Rising Star: Robbins Geller’s Ting H. Liu

by Sarah Jarvis
Law360
Article is reprinted with permission from Law360.

Law360 (July 31, 2024, 4:29 PM EDT) -- Ting H. Liu of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP helped investors secure a $350 million settlement against Alphabet after the Google parent company suffered a data breach, earning her a spot among the securities law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

Her biggest case:

Liu said that shortly after she joined Robbins Geller in 2018, she helped draft a complaint against Alphabet alleging that the company misled investors about a data breach and data security vulnerabilities at the company. Google had admitted that a software glitch it discovered and patched had allowed third-party app developers to access the private profile data of 500,000 users of its Google+ social media site. 

After The Wall Street Journal disclosed the breach, Alphabet’s stock price tanked. From filing an amended complaint in 2019 to working on key motions and discovery, Liu helped secure a settlement in that case . . . .

She said it was a unique experience to take on a company as large as Alphabet when she was just starting out as a new associate, but it was challenging to overcome a California federal court’s 2020 decision to grant Alphabet’s motion to dismiss. Additionally, handling that work during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic presented another wrinkle, as she and her colleagues adapted to social distancing and remote work.

Liu and the Robbins Geller team filed an appeal that ultimately led to a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit reinstating the case and vacating the lower court’s dismissal of the complaint.

“It was a challenge at that first step to be dismissed, but overall, we overcame that,” Liu said. “And in the end, it's one of my most outstanding cases and the one I'm most proud of.”

In April, U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson gave the initial green light to the $350 million settlement. If approved, the deal would represent the fifth-largest securities class action recovery in the Northern District of California, according to the firm, and Robbins Geller noted that it would also be the largest recovery for a privacy-related securities fraud.

Her most interesting case:

Liu is also part of the Robbins Geller team litigating a case against utility company FirstEnergy Corp., stemming from a $1 billion bribery scandal that took down the former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives.

Liu said she never thought she would have the chance to litigate a case like this as a securities fraud attorney, noting that in addition to affecting Ohio residents and their energy rates, the case is intertwined with politics.

“FirstEnergy entered into a [deferred prosecution agreement] with the FBI, and that has just made that whole underlying foundation of that case very interesting,” Liu said. “Usually we don't get a full confession from a company in a securities fraud case, but in that case we had one.”

She added that securities fraud law was unique because the facts of each case were “so incredibly different,” noting that she has worked on matters including data vulnerabilities, healthcare and teledentistry.

“It's fun to be able to dig into these different types of cases and different facts,” Liu said.

What motivates her:

Liu is motivated by her parents, who she said immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan after communism overtook China and started over by learning a new language, adapting to a new culture and working hard.

“They worked incredibly hard to provide the life my sister and I had — to have a roof over our heads, never want for anything, provide us the best education they could,” Liu said. “So I really think about them as I'm sitting here as a partner here at this firm, going to advocate for those who may not necessarily be able to bring an action against Alphabet or Google and giving those individuals or investors who've been damaged by corporate fraud a voice.”

She also said that on a day-to-day basis, her colleagues at Robbins Geller motivate her with their work, creativity and diligence, and that she tries to live up to the standards they have set.

Why she's a securities attorney:

Liu said she was drawn to securities law so she could help advocate for those who suffer harm from large corporations.

“We go up against these giant companies, and as an individual investor or an individual plaintiff, there's no way for you to bring a case — much less a class action — and pay for experts, IT and millions of documents downloaded,” Liu said. “So I think I knew from the beginning of law school that I really wanted to advocate for those people.”

She added that while she was clerking for California U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Battaglia, she met some Robbins Geller attorneys and was attracted to their advocacy for people who lost their retirement money due to corporate fraud.

How she thinks the legal industry will change in the next 10 years:

Liu said artificial intelligence technology such as ChatGPT will impact the legal profession in the years to come, though it's unclear exactly how. But with the younger generation growing up with easy access to this technology, she's keeping an eye on its impacts going forward.

She speculated the technology could handle work including writing letters to the court, though she wonders how it will affect firms, clients and attorneys.

“How do we deal with privacy for our clients and privacy with our company by downloading something into a third party application?,” Liu asked. “I think those are all really interesting questions.”

--As told to Sarah Jarvis. Editing by Karin Roberts.

Law360's Rising Stars are attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age. A team of Law360 editors selected the 2024 Rising Stars winners after reviewing nearly 1,200 submissions.
Attorneys had to be under 40 as of April 30, 2024, to be eligible for this year's award. This interview has been edited and condensed.

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