A class action takes off when these questions shall merit certain answers:

Are there enough people affected by the illegal practice to warrant a class action? ;

Do the affected people share common legal issues? ;

Are the claims of the person(s) bringing the suit typical of those of the entire class? ; and,

Will the law firm bringing the case be willing and able to represent the interests of the entire class?

The abovementioned probes, in legal parlance, address Numerosity, Commonality, Typicality and Adequacy of Information -- factors that law firms must consider prior to bringing a lawsuit as a class action. Satisfying this set of requirements qualifies a case as a Class Action, which according to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and comparable state rules, allow a large group of people with similar legal claims to join together in one civil lawsuit.

A comprehensible definition is: A Class Action Lawsuit is one filed by one or more people on behalf of themselves and a larger group of people having the same grievance. Technically, it is a procedural device used in litigation to determine the rights of and remedies, if any, for large numbers of people whose cases involve common questions of law and fact.

A class action lawsuit is a powerful tool that individuals can bring into play to enforce the law against large corporate firms and government entities. Thus, in a class action lawsuit, greater consideration is placed on the strength in numbers. In cases involving thousands of claimants, individual claims aggregated in a certified class poses substantial risks or even "bet the company" risks.

Chief in bringing the grievances and the corresponding counterattacks 'into play' are the class action lawyers whose roles may vary significantly across legal jurisdictions. As opposed to traditional individual, litigation, it is important, as it is astute for class action defense in today's world to gather a team of class action lawyers with multidisciplinary expertise, a deep background in class proceedings, and an appreciation for the unique questions posed by class.

First and foremost however, class action lawyers must appreciate that the class certification decision very likely may determine the result of the litigation. The greater responsibility then lies in maximizing the chances for class certification which is often more important to a litigation outcome than the merits.

Class action lawyers are to present aggressive, proactive defense strategies for attacking and defeating certification theories ? the so-called case-specific defenses that normally are distinct from the defenses to the ultimate merits of the case. Along these strategies, class action lawyers should know how to select and imaginatively use the best experts to oppose certification, frequently through use of scientific, marketing, economic and other expert testimony. Successful certification defenses have simply stopped litigation in its tracks.

Where right answers can prevent costly or catastrophic mistakes, forum can be critical. Class action lawyers then should employ innovative removal strategies to obtain the most beneficial forum possible. Class action lawyers are also expected to prevent negative media attention from tainting the court's view.

Of course we think class action lawsuits make huge profits for the amount of work they put in, and we are intrigued about how courts decide how much class action lawyers receive. And, in the first place, who pays the lawyers in a class action lawsuit?