Law360 Profiles Robbins Geller’s Jason Alperstein as a 2017 Rising Star
On August 7, 2017, Law360 published an in-depth profile on Robbins Geller partner Jason H. Alperstein after naming him a Rising Star for 2017 in the category of Consumer Protection last month. The article highlights his work on the In re Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Mktg., Sales Practices, & Prods. Liab. Litig. case, discusses his motivations for becoming a lawyer, and ends with some advice for young attorneys starting their careers in consumer practice.
Law360 commended Alperstein for “being chosen to work closely with Robbins Geller founding partner Paul Geller to assist the plaintiffs’ steering committee in the Volkswagen litigation that ended in aggregate settlements of more than $17 billion for consumers affected by the illegal ‘defeat device’ the automaker installed on almost 600,000 of its diesel-engine vehicles."
“Working with Paul Geller on the Volkswagen case gave me an incredible opportunity to show how I could immediately contribute to the success of the firm,” Alperstein told Law360. “From day one, I got to work with Paul, who many consider to be one of the top class action attorneys in the country, on one of the biggest class actions in history. It was an amazing way to start my career at Robbins Geller.”
In the case, Alperstein helped prosecute claims on behalf of almost 600,000 consumers who were misled into purchasing and leasing Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche vehicles that were marketed as environmentally friendly, yet emitted toxic pollutants up to 40 times the legal limit permitted by the EPA. “I’ve never been so fully invested in a case on a daily basis the way I was with Volkswagen, where I was essentially on call 24/7 since the inception of the case,” Alperstein noted. “The speed at which we had to work to achieve a resolution was certainly a challenge.”
When asked what motivated him to become a lawyer, Alperstein told Law360 of his parents’ immigration to the United States from South Africa, adding that he credits his parents for making “significant sacrifices” so that he could get the education required to succeed. “It is those sacrifices, and the belief my parents always had in me, that motivate me to work as hard as I can to be successful not only as a lawyer, but as a husband and father,” Alperstein said.
In taking his position as an officer of the court very seriously, Alperstein stated that with the “position comes the power and responsibility to promote and ensure justice in our legal system. I wanted to be on the right side of the ‘v’ and stand up for those who could not stand up for themselves. With firms like Robbins Geller out there, dedicating their resources to achieving excellent results for aggrieved plaintiffs in class actions and MDLs, corporations are kept in check and wrongdoing is prevented from occurring in the future.”
For attorneys new to consumer protection practice, Alperstein advised them to remember that “nothing happens easily” when going up against large corporations, noting that he had to learn the value of preparation when going to trial. “While it is certainly important to enjoy what you do and be motivated every day you go to work,” Alperstein added, “the most important thing you can do as a young lawyer is . . . to make sure you have the type of job, and are surrounded by the type of people, that contribute to your professional development and constantly challenge you to produce high-quality work.”