Jack Baumann

Jack is a seasoned litigator with experience representing clients in high-stakes commercial disputes in state and federal courts throughout the country, as well as in arbitration. Class action defense represents a cornerstone of Jack's practice—he is one of the firm's leaders in this area and has built an impressive track record of success.  Jack has successfully defended nearly 100 class actions across a wide spectrum of legal issues, including cases involving right of publicity claims, Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) violations, invasion of privacy claims, wage-and-hour disputes, tribal lending matters, securities litigation, and consumer fraud allegations.

Jack understands that each consumer class action case presents unique dynamics and, as a result, he is careful to tailor the defense to best fit the case and achieve the right outcome as efficiently as possible. In every case, Jack works to develop factual and legal angles that have not previously been exploited, while remaining keenly aware of the economics in these types of lawsuits and working in parallel to develop creative solutions that work for both sides.  His work in this area has earned him recognition on the Benchmark Litigation 40 & Under List in 2025 and as a Lawdragon 500 "Next Generation" Class Action Defense attorney in both 2023 and 2024.

Among his recent notable successes, Jack served as lead trial counsel in class action lawsuits filed against a major genealogy company alleging its DNA testing should be subject to HIPAA and HITECH restrictions, with plaintiffs seeking damages and broad public injunctive relief. Jack led the strategy to compel the claims to individual arbitration and successfully defended the arbitration agreement in multiple challenges. He then first-chaired three separate arbitrations involving multiple fact and expert witnesses, securing complete defense victories in every case, with three separate arbitrators rejecting plaintiffs' claims in their entirety and denying all relief.

Jack also recently led the successful defense of several right of publicity class actions, defeating claims at both the pleading stage and on summary judgment where plaintiffs sought billions of dollars in damages. His successes in these cases have earned multiple recognitions in Law.com's "Litigator of the Week" column.

Jack recently served as co-lead counsel in a case filed in the Southern District of Illinois under Illinois' Genetic Information Privacy Act, taking the strategic step of moving for summary judgment concurrently with the answer, ultimately leading plaintiffs to voluntarily dismiss their case with prejudice.

As lead counsel in a case filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court against a property management software company, Jack secured dismissal with prejudice of claims under California's Rosenthal Fair Debt Collections Practices Act.

Additionally, Jack has demonstrated his ability to reshape complex, high-stakes litigation inherited at advanced stages. In a sprawling wage-and-hour class action in the Northern District of California involving more than 140,000 California employees, Jack took over after classes were certified and fact discovery had closed. He developed a creative strategy based on the existing record that enabled his client to re-raise certification issues through Daubert motions, ultimately leading to the exclusion of each of plaintiffs' billion-dollar damages models and plaintiffs' liability expert. Jack's approach to class action defense extends beyond the courtroom, recognizing that these high-profile matters often require a multifaceted strategy. He has proven adept at managing the collateral challenges that frequently accompany class action litigation, including navigating media scrutiny, coordinating responses to Congressional inquiries, and maintaining productive relationships with governmental agencies.

Outside the office, Jack enjoys spending time outdoors with his three young children, surfing, and camping.