Gibbs Law Group Partner Speaks at Qualified Settlement Funds Conference

A. J. De Bartolomeo, a partner at Gibbs Law Group LLP, recently gave a presentation at the Bridgeport Qualified Settlement Funds Conference in San Francisco, CA. The conference, which was held on March 15, 2012 at the Le Meridien Hotel, offered attorneys, accountants, and claims administration professionals the opportunity to learn more about the settlement and claims process in complex litigation, class actions, and mass actions.

Ms. De Bartolomeo brought to the conference a wealth of experience through years of working on major cases that involved Qualified Settlement Funds. The presentation, titled “Qualified Settlement Funds: What Every Attorney Should Know”, discussed best practices for establishing and administering a settlement, including settlement agreements, class notices, claim forms, and settlement distribution.

Ms. De Bartolomeo was instrumental in establishing settlement funds in the American Express Financial Advisors settlement, which settled for approximately $100 million, as well as for the Hyundai and Kia Horsepower class action. In addition, she assisted setting up the settlement fund in the H&R Block Express IRA class action on behalf of consumers who alleged that tax firm did not adequately explain the financial consequences and limitations of their IRA products.

Ms. De Bartolomeo has more than twenty years of experience in class actions and complex litigation, including cases involving securities, antitrust, telecommunications, consumer protection, and personal injury. She has served in leadership roles in several major mass tort cases. She has been appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the Yaz & Yasmin mass tort and to the Law and Briefing and Discovery Committees in the Medtronic Defibrillator litigation, where she worked, and in some cases continues to work, to direct the litigation on behalf of hundreds of plaintiffs.

Bridgeport, which hosted the event, is a provider of continuing education to a variety of professionals, focusing on important and emerging legal issues. Gibbs Law Group attorneys have been featured speakers at a number of Bridgeport events in the past.