance and Uniformity in Filing ESI Under Seal" (Sedona Conference, September/October 2019)
Presenter, "Litigating MDLs from A to Z" (Harris Martin Conference, July 2019)
Presenter, "MDL Panel: How Do We Identify and Encourage Effective Case Management?" (The Rand Corporation, March 2019)
Presenter, "Federal Rule 23 Changes and Impact on Class Settlements" (Harris Martin Conference, January 2019)
Presenter, "Current Defense Tactics to Challenge Class Representatives and Class Counsel" (Consumer Attorneys of California: Class Actions and Mass Torts, June 2018)
Presenter, "Best Practices for Communications with Class Representatives and Putative Class Members" (HB Litigation: Class Action Mastery, May 2018)
Presenter, "Theories for Presenting Class Actions in the Opioid Litigation" (Harris Martin: Opioid Conference, March 2018)
Presenter, "Current Class Action Landscape in Opioids Multidistrict Litigation" (HB Litigation: Opioid Crisis – Claims, Damages & Science, January 2018)
Presenter, "Class Treatment: Can These Claims be Resolved as a Class Action?" (American Association for Justice: Opioid Litigation Seminar, September 2017)
Presenter, "Are You Going to Eat That? Issues, Hurdles and Opportunities in Food and Supplement Litigation" (26th Annual Spring CLE Meeting for the American Bar Association Tort and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS), Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Committee, April 2017)
Presenter, "Pharmaceutical Litigation: Business Implications for Unions and Their Members" (National Labor and Management Conference, February 2017)
Presenter, "Strategies for Dealing with Objectors to Class Action Settlements" (Consumer Attorneys of California: Class Action Seminar, February 2017)
Presenter, "MDL Steering Committee Appointments; Structure and Leadership; What’s the Plan B?" (Louisiana Bar Association: 16th Annual Class Action and Complex Litigation Symposium, November 2016)
Presenter, "Best Practices for Class Action Notice and Settlement Administration" (Harris Martin: Class Actions, July 2016)
Presenter, "Plastic in the Pelvis: Essure and Mesh Litigation" (Harris Martin: Women’s Health Litigation Conference, June 2016)
Presenter, "Combatting the Latest Defense Tactics in Mass Torts/ Plaintiff Practice (Spoliation and Rule 37)" (Consumer Attorneys of California Sonoma Travel Seminar, April 2016)
Presenter, "Mass Tort Claims, Daubert Challenges and Causation Issues" (25th Annual Spring CLE Meeting for the American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Committee, April 2016)
Presenter, "Volkswagen Emissions Class Action Status" (American Association for Justice: Plaintiffs’ Hot Topics and Trends in Litigation, December 2015)
Presenter, "Mass Torts in MDLs" (MCM Services Group: Mass Tort Conference, April 2015)
Presenter, "Litigation and Regulatory Risk Management in the Personal Care Products Industry" (New York Stock Exchange listed Company, Executive Session and General Counsel Legal Department, July 2014)
Presenter, "Suggested Best Practices for Compliance Training and Audit Procedures" (New York Stock Exchange listed Company, Legal and Compliance Departments, March 2014)
Presenter, "Ethical Best Practices in Client and Case Management" (American Association for Justice, Women Trial Lawyers’ Caucus Symposium, July 2013)
Presenter, "Case Studies on Best Practices in Qualified Settlement Funds" (Bridgeport CLE Program, March 2012)
Presenter, "Litigating Class Actions in Bankruptcy Courts, A General Motors Experience" (American Association for Justice, Women Trial Lawyers’ Caucus Wash. D.C. Lobby Days Seminar, May 2011)
Presenter, "Prepared for the Fact-finding Mission on Class Actions in the United States" (Kyoto Bar Association and Japan Federation of Bar Associations Symposium, June 2010)
Presenter, "Best Practices on Banking and Internal Compliance in Law Firm Management" (American Association for Justice, Women’s Leadership Summit, May 2010)

Professional Memberships

Georgetown Law School’s Academy for Electronic Discovery, Successful Graduate
- June 2019
American Association for Justice, Member and Board of Governor
American Bar Association, Member
Consumer Attorneys of California, Member and Board of Governor
The Sedona Conference®, Member
The Pound Institute, Member

Upcoming

State Bar of California, December 1988
U.S. Supreme Court, February 2001
U.S. Court of Appeals
- First Circuit, October 2003
  Second Circuit, June 2006
  Third Circuit, January 2018
- Fifth Circuit, January 2004
  Sixth Circuit, August 2008
  Ninth Circuit, December 1988
U.S. District Courts
- Northern District of California, December 1988
- Eastern District of California and Southern District of Texas, December 1993
- Eastern District of Michigan, October 1994
  Southern and Central
- Districts of California, December 1995
- Eastern District of Wisconsin, February 2010