Brent W. Landau of Hausfeld.

Brent Landau, Hausfeld

In 2018 alone, Landau successfully brought three landmark cases to completion while helping secure an historic Supreme Court victory in another. 

Landau served as co-lead counsel for the 12-year-old Air Cargo litigation. Class members received settlements from over 30 defendants totaling more than $1.2 billion. Landau served as one of the lead settlement negotiators, presented the opening and closing arguments at a multi-day class certification hearing and successfully argued in opposition to the defendants' summary judgment motions.

As court-appointed counsel in a RICO lawsuit alleging that State Farm defrauded 4.7 million policyholders out of a $1.05 billion judgment by secretly working to elect an Illinois Supreme Court justice, Landau and the plaintiff team secured a number of pre-trial victories in 2018, including defeating two summary judgment motions and the exclusion of certain of State Farm's experts. After picking a jury in August 2018, the parties reached a $250 million settlement. He also served as co-lead counsel in a case alleging price-fixing in the market for distribution of dental supplies. In 2018, the class of over 150,000 dentists achieved an $80 million settlement.

In June 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in favor of a class of Vitamin C purchasers and against Chinese manufacturers that claimed to have been compelled to fix prices by the Chinese government. The firm serves as co-lead counsel, and Landau has worked on the case for over a decade, including as part of the trial team that secured a $162.3 million judgment.

What career path would you have pursued if you weren't a lawyer?

I considered becoming a journalist, which I always saw as being about the pursuit of justice and truth—so perhaps not very different from what I do now.

Name a mentor or someone you admire.

I have had the privilege of knowing and learning from Michael Hausfeld for nearly two decades. While he is rightly known as a strategic visionary and master negotiator, he also has taught me a great deal about how to be a thoughtful law firm leader.

What is the best advice you ever received?

The advice my parents gave me, which is the same advice I give to my sons: always try your best.

In 50 words or less, what does the legal profession need to do to prepare the next generation of lawyers?

We need to focus our efforts on promoting lawyer wellness, which is why Hausfeld has pledged its support for the ABA's innovative campaign to improve well-being in the legal profession. Only by first taking care of ourselves can we be in a position to help others.

What's the one piece of advice would you give someone when dealing with a crisis?

Ask for help.