At its core, the modern class action device was created to both increase efficiency and allow greater access to justice, while, at the same time, binding absent class members to promote finality. Class actions benefit plaintiffs by allowing them to share the burden and often enormous expenses of litigating complex cases against corporate defendants accused of widespread misconduct. Correspondingly, class actions benefit defendants by increasing efficiency, allowing them to litigate cases in a single forum against a small group of representative plaintiffs, while also providing the ability to resolve nearly all individual claims by binding absent class members. And it benefits the public by enhancing judicial economy and providing a mechanism for a "private attorney general" to deter widescale corporate misconduct where one may not otherwise exist.