Bruce W. Leppla

Bruce W. Leppla is a partner in the firm’s San Francisco office whose responsibilities include securities and antitrust case evaluation and analysis, legal and financial, as well as directing the firm’s institutional investor and client outreach. Bruce was part of the litigation team on the McKesson, Alex Brown, Navient, America Online, Broadcom, Tyco, Qwest, Brooks Automation, Diamond Foods, American International Group, Celera Corporation, Danske Bank, Steinhoff, Merck, and Petrobras securities cases; the generic drugs price fixing national multi-district litigation; the Enoxaparin and Restasis antitrust cases; and the national multi-district litigation Opioids cases. He handles varying case responsibilities that include case initiation, complaint preparation and preparing and deposing expert witnesses on accounting and finance issues.

Bruce serves or has served as Chairman and Founder of numerous ventures, including Leppla Capital Management LLC, an investment securities consulting and asset management business; the Stitzel-Leppla Company, a high fashion real estate development firm whose principal project was The Pacific Center, San Francisco, CA; and California Bankers Insurance Services, a technology company offering online employee benefit programs and administration. Bruce has been awarded 11 United States patents, is a California licensed investment advisor and has been awarded the Accredited Investment Fiduciary designation issued by fi360. To date he has raised over $135 million for his various start-up ventures.

Bruce has written extensively on securities law issues, serves on the Editorial Board of Wall Street Lawyer, and is a frequent speaker at both U.S. and European institutional investor conferences, including, recently, conferences of the American Bar Association and Union Internationale des Avocats in New York, Chicago, Denver, Miami, Geneva, Frankfurt and Istanbul.

Published Works

•“Stay in the Class or Opt-Out? Institutional Investors Are Increasingly Opting-Out of Securities Class Litigation,” Securities Litigation Report, West LegalWorks, Vol. 3, No. 8, September 2006
•Co-Author with Elizabeth J. Cabraser and Joy A. Kruse, “Selected Waiver: Recent Developments in the Ninth Circuit and California, Part 2,” Securities Litigation Report, Vol. I, No. 10, pp. 1, 3-9, June 2005
•Co-Author with Elizabeth J. Cabraser and Joy A. Kruse, Selected Waiver: Recent Developments in the Ninth Circuit and California, Part 1, Securities Litigation Report, Vol. I, No. 9, pp. 1, 3-7, May 2005
•Author, Co-Author of 11 different U.S. and International patents in electronic commerce and commercial product design, including “A Method for Storing and Retrieving Digital Data Transmissions,” United States Patent No. 5,659,746, issue August 19, 1997, 1997
• Securities Powers for Community Banks, California Bankers Association Legislative Journal, 1987

Classes/Seminars

•“Recent Developments in Cross-Border Litigation”, Union Internationale des Avocats, Frankfurt, Germany, Spring meeting, 2010
•“Legal and Economic Aspects of Securities Class and Opt-out Litigation”, Union Internationale des Avocats, Park City, Utah, Winter Meeting, 2010
•“Legal and Global Economic Implications of the U.S. Subprime Lending Crisis”, EPI European Pension Fund Summit, Montreux, Switzerland, May 2, 2008
•“Impact of Spitzer’s Litigation and Attempted Reforms on the Investment Banking and Insurance Industries”, Bar Association of San Francisco, May 19, 2005
•“Basic Principles of Securities Litigation”, Opal Financial Conference, National Public Fund System Legal Conference, Phoenix, AZ, January 14, 2005
•“Betting on the Horse After the Race is Over-In Defense of Mutual Fund Litigation Related to Undisclosed After Hours Order Submission”, American Enterprise Institute, September 30, 2004
•Lecturer, Lending Documentation, Financial Institutions Litigation and similar topics, California Bankers Association General Counsel Seminars, 1993 - 1996
•Lecturer, Real Estate Law and Finance, University of California at Berkeley, Haas School of Business, 1993 - 1996

Past Employment Positions

•California-licensed Real Estate Broker, 2009 - Present
•FINRA and California-licensed Registered Investment Adviser, 2008 - Present
•Susquehanna Corporation, Chairman, 2006 - Present
•Leppla Capital Management, LLC, Chairman, 2008 - Present
•Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, Partner, 2004 - 2008
•Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, Counsel, 2002 - 2003
•California Bankers Insurance Services Inc., CEO and President, 1999 - 2001
•Redwood Bank, CEO and President, 1985 - 1998
•Redwood Bank, CFO and General Counsel, 1981 - 1984
•Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, 1980
•Davis Polk & Wardwell, 1976 - 1980

In the News

•February 13, 2018
Bruce Leppla Discusses Role of Investment Funds in Corporate Misconduct at CII Spring 2018 Conference
•April 24, 2017
“Where are the Gatekeepers?” Bruce Leppla to Speak at the Investment Company Institute May 2017 General Members Meeting
•May 10, 2016
Bruce Leppla to Speak at the Investment Company Institute 2016 General Meeting
•April 20, 2015
Bruce Leppla To Speak at 2015 ICI Legal Forum on Investment Funds
•March 11, 2015
Bruce Leppla Speaks at the Investment Company Institute's Annual Mutual Funds Conference