Money allocated by the state of Washington to civil legal services programs also may not be used to finance class action suits. Prior to the 1996 restriction on LSC, the rules governing LSC programs required lawyers to obtain permission from program directors prior to filing a class action lawsuit. This rule was designed to ensure attorney accountability and program integrity. Class actions enable legal services lawyers to bring one case that can help many members of a community. When clients are unable to proceed in a class action, they must instead pursue their claims individually, burdening the resources of the legal services program and those of the courts.
Class actions can compel government bureaucracies to follow the law.
Individuals, acting alone, often lack this power because the government can dodge the brunt of the lawsuit by fixing the problem for one person while continuing to hurt hundreds or even thousands of other people. Class actions are the legal example of the common sense principle that there is strength in numbers. Class actions can help government fulfill its obligations. Government is not infallible. Class actions can be an important tool for encouraging government or private actors who are engaging in unlawful activity to stop that behavior on their own accord, thereby expediting solutions and avoiding lengthy litigation.