Bar Review Lawsuit Gets Class Action Status

A U.S. District Court has extended class action status to an antitrust lawsuit brought against BAR/BRI, the largest provider of bar review courses in the U.S.

The suit accuses BAR/BRI of entering an illegal agreement with Kaplan to divide the LSAT and bar exam preparation market in order to keep course prices artificially high. "If we prove BAR/BRI and Kaplan, Inc violated the antitrust laws, several hundred thousand young lawyers who paid too much for their bar prep. courses will get some of their money back," lead counsel Eliot Disner said in a press release issued by his firm, McGuireWoods LLP. Disner alleges that BAR/BRI overcharged students by as much as $1,000 per course.

BAR/BRI estimates that approximately 9 out of 10 law students in the U.S. take one of its bar review courses.

Approximately 300,000 law students are believed to be eligible to take part in the lawsuit.

Source: "Federal Judge Certifies Class of Former Law Students Using BAR/BRI and Kaplan and Installs Special Master" - press release issued by McGuireWoods LLP (Los Angeles, CA), May 16, 2006