A Visit from the Boogeyman: Jay Edelson– “Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar”– Rocks the House on the Latest WBD Ramble Podcast

Jay Edelson is a scary fella. He goes by the nickname of “the Boogeyman,” and I’m pretty sure that’s only because John Wick can’t sleep at night knowing Jay might be after him. He also happens to run Edelson PC — a “powerhouse” class action law firm and a true leader in privacy and high-tech related class actions.

In addition to remaining a frequent TCPA class action threat, Jay was one of the original founding fathers of TCPAland, responsible for the Satterfield decision that really touched off the explosive growth of TCPA suits across the country.

Jay sat down with the Czar via the Womble Bond Dickinson FIREline to discuss his personal path from a lawyer that was fired from a boutique just 4 years out of law school, to the founder of one of the country’s most powerful class action names. In the revealing interview Jay also espouses strong and unlikely opinions about the TCPA and class action lawyers practicing in this space.

For instance, Jay once lobbied Congress to limit the statutory damages available in TCPA class actions:

“I thought that the statute had to be reigned in a little bit. I thought that the idea of the statutory damages was fairly aggressive… my suggestion was that there should be a limit- a cap-when it comes to class actions.”

-Jay Edelson, on the Womble Bond Dickinson Ramble  (July 12, 2018 Record Date)

Interesting, no?

Nonetheless, the Czar and the Boogeyman certainly did not see eye to eye on everything. After accusing the Czar of running his podcast like a Republican Congressman conducting an investigatory panel *cough* Jay unleashed on student loan lenders:

“[Student loan companies] steal billions and billions of dollars from students throughout the country.”

-Jay Edelson, on the Womble Bond Dickinson Ramble  (July 12, 2018 Record Date)

Tell us how you really feel Jay.

And on the topic of brutal honesty:

“[TCPA class action objectors] fil[e] objections, in my view, just to extort class counsel… [and] class counsel has been incentivized to go along with it because they don’t believe the settlements are good… Its the class counsel’s fault–when they give someone a check for $500,000.00 that means these guys are going to object to everything.”

-Jay Edelson, on the Womble Bond Dickinson Ramble  (July 12, 2018 Record Date)

He also said that “virtually all” TCPA class action settlements that he hasn’t been personally involved in are “horrible.”

That’ll leave a mark.

Jay was obviously a great guest with intriguing insights and controversial viewpoints aplenty.

Listen to the interview – found here — to learn:

Why did Jay chide TCPA plaintiff’s lawyers for treating TCPA class action settlements as if they were a “game”?

Why is Jay on record stating that TCPA litigation is boring?

Why does Jay believe that ACA Int’l is actually bad for business?

How does Jay approach TCPA class settlements and how does that approach differ from other TCPA Plaintiff’s attorneys?

What are Jay’s thoughts on Spokeo–it was his case after all–and its impact on TCPAland?

What did the Czar say that genuinely hurt Jay’s feelings?

Does Jay and his colleagues really play two hours of volleyball a day on a custom-built court located in their Chicago-penthouse office?

Who designed Edelson PC’s ridiculously cool website and how can you find the bio for the firm’s polar bear mascot?

Finally, listen to hear the Czar and the Boogeyman talk trash over their much-hyped volleyball faceoff to take place in Chicago this year.

Although the interview is contentious at times, there’s no doubt that Jay is a fan of tcpaland.com:

“I’ve been listening to your podcasts. Love what you guys are doing…. [You’re] just fun to listen to.”

-Jay Edelson, on the Womble Bond Dickinson Ramble  (July 12, 2018 Record Date)

Thanks Jay! I’m still going to smash you at volleyball though.

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Editor's note: This article is provided through a partnership between insideARM and Womble Bond Dickinson. WBD powers our TCPA case law chart and provides a steady stream of their timely, insightful and entertaining take on this ever-evolving, never-a-dull-moment topic. WBD - and all insideARM articles - are protected by copyright. All rights are reserved.

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