SHC Photo

Stephen H. Cassidy

Partner, Director of Marketing

  • "One of the nation's premier plaintiffs' firms."

    American Lawyer

  • "Representing the best qualities of the plaintiffs' bar."

    The National Law Journal

  • "Their effective and caring advocacy for clients has earned Lieff Cabraser its first-class reputation."

    The Daily Journal
  • NLJ Hot List icon

Attorneys

An Advocate for Consumers

AV Peer Review badgeA partner in our San Francisco office, Stephen represented home owners in litigation against the leading title insurance companies in California. Settlements in the cases brought a total of $50 million for consumers, and resulted in industry-wide changes in the providing of escrow services. Stephen litigated against multiple banks and credit card companies, helping to stop these companies from charging improper late and overlimit fees and promoting and selling worthless add-on products.

In the firm's multi-state tobacco litigation, Stephen investigated a half-century of efforts by the tobacco industry to promote smoking by teenagers. He deposed senior tobacco marketing executives and succeeded in obtaining the production of documents from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (RJR) on current marketing programs. The documents produced by RJR included its infamous "Project SCUM" campaign.

Upon the successful conclusion of the historic litigation, Stephen drafted a lengthy letter to California Attorney General Bill Lockyer calling for him to bring an enforcement action against RJR for advertising in magazines with a high teen readership. The Attorney General filed a lawsuit against RJR in 2001. Three years later, a settlement was reached requiring RJR to pay a $17 million fine and cease its advertising in magazines with a teen audience of 15% or more of its readers.

Today, Stephen oversees Lieff Cabraser's marketing efforts and actively participates in the investigation and review of new cases in the firm's consumer, environmental, and personal injury practice areas. For the past four years, he has served as a Governor on the Board of Governors of the Consumer Attorneys of California.

Awards & Honors

  • AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

Prior Employment

  • Law Clerk to U.S. Magistrate-Judge Joan S. Brennan (1989-1990)
  • Alameda County Public Defender's Office (1990-1991)
  • Marin County Public Defender's Office (1991-1992)
  • Motions Attorney, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (1992-1994, 1996-1997)

Publications & Presentations

  • “Magnetix Toy Injuries: A Failure to Inform Safety Regulators,” OpEd News (2009)
  • “Restoring Patient Rights and Promoting Safer Medical Device,” OpEd News (2009)
  • “Internet Marketing for Plaintiffs’ Firms,” CAOC Conference (May 2004)
  • “Enhancing the Role of Law Firm Marketing Departments,” LexisNexis Law Firm Marketers’ Roundtable (November 2003)
  • Contributing Author, California Class Actions Practice and Procedures (Elizabeth J. Cabraser editor in chief, 2003)
  • Co-Author, “Decisions Interpreting California’s Rules of Class Action Procedure,” in Survey of State Class Action Law (ABA 2001)
  •  “The Newest Member of the Nuclear Club: Pakistan’s Drive for a Nuclear Weapon’s Capability,” 12 Hastings Int’l & Comp. L. Rev. 679 (1989)

View Full Biography

View Short Biography

  • NLJ Hot List icon

Practice Areas

Education

  • University of California, Hastings College of the Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1989)
    Hastings International and Comparative Law Review (Associate Managing Editor, 1988-1989); Order of the Coif; Thurston Society; American Jurisprudence Awards for Real Property, Evidence and American Legal History

     

    Georgetown University (B.S.F.S., 1986)

Memberships

  • Alameda Contra Costa Trial Lawyers' Association

  • American Association for Justice

  • American Bar Association
    (Litigation Section)

  • Bar Association of San Francisco

  • Consumer Attorneys of California
    (Board of Governors, 2007-2010)

  • Public Justice Foundation

  • San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association

  • State Bar of California

Admissions

  • California

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California

In the News

Offices

Representative Cases