Dena Sharp simplifies even the hardest issues in complex litigation. She currently serves as co-lead counsel in In re Xyrem Antitrust Litigation, In re Juul Labs Inc. multidistrict litigation, and In re California Gasoline Spot Market Antitrust Litigation. She also serves as co-lead counsel for a certified class in the In re Restasis Antitrust Litigation, and as a member of the End-Payer Steering Committee in the massive In re Generic Pharmaceuticals Pricing Antitrust Litigation. In addition, Dena is privileged to represent clients of a fertility center whose eggs and embryos were compromised by a freezer tank malfunction.
As co-lead counsel in In re Lidoderm Antitrust Litigation, a “œpay-for delay” antitrust case that settled for $104.75 million on the eve of trial, Dena worked with her team to win class certification, defeat summary judgment, and obtain the largest recovery for a class of end-payers in similar federal litigation in more than a decade. She has also played a key role in a variety of other high-profile cases, including representing investors in litigation arising from Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy and in matters involving Ponzi schemes and accounting fraud.
Outside the courtroom, Dena was elected to the American Law Institute in 2018 and is the current co-chair of the Lawyer Representatives to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference for the Northern District of California. Dena has served as co-chair and faculty member of the annual Judicial Training Symposium for Federal Judges, hosted by the Federal Judicial Center and the Electronic Discovery Institute. She sits on the board of directors of the Impact Fund, a public interest nonprofit, and serves as a vice chair of the Advisory Council for the Duke Law School Center for Judicial Studies. Dena also co-authored the widely-cited Sedona Principles: Best Practices and Principles for Electronic Document Production (Third Edition), and a chapter in the ABA's “œClass Action Strategy and Practice Guide.”
The National Law Journal has recognized Dena as an “œElite Woman of the Plaintiffs' Bar” for two consecutive years, honoring her as one of only a handful of lawyers nationwide who has “œconsistently excelled in high-stakes matters on behalf of plaintiffs” over the course of her career. In 2021, Dena was named one of the “œBest Lawyers in America.” Dena has also been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer or Rising Star every year since 2009.
Dena is a graduate, cum laude, of the University of California, Hastings College of Law, where she was a member of the Thurston Society and received the Best Oral Advocate and Witkin awards. She graduated magna cum laude from Brown University. During law school, Dena externed for the Honorable Phyllis J. Hamilton of the Northern District of California, and the Honorable John E. Munter of the San Francisco Superior Court. A first-generation American, Dena is fluent in Spanish and German.
