Sheppard today announced the appointment of a four-partner national leadership team for its Class Actions and Mass Arbitrations practice, strengthening the firm’s coordinated approach to defending businesses against increasingly complex litigation risks.
The leadership team includes partners Wynter Deagle (San Diego/Del Mar), Thomas Panoff (Chicago), Mark Rackers (San Diego) and Kari Rollins, (New York). Together, they lead efforts to integrate the firm’s capabilities across jurisdictions and disciplines, helping clients anticipate emerging litigation threats, develop coordinated defense strategies, and navigate disputes spanning multiple industries.
The appointments come amid a significant increase in consumer class action litigation. According to research compiled by Sheppard, consumer-protection class action filings reached 7,650 in 2025, an increase of more than 40 percent year over year, driven in large part by federal class actions rooted in antitrust, privacy and cybersecurity. Meanwhile, the American Arbitration Association (AAA) received 104,556 new consumer mass arbitration demands across 81 unique caseloads in 2025, with entertainment, gaming, retail, financial services, hospitality, travel and telecommunications among the most active sectors.
“Businesses are navigating an increasingly complex litigation environment, where evolving technologies, regulatory requirements and consumer expectations are creating new and often overlapping risks,” said co-leader Mark Rackers. “Our clients need more than strong courtroom advocates. They need strategic partners who understand their businesses, anticipate emerging challenges and bring together the right expertise across jurisdictions. This leadership team reflects our commitment to delivering that coordinated, forward-looking counsel.”
Sheppard’s national approach brings together class action and mass arbitration defense with experience in consumer claims, false advertising, antitrust, product issues, financial services, ERISA, insurance, securities, privacy, cybersecurity and regulatory matters. By coordinating expertise across practices and offices, the team aims to help clients identify potential vulnerabilities earlier, respond effectively to disputes and align litigation strategy with business priorities.
“The class action landscape is evolving rapidly, and businesses need to think differently about how they manage litigation risk,” said co-leader Kari Rollins. “We’re seeing growing exposure tied to digital business practices and increasingly sophisticated mass arbitration strategies. Our focus is on helping clients get ahead of these challenges with coordinated defense strategies that account for both the legal risks and commercial realities of their businesses.
About Sheppard’s Class Actions and Mass Arbitrations Practice
Sheppard’s Class Actions and Mass Arbitrations practice defends companies nationwide in high-stakes disputes involving consumer claims, privacy and data use, false advertising, product issues, financial services, ERISA, insurance and securities. The team takes a practical, business-focused approach. We assess risk early, pursue efficient resolution at the pleading, class certification or summary judgment stage when possible, and litigate through trial and appeal when necessary. The practice also represents companies facing coordinated mass arbitration campaigns and helps clients reduce exposure before claims arise by evaluating arbitration and alternative dispute resolution provisions, developing early defense and case-management strategies, and guiding negotiations, mediations and arbitrations involving thousands of claimants.