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Edelson PC is an American law firm with attorneys in Illinois, Colorado, and California. The firm, which focuses mainly on consumer technology class actions, has been derisively called the “Most Feared and Loathed Firm in Silicon Valley” by Business Insider.

History
In 2007, the firm, then known as KamberEdelson, was formed as a merger between two smaller firms in order to pursue new forms of privacy and consumer technology class action lawsuits. Since then, the firm has undergone several name changes, including Edelson McGuire, Edelson LLC, and finally Edelson PC.

Firm Culture
Edelson PC’s “uber casual” culture is based off of a non-hierarchical start-up model, as opposed to the more rigid environments typically associated with law firms. Physically, its office space has garnered national attention for its unique aesthetic, including being recognized as one of the best law office spaces in America in a 2012 national Above the Law survey.

Edelson PC’s office culture has been the focus of several articles and publications. A journalist for Chicago Lawyer Magazine noted that “[Edelson PC] associates had to once consider walking the hallways with protective glasses because of an ongoing battle waged with modified Nerf guns,” and the office has been described as “a high-energy place with a lot of noise.” Above the Law reports that the firm provides free lunches to its associates, who eat together in the firm’s main conference room—the "ping pong room." Founder and Managing Partner Jay Edelson views his emphasis on a relaxed office culture as a “better way to run a law firm—less hardcore, less rigid. . . . You can actually enjoy being a lawyer and practicing law.”

In 2013, the firm hired an actor to pose as a summer associate as an elaborate icebreaker. See video.

Associate Training
Jay Edelson has been named by the American Bar Association as “one of the most creative minds in the legal profession” for his views on associate training and firm management.

The firm adopts an unconventional training system that Edelson has termed “guided independence.” As Edelson describes it, all Edelson PC associates, regardless of their level of experience, are expected to take responsibility for their caseload. Knowing that this is the expectation, Edelson PC trains its associates to use their knowledge of their cases and their personal skill sets to make their own decisions, take on greater responsibility, and contribute to case management and strategy in a more meaningful way.

Edelson PC has also been recognized for its unique summer associate program. In a 2013 article published by Bloomberg Law, Edelson called for an “end to the summer associate sideshow” and urged law firms to begin treating their summer associates like the “almost-lawyers they are.” Though Edelson PC conducts formal seminars and mentoring programs, Edelson stresses the importance of exposing summer associates to “meaningful, substantive work—drafting dispositive motions, writing sections of appellate briefs, taking the lead on discovery issues, and weighing in on litigation strategy”—to assess the capabilities of each summer associate. As a way of recognizing the value that each respective summer associate brings to the firm, Edelson PC offers signing bonuses to the summer associates who accept offers for full-time employment.

Privacy Cases
Edelson PC has been recognized as a “pioneer[] in the electronic privacy class action field, having litigated some of the largest consumer class actions in the country on this issue." Some of their more notable privacy cases include Harris, et al. v. comScore, where they certified the largest privacy case to date ; Curry, et al. v. Avmed, where the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued a ruling extending the damages recoverable to consumers who are victims of a data breach, leading to commentators claiming that it has the potential to result in billions of dollars for consumers ; and Gawronski, et al. v. Amazon.com, Inc., et al. where they claimed that Amazon illegally deleted copies of users’ e-book versions of George Orwell's  1984.

Banking and Financial Services Cases
Edelson PC's notable banking class action litigation includes a case against Wells Fargo under the Home Affordable Modification Program ("HAMP"). In a landmark opinion from the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the court recognized the right of private litigants to sue to enforce  HAMP applications and trial plans. In delivering the opinion, the court noted that “prompt resolution of this matter is necessary not only for the good of the litigants but for the good of the country.” The firm also won a settlement with JPMorgan Chase challenging the bank’s suspension of home equity credit lines ("HELOCs") in the wake of the  housing market collapse in 2008. The resulting settlement reinstated between $3.2 and $4.7 billion worth of HELOCs.

Recently, Edelson PC filed a complaint on behalf of a class of individuals alleging negligence and fraud against the then-largest bitcoin exchange in the world—Mt. Gox—in response to the theft of 750,000 bitcoins (nearly $500 million) from the exchange.

Rod Blagojevich
In 2009, the firm was chosen to head former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's defense of civil lawsuits brought against him. Shortly thereafter, the firm won a seminal split decision in the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit extending absolute legislative immunity to the former governor over allegations that he accepted campaign contributions in exchange for signing legislation.