Elizabeth T. Castillo

Elizabeth Tran Castillo is a partner in the San Francisco Bay Area office of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP and a member of the Antitrust & Global Competition practice group. Her work focuses on class actions and other complex litigation. Her experience includes litigating direct and indirect purchaser class actions as well as international and domestic cartel matters. In 2023, she was personally appointed to the leadership team in In re ARC Airbag Inflators Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3051, No. 1:22-md-03051-ELR (N.D. Ga.) and, in 2022, she was personally appointed interim co-lead counsel in In re Deere & Company Repair Services Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 3030, No. 3:22-cv-50188-IDJ (N.D. Ill.). Her career has been noteworthy due to her leadership in In re Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation, a multidistrict litigation in the Eastern District of Michigan against more than 70 defendant groups that settled for over $1.2 billion.Liz has received various honors for her antitrust work, including:- Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers (2024)- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America (2024)- Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal Top Antitrust Lawyers (2022)- American Antitrust Institute Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement in Private Law Award (2019)- American Antitrust Institute Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement by a Young Lawyer Award (2016)- Northern California Super Lawyers (2022-2024) and Rising Star (2015-2021)Liz has represented consumers and businesses in both federal and state courts and at all stages of litigation, including discovery, trial, and appeals. While she is involved in all aspects of the cases she litigates, she places emphasis on her case development, e-discovery, and settlement strategy work. She still enjoys researching and drafting beautifully organized and thoughtfully drafted briefs.Liz earned her J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings) in 2011. While at UC Hastings, she was a Super Regional Semifinalist in the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. She also received Honorable Mentions for both Best Brief and Best Oral Argument in Moot Court. Additionally, she served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable A. James Robertson II in the Superior County of California, County of San Francisco, and as a Teaching Assistant for both Legal Writing & Research and Moot Court. Throughout law school, she mentored underserved high school students on preparing for college.Liz received her B.A. in Economics and Political Science, with a concentration in Public Policy, from Boston University in 2008. While at BU, she interned at an international law firm and business advocacy organization in London and Sydney, respectively, during her third year. Liz has national and state legislative experience. She interned for then-U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii, 1991-2010; Governor of Hawaii, 2010-2014) in Washington, D.C. and State Representative Scott Nishimoto (D-Hawaii, 2003-present) in Honolulu.Liz grew up in Honolulu but has been laying roots in the Bay Area since 2008. She lives in San Mateo with her husband and two children. She enjoys good food, great deals, meticulous planning, outdoor adventures, and historical fiction.