Winston & Strawn appoints two class action partners for Bay Area expansion

Winston & Strawn appoints two class action partners for Bay Area expansion

Winston & Strawn, a top 50 US law firm, has hired two class action litigators, Troy Yoshino and Eric Knapp, from Squire Patton Boggs in San Francisco. The move is part of the firm's effort to target growth in California. Yoshino and Knapp had been with Squire for six years, having joined from California-based law firm Carroll Burdick & McDonough when it was absorbed by Squire in 2016.

Winston & Strawn's Chairman, Tom Fitzgerald, has stated that growth in Northern California is a priority for the firm. He has emphasised that the firm has already made significant progress in boosting its presence in California, having acquired the litigation boutique Scheper Kim & Harris in Los Angeles in February 2021.

"Troy and Eric are outstanding class action litigation attorneys who bring blue-chip representation experience at the intersection of health care, automotive, insurance, and financial services. Their addition underscores Winston's continued growth in the Bay Area and expands our leadership in class action defense and complex litigation matters," San Francisco office managing partner Joan Fife said.

Troy Yoshino specialises in defending class actions across a range of areas including consumer claims, employment, privacy, financial services, insurance, and toxic tort.

He has a successful track record of coordinating class actions and defending clients facing litigation in multiple jurisdictions globally. Additionally, he is an experienced appellate lawyer, having handled appeals at the Supreme Court of the United States and various federal circuits and state appellate courts.

Eric Knapp focuses on defending companies against class actions in state and federal court. He handles cases involving consumer protection law violations, product defects, toxic torts, unfair business practices, and wage and hour law violations. He has clients in various industries, including automotive, insurance, chemicals, and food and beverage, among others, and some of his clients are among the largest corporations in the world.

Yoshino is excited to join Winston & Strawn, known for its expertise in complex class action matters, including toxic torts and product liability. "As multidistrict and class action cases continue to evolve and become increasingly complex, I'm excited to join my new colleagues along with Troy to help navigate critical issues in the Bay Area and beyond, Yoshino said."

The addition of the class action litigators Troy Yoshino and Eric Knapp to Winston & Strawn's San Francisco office will bring the total number of lawyers in the office to 31, with 14 of them being partners. Most of the lawyers in the San Francisco office are part of the firm's litigation team, including Fife who leads the labour and employment group and represents employers in class action litigation.