Phong-Chau G. Nguyen
Partner, San Francisco Office
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415 956-1000
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Phong-Chau G. Nguyen

Phong-Chau G. Nguyen is a partner in Lieff Cabraser’s San Francisco office specializing in consumer and defective product cases, as well as personal injury/mass tort matters. He was part of the leadership team in the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions multidistrict litigation, which secured an unprecedented $14+ billion in settlements on behalf of U.S. owners and lessees of Volkswagen diesel vehicles, won the California Daily Journal’s “California Lawyer of the Year” award, and secured a finalist position for the 2017 Consumer Attorneys of California “Consumer Attorneys of the Year” award. Phong is also involved in similar work on Lieff Cabraser’s leadership team in the Fiat Chrysler diesel emissions case.

Phong’s other cases include the representation of injured persons nationwide in lawsuits relating to Toyota sudden acceleration accidents, as well as the GM ignition case, where he represents GM vehicle owners and lessees whose cars include defective ignition switches in litigation focusing on economic loss claims. He has also worked on behalf of consumers in the Takata airbag litigation, involving 70 million dangerous and defective airbags found to have been installed in over 40 million vehicles worldwide and which have caused at least 20 deaths and over 280 serious injuries. In November of 2017, an aggregate settlement in the case was announced with Toyota, BMW, Subaru, and Mazda valued at $741 million.

Other cases include the representation of hip implant patients injured by defective and dangerous DePuy artificial hip devices. Phong also litigated personal injury claims in the Medtronic Infuse litigation.

Long form bio (click to open pdf).

  • University of San Francisco School of Law, San Francisco, California
    J.D. – 2012
    Honors: USF Moot Court Board (Development Director)
  • University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley, California
    B.A. – 2008
    Honors: Highest Honors; Distinction in General Scholarship
  • California, 2012
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 2013
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 2013
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, 2023
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, 2013
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 2015
  • Selected for inclusion by peers in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of “Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs” and “Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs,” 2023 – 2025
  • Super Lawyer for Northern California, Super Lawyers, 2024
  • “Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation,” Lawdragon, 2023, 2024
  • “Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers in America,” Lawdragon, 2023, 2024
  • “40 and Under Hot List,” Benchmark Litigation, 2018-2023
  • “Rising Star for Product Liability Law,” Law360, 2022
  • “Rising Star for Northern California,” Super Lawyers, 2018-2022
  • “California Lawyer of the Year,” California Daily Journal, 2018
  • “Outstanding Volunteer for Pro Bono Work,” Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco, 2015-2017
  • “Consumer Attorney of the Year Finalist,” Consumer Attorneys of California, 2017
  • Speaker, “Class Action and Securities MDLs – A Primer,” Second Annual Shades of Mass Conference, September 2023
  • Faculty, “Managing Class Representative Discovery: Plaintiffs’ Strategies for Winning Certification,” Strafford CLE Webinar, April 2023
  • Faculty, “Selecting and Protecting Class Representatives: Defending Plaintiff Depositions; Proving Adequacy, Typicality,” Strafford CLE Webinar, December 2022
  • Panelist, “Civil Law Brown Bag — Case Management: Best Practices Whether Remote or In-Person,” Northern District Practice Program, July 2022
  • Speaker, “First-Generation Professionals Plaintiff-Side Work Panel,” Berkeley Law School, November 2021
  • Moderator, “Choose Your Own Adventure: A Discussion on Different Career Paths in Law,” Barristers Club of the Bar Association of San Francisco, November 2020
  • Speaker, “How to Effectively Manage People & Build Teams,” Barristers Club of the Bar Association of San Francisco, August 2020
  • Moderator, “Professional Etiquette, Tips for Navigating Social & Networking Events,” Barristers Club of the Bar Association of San Francisco, November 2019
  • Asian American Bar Association for the Greater Bay Area
  • Bar Association of San Francisco
  • Law360 Editorial Advisory Board, Environmental, 2018, 2019
  • San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
  • State Bar of California
  • Strafford Class Action Advisory Board, 2023