Aelish Marie Baig is a partner in Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP’s San Francisco office. She specializes in federal securities and consumer class actions. She focuses primarily on securities fraud litigation on behalf of individual and institutional investors, including state and municipal pension funds, Taft-Hartley funds, and private retirement and investment funds. Aelish has litigated a number of cases through jury trial, resulting in multi-million dollar awards and settlements for her clients, and has prosecuted securities fraud, consumer and derivative actions obtaining millions of dollars in recoveries against corporations such as Wells Fargo, Verizon, Celera, Pall and Prudential. Aelish, along with other Robbins Geller attorneys, is currently leading the effort on behalf of cities and counties around the country in In re National Prescription Opiate Litigation. Additionally, she prosecuted an action against Wells Fargo’s directors and officers accusing the giant of engaging in the robosigning of foreclosure papers so as to mass-process home foreclosures, a practice which contributed significantly to the 2008-2009 financial crisis. The resulting settlement was worth more than $67 million in cash, corporate preventative measures and new lending initiatives for residents of cities devastated by Wells Fargo’s alleged unlawful foreclosure practices. Aelish was part of the litigation and trial team in White v. Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless, which resulted in a $25 million settlement and Verizon's agreement to an injunction restricting its ability to impose early termination fees in future subscriber agreements. She was also part of the team that prosecuted dozens of stock option backdating actions, securing tens of millions of dollars in cash recoveries as well as the implementation of comprehensive corporate governance enhancements for numerous companies victimized by their directors’ and officers’ fraudulent stock option backdating practices. Additionally, Aelish prosecuted an action against Prudential Insurance for its alleged failure to pay life insurance benefits to beneficiaries of policyholders it knew or had reason to know had died, resulting in a settlement in excess of $30 million. Aelish has been named a California Trailblazer by The Recorder and a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers Magazine. She joined the Firm in 2004 after having previously practiced with Lawless & Lawless in the area of employment discrimination where she litigated and tried numerous cases to successful outcomes. Aelish serves as a Board member for Legal Aid at Work, a highly respected non-profit organization committed to enforcing and strengthening the civil and employment rights of low-wage workers in California and across the country. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and her Juris Doctor degree from American University, where she was senior editor of the Administrative Law Review.
