New ABA resource helps lawyers navigate CAFA

 The American Bar Association Section of Litigation has released the definitive book on class action lawsuits. “The Class Action Fairness Act: Law and Strategy” is the only book entirely devoted to the Class Action Fairness Act, including a comprehensive legislative history chapter, flow charts on decision points, comparison charts for prior law and practical hints for both plaintiff and defense counsel.  


A true example of the power of collaboration that comes from the ABA, the book contains contributions from 21 authors, with most chapters including experts from both the defense and plaintiff camps. 

“The Class Action Fairness Act: Law and Strategy” is a simple roadmap with practical advice suitable for all practitioners who confront the complex and often confounding technicalities of the CAFA. The book analyzes the act’s provisions, which mark major departures from long-standing federal jurisdictional and class action law. 

In addition, the book provides a clearer picture of the statute, its case law and helpful strategies so attorneys can make better-informed decisions for their clients. It also chronicles the legislative history of CAFA, which makes the book an essential resource for legal reference libraries.

The editor, Gregory C. Cook of Birmingham, Ala., is chair of the Financial Services Litigation Practice Group at Balch & Bingham LLP, where he has practiced since 1991. He recently served for three years as co-chair of the ABA Class Actions and Derivative Suits Committee and is currently chair of the Business Torts and Antitrust Section of the Alabama State Bar. His practice centers on complex commercial litigation, with a concentration on class action defense (involved in defending more than 60 class actions). He is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, where he served as the executive editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.