Meet the Mediators Who Brokered $1B in 401(k), Bias Settlements

Thousands of employment-related class actions are filed each year in federal courts across the nation, and both sides tend to turn to a small group of high-profile attorneys known for their track records in reaching big-ticket settlements.

Mediators—usually neutral attorneys who help the parties to negotiate an agreement to end their dispute—play a key role in most if not all of the major federal court employment-related class actions that are settled. When settlement talks start, some lawyers look at the names of the mediators proposed by opposite counsel to judge how serious the party is about engaging in negotiations.

Mediators ...