LORI E. ANDRUS is a leader in the fight for equal pay. With nearly two decades of experience battling corporate giants, Ms. Andrus puts her legal skills to work for working women who deserve to be paid fairly. In 2017, Ms. Andrus was selected as a finalist for the California Consumer Attorney of the Year award in recognition of her role in negotiating a cutting edge settlement with Farmers Insurance on behalf of their female attorney employees who alleged they were paid less than their male counterparts doing the same work.
Ms. Andrus specializes in class actions and complex litigation, work that encompasses many subject areas. She represents individuals who have been harmed by dangerous pharmaceuticals or medical devices, defrauded or discriminated against by large corporations, or sold defective products. Ms. Andrus also has considerable experience in individual personal injury cases.
Ms. Andrus has received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating (AV) for legal ability and ethical standards, and was recognized as a “Top 50” Northern California Super Lawyer in 2016. In 2015, the National Law Journal named Ms. Andrus as one of the nation’s 75 “Outstanding Women Lawyers.”
Ms. Andrus prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts across the country. In one of her most memorable litigation experiences, Ms. Andrus and a team of plaintiffs’ lawyers represented a class of crawfish farmers whose crops were killed by pesticides. The case, West v. G&H Seeds, et al., Case No. 99-C-4984-A, State of Louisiana, 27th Judicial District Court, Parish of St. Landry, settled during trial for $45 million.
Ms. Andrus is a recognized leader in mass torts. She is currently an appointed member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (“PSC”) in the Essure Birth Control Device J.C.C.P. litigation in California State Court. Previously, she was a member of the PSC in the Yaz/Yasmin California J.C.C.P. litigation, and for the Ortho Evra Multidistrict Litigation in federal court in Ohio. She also served as the Co-Chair of the Science/Experts Committee in the Guidant Heart Device Multidistrict Litigation in federal court in Minnesota.
Ms. Andrus, originally from Louisiana, completed her undergraduate work at Boston University, earning cum laude distinction. Between college and law school, Ms. Andrus worked for two Members of Congress in Washington, D.C., first for U.S. Representative Rick Boucher from Virginia, then for U.S. Representative James Hayes, from Louisiana. After graduating with honors from Duke University School of Law, Ms. Andrus joined the law firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, where she was promoted to partner after five years of practice. As a partner at Lieff Cabraser, Ms. Andrus played a leadership role in nationwide consumer class cases and defective pharmaceuticals cases.
Ms. Andrus is a sought-after speaker, and she regularly presents on cutting edge legal topics. This year, Ms. Andrus will address audiences across the country about how the legal system can help level the playing field in the workplace. In past years, Ms. Andrus lectured at the Consumer Attorneys of California’s Annual Convention on the latest tactics in fighting forced arbitration, and was a featured speaker at the California Employment Lawyers’ Association Advanced Wage and Hour Seminar. Ms. Andrus regularly speaks at continuing education events for the San Francisco Trial Lawyers’ Association, and the American Association for Justice, and was honored to speak at The Impact Fund’s 10th Annual Class Action Conference.
Ms. Andrus is regularly featured in the print media. The Los Angeles Times followed the Farmers Insurance equal pay litigation, and the Daily Journal and the Recorder have both written multiple articles about Ms. Andrus’ equal pay cases. Her innovative legal strategies in a medical malpractice case were highlighted in The Daily Journal. She was quoted in The Daily Journal’s “For Some, Preemption Looks Like Tort Reform,” and in Trial Magazine, “Dangers of Birth Control Patch Come to Light.” Ms. Andrus is a regular contributor for the American Association for Justice’s Trial Magazine. In May 2012, The Daily Journal featured Ms. Andrus and her partner, Jennie Lee Anderson, in a profile titled “Stepping It Up.” To read the article, click here.
Ms. Andrus is also recognized for her long-term commitment to diversifying leadership in complex legal matters. In 2017 and 2018, Ms. Andrus co-chaired Duke University School of Law’s Symposia titled Increasing the Number of Women and Minority Lawyers Appointed to Leadership Positions in Class Actions and Multidistrict Litigation. Ms. Andrus has also earned plaudits for her stewardship of Women En Mass, an annual retreat for women practicing in mass torts. In just a few short years, WEM’s pioneering efforts to promote women lawyers in mass tort leadership has paid great dividends.
Ms. Andrus serves as President-Elect for the American Association for Justice (“AAJ”). She also serves on the Board of Governors of Consumer Attorneys of California, and on the Advisory Board for Emerge California, a women’s political training program. She is a Past Chair for the Women Trial Lawyers’ Caucus of the AAJ and is a Member of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers’ Association, the American Constitution Society, Public Justice, Women Lawyers of Alameda County, California Women Lawyers, and the American Bar Association. An active member of the California Bar, Ms. Andrus is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Northern, Central, Eastern and Southern Districts of California. Ms. Andrus is also admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New York.