What is lead counsel / class counsel?

Class counsel, sometimes called lead counsel, is the attorney or law firm a court appoints to represent the interests of the entire class, including negotiating any settlement and litigating the case through trial if needed. Courts select class counsel by weighing factors including prior experience with similar cases, resources, and knowledge of the applicable law, and can appoint co-lead counsel when multiple firms filed related cases.

Class counsel owes duties to the whole class, not just the named plaintiffs who hired them first, which is one reason courts scrutinize proposed settlements and fee requests at the fairness hearing. Attorneys' fees in a class settlement are typically either a percentage of the total settlement fund or a court-reviewed hourly-rate calculation (a 'lodestar'), and either method requires judicial approval before payment. Individual class members generally do not need to hire their own lawyer to receive a settlement payment.

Last reviewed 2026-08-22.