Biography
Biography
Lesley Weaver is the Partner in Charge of BFA’s California office, and the head of BFA’s Antitrust and Consumer Litigation Teams, and has received multiple honors throughout her career. For nearly thirty years, Lesley has litigated high profile cases that protect the public interest, consumers, and public entities and has been appointed to leadership positions in some of the largest class actions in the country.
Lesley has recovered billions of dollars for consumers, small businesses, and public entities in consumer, antitrust and securities matters in the course of her career. In December 2022, Lesley and the team announced the historic settlement of the privacy claims against Facebook arising out of the Cambridge Analytica scandal of $725 million, in which she was Co-Lead Counsel. The case generated many notable, cutting-edge decisions, some of which can be found here.
The settlement has set a new, high bar for resolving privacy class actions on behalf of consumers not just in the United States but also around the world.
Lesley previously served on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee “legal dream team” in In re Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litig., MDL No. 2672 CRB (JSC). The PSC in the Volkswagen litigation recovered roughly $14.7 billion for class members and nearly $5 billion for the environment, the largest automotive class action recovery ever. In June 2017, Lesley was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee bringing claims against Fiat Chrysler and Bosch in In re Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep EcoDiesel Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability, MDL No. 17-MD-02777-EMC (“Fiat Chrysler”). Like Volkswagen, that lawsuit provided significant financial relief to consumers arising out of the emissions defeat devices, resulting in consumer payments of roughly $400 million and another $350 million for the environment. In 2015, Lesley won a complete jury verdict in one of the few privacy cases to go to trial in the country, which awarded 100% of economic damages and $15 million in punitive damages. Lesley is also actively involved in various antitrust matters, including In re Local TV Advertising Antitrust Litigation, which seeks redress against providers of local television advertising who shared pricing information with each other to artificially increase prices for small business.
Lesley has received numerous awards throughout her career. Most recently, she was named by The National Law Journal as one of just ten Elite Women in the Plaintiffs’ Bar nationally in 2023; one of the Top 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers as well as Financial Lawyers by Lawdragon; one of the Top 100 Plaintiffs Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers; and the prestigious recognition as California Attorney of the Year in 2018 by the Daily Journal. She has been deemed a SuperLawyer since 2016; holds an antitrust ranking in Chambers; and was inducted into the Fellows of the American Bar Association in 2017.
Currently, Lesley is a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in In re Google RTB Consumer Privacy Litigation, a nationwide class action challenging Google’s practice of sharing and selling users’ personal information through Google’s digital ad auction system, Google Real-Time Bidding (RTB); and is a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in In re ZF-TRW Airbag Control Units Products Liability Litigation, a class case alleging that the ZF-TRW airbag and seat belt control units in over 15 million cars are defective and may prevent airbags from inflating in the event of crash.
Lesley also has extensive experience in representing sophisticated institutional investors in landmark securities actions. Some of those cases include: In re Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc. Securities Litigation ($400 million settlement); In re Cavanaugh Securities Litigation (including an appeal to the Ninth Circuit concerning the method of selecting lead plaintiff and lead counsel after the enactment of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (“PSLRA”)); In re Cardinal Health Inc. Securities Litigation ($600 million settlement); and In re Cisco Systems, Inc. Securities Litigation ($99 million settlement). Lesley also recently served as liaison counsel in In re Twitter Secs. Litigation, which resolved for $805 million in 2022.
Lesley is committed to public service through volunteer efforts. She currently serves as Chair of the Executive Committee of the Securities Section for the Bar Association of San Francisco, as well as Chair of BASF’s cybersecurity and privacy committee. She has been a repeat presenter at the Bolch Institute’s MDL Certificate training program, and is one of the original drafters of the Duke MDL Diversity Guidelines. She has been honored to serve as a panelist at multiple seminars by the Practicing Law Institute; the California Lawyers Association; the BA; the Golden State Institute; Women En Masse; California ABOTA; and many others. She is a past Co-Chair of Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom; a past Co-Chair of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center; past National Chair of the National Center for Lesbian Rights; and past Vice-President and Director of the Board of the Frameline Film Festival. She has served on the advisory board for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights; the board of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (now OutRight); and volunteers for Rotary, having been a Rotary exchange student herself.
Lesley speaks German and Danish, and is proficient in French.
Lesley has recovered billions of dollars for consumers, small businesses, and public entities in consumer, antitrust and securities matters in the course of her career. In December 2022, Lesley and the team announced the historic settlement of the privacy claims against Facebook arising out of the Cambridge Analytica scandal of $725 million, in which she was Co-Lead Counsel. The case generated many notable, cutting-edge decisions, some of which can be found here.
The settlement has set a new, high bar for resolving privacy class actions on behalf of consumers not just in the United States but also around the world.
Lesley previously served on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee “legal dream team” in In re Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litig., MDL No. 2672 CRB (JSC). The PSC in the Volkswagen litigation recovered roughly $14.7 billion for class members and nearly $5 billion for the environment, the largest automotive class action recovery ever. In June 2017, Lesley was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee bringing claims against Fiat Chrysler and Bosch in In re Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep EcoDiesel Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability, MDL No. 17-MD-02777-EMC (“Fiat Chrysler”). Like Volkswagen, that lawsuit provided significant financial relief to consumers arising out of the emissions defeat devices, resulting in consumer payments of roughly $400 million and another $350 million for the environment. In 2015, Lesley won a complete jury verdict in one of the few privacy cases to go to trial in the country, which awarded 100% of economic damages and $15 million in punitive damages. Lesley is also actively involved in various antitrust matters, including In re Local TV Advertising Antitrust Litigation, which seeks redress against providers of local television advertising who shared pricing information with each other to artificially increase prices for small business.
Lesley has received numerous awards throughout her career. Most recently, she was named by The National Law Journal as one of just ten Elite Women in the Plaintiffs’ Bar nationally in 2023; one of the Top 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers as well as Financial Lawyers by Lawdragon; one of the Top 100 Plaintiffs Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers; and the prestigious recognition as California Attorney of the Year in 2018 by the Daily Journal. She has been deemed a SuperLawyer since 2016; holds an antitrust ranking in Chambers; and was inducted into the Fellows of the American Bar Association in 2017.
Currently, Lesley is a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in In re Google RTB Consumer Privacy Litigation, a nationwide class action challenging Google’s practice of sharing and selling users’ personal information through Google’s digital ad auction system, Google Real-Time Bidding (RTB); and is a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in In re ZF-TRW Airbag Control Units Products Liability Litigation, a class case alleging that the ZF-TRW airbag and seat belt control units in over 15 million cars are defective and may prevent airbags from inflating in the event of crash.
Lesley also has extensive experience in representing sophisticated institutional investors in landmark securities actions. Some of those cases include: In re Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc. Securities Litigation ($400 million settlement); In re Cavanaugh Securities Litigation (including an appeal to the Ninth Circuit concerning the method of selecting lead plaintiff and lead counsel after the enactment of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (“PSLRA”)); In re Cardinal Health Inc. Securities Litigation ($600 million settlement); and In re Cisco Systems, Inc. Securities Litigation ($99 million settlement). Lesley also recently served as liaison counsel in In re Twitter Secs. Litigation, which resolved for $805 million in 2022.
Lesley is committed to public service through volunteer efforts. She currently serves as Chair of the Executive Committee of the Securities Section for the Bar Association of San Francisco, as well as Chair of BASF’s cybersecurity and privacy committee. She has been a repeat presenter at the Bolch Institute’s MDL Certificate training program, and is one of the original drafters of the Duke MDL Diversity Guidelines. She has been honored to serve as a panelist at multiple seminars by the Practicing Law Institute; the California Lawyers Association; the BA; the Golden State Institute; Women En Masse; California ABOTA; and many others. She is a past Co-Chair of Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom; a past Co-Chair of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center; past National Chair of the National Center for Lesbian Rights; and past Vice-President and Director of the Board of the Frameline Film Festival. She has served on the advisory board for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights; the board of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (now OutRight); and volunteers for Rotary, having been a Rotary exchange student herself.
Lesley speaks German and Danish, and is proficient in French.
PRACTICES & SERVICES
RECOGNITION
- Selected in 2023 and 2024 as Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers
- Selected as "Super Lawyer" by Thomson Reuters
- Selected to Lawdragon's 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers Guide
- Selected to The National Trial Lawyers list of the Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers
- Selected to The National Law Journal Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar
- 2018 California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) Award
- Named as Top 10 Influential Plaintiff-Side Antitrust Lawyers in California
EDUCATION
University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1997
Harvard College, A.B., magna cum laude, 1992
University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, 1991
Harvard College, A.B., magna cum laude, 1992
University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, 1991
ADMISSIONS
Delaware (2008)
California (1997)
U.S. Courts of Appeals:
California (1997)
U.S. Courts of Appeals:
- Ninth Circuit (1998)
- N.D. Cal. (1997)
- E.D. Cal. (1998)
- C.D. Cal. (1998)
- S.D. Cal. (1998)
- E.D. MI (2019)