We are pleased to share with you the BakerHostetler 2014 Year-End Review of Class Actions, which offers a summary of some of the key developments in class action litigation during the past year. Class action litigation continues to persist in all areas of civil litigation, and the doctrines governing class action disputes came under particular scrutiny at all levels of the judiciary, both federal and state, in 2014—a trend that appears poised to continue in 2015. Following in the footsteps of an active Supreme Court in 2013, lower federal courts spent much of 2014 identifying and filling in doctrinal gaps that will shape class litigation for the foreseeable future.

We hope you find this Review a useful tool as you move forward into the new year. This comprehensive analysis of last year's developments in class action procedure and jurisdiction, as well as developments by subject matter will hopefully provide context and insight as you look ahead to 2015's expected trends in class action law, including the increasing emphasis on fine-tuning class certification requirements, the continued proliferation of employment and privacy class action litigation, and the impact of certiorari denials that leave in place landscape-shifting lower court decisions.

The Review is a joint project of the firm's Class Action Defense, Antitrust and Competition, Privacy and Data Protection, Securities Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement, Appellate and Major Motions, and Employment Class Actions practice teams and is the fruit of collaborative efforts of numerous attorneys from across the firm.