Lynn Lincoln Sarko
Managing Partner
Managing Partner Lynn Sarko uses thoughtful innovation to solve complex issues.
Having led Keller Rohrback L.L.P.’s Complex Litigation Group since its inception over 30 years ago, Lynn’s work has led to new developments in case law and significant, impactful settlements for his clients.
A dynamic leader with a tenacious dedication to justice, Lynn has been selected by courts across the nation to serve in key leadership roles in a wide variety of cutting-edge cases. Namely, he was appointed Co-Lead counsel for In re EpiPen (Epinephrine Injection, USP) Mktg., Sales Practices & Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2785 (D. Kan.), the nationwide class action against pharmaceutical company Mylan and others for anticompetitive and unfair business practices in its sale and marketing of the EpiPen Auto-Injector device. He was also selected to serve in a leadership position on behalf of governmental entities and other plaintiffs in the vast litigation regarding the nationwide prescription opioid epidemic, In re National Prescription Opiate Litigation, MDL No. 2804 (N.D. Ohio). The National Law Journal referred to this leadership team as a “‘Who’s Who’ in mass torts.”
Some of Lynn’s other remarkable successes include consumer protection cases aimed at holding automotive companies accountable for wrongdoing. One such case was In re Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2672 (N.D. Cal.), for which Lynn was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee—a group referred to as a “class action dream team.” The case settled for over $17 billion. Lynn was also appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for In re Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep EcoDiesel Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2777 (N.D. Cal.), which settled for $307.5 million, including required emissions modifications for 100,000 eligible vehicles. In addition to consumer protection cases, Lynn has also served in leadership positions for cases involving financial fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty. He was selected to lead teams of attorneys representing plaintiffs in the litigations against Enron, Worldcom, and Madoff—three of the biggest financial frauds of our time.
Lynn is widely renowned within the legal community and beyond for his diplomacy and fearless devotion to justice. He was a member of the legal team nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for seeking enforcement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty on behalf of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. He was also honored to receive the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for his work on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill trial team, and he was one of four Washington lawyers recognized as one of the 500 “Leading Lawyers in America” by Lawdragon. He is also AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been consecutively named to the Washington Super Lawyers list for 21 years.
Lynn holds a BBA and an MBA in accounting and finance from the University of Wisconsin, where he also served as an accounting instructor. He graduated with his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law school, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Wisconsin Law Review and received the faculty award given to the most outstanding member of the graduating class.
Prior to joining Keller Rohrback, Lynn was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Criminal Division, an associate at the Washington D.C office of Arnold & Porter, and law clerk to the Honorable Jerome Farris, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in Seattle.
Lynn has been recognized by Law360 as a “Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar,” read the interview here.
You can also read more about Lynn and Keller Rohrback's complex litigation team in the Lawdragon.com feature article: A Team Taking Corporations to Task: Complex Litigation at Keller Rohrback.
Professional & Civic Involvement
- American Bar Association, Member
- Bar Association of The District of Columbia, Member
- Federal Bar Association, Member
- King County Bar Association, Member
- State Bar of Wisconsin, Member
- Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, Member
- Washington State Bar Association, Member
- Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, Member
- American Association for Justice, Member
- The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Member
- American Academy of Trial Counsel, Fellow
- Editorial Board, Washington State Securities Law Deskbook
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Human Rights Watch Committee
- Washington Athletic Club, Member
Honors & Awards
- Best Lawyers in America®, Seattle, Washington, 2026 (Recognized since 2024)
- Litigation - Antitrust
- Litigation - ERISA
- Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
- Ranked in Chambers and Partners USA Guide, 2024 - ERISA Litigation: Mainly Plaintiffs
- Selected to Super Lawyers list in Super Lawyers - Washington, 1999-2025
- Lawdragon, 500 Leading Lawyers in America, 2018, 2022-2025
- Lawdragon, 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers, 2023-2025
- Law360 Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar honoree, 2023
- American Antitrust Institute - Antitrust Enforcement Award Honoree, in the category of "Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement in Private Law Practice" - for work in In re EpiPen Marketing, Sales Practices, and Antitrust Litigation, 2022
- National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Washington
- Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
- Avvo Top Tax Lawyer, Washington CEO Magazine
- Trial Lawyer of the Year, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
- Salmon Dalberg Award
- Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
Articles & Presentations
- Presenter, Statewide Opioid Litigation Update, Colorado County Attorneys Association Virtual Summer Conference (June 11, 2021).
- Stock Drop and Roll: Key Supreme Court Rulings and New Standards in ERISA 'Stock Drop' Cases, Thomson/West Webinar
- 14th Annual Pension Law, Governance and Solvency Conference
- Governance and Solvency, Canadian Institute's 14th Annual Advanced Forum on Pension Law
- ERISA Litigation & Regulatory Compliance Congress
- American Conference Institute's 6th National Forum on ERISA Litigation
- 25th Annual ERISA Litigation Conference
- American Conference Institute's 5th National Forum on ERISA Litigation
Selected Publications
- Stock Drop and Roll: Key Supreme Court Rulings and New Standards in ERISA ‘Stock Drop’ Cases, Thomson/West Webinar
- 14th Annual Pension Law, Governance and Solvency Conference
- Governance and Solvency, Canadian Institute’s 14th Annual Advanced Forum on Pension Law
- ERISA Litigation & Regulatory Compliance Congress
- American Conference Institute’s 6th National Forum on ERISA Litigation
- 25th Annual ERISA Litigation Conference
- American Conference Institute’s 5th National Forum on ERISA Litigation
Representative Matters
- Andrews v. Plains All Am. Pipeline, L.P. (C.D. Cal.)
- In re Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Mktg., Sales Practices, &Prods. Liab. Litig. (N.D. Cal.)
- Doe v. Trump (W.D. Wash.)
- Rollins v. Dignity Health (N.D. Cal.)
- Brannon v. Express Scripts Holding Co. (D. Kan.)
- Republic of the Marshall Islands v. United States (N.D. Cal.)
- Jabbari v. Wells Fargo & Co. (N.D. Cal.)
- Griffith v. Providence Health & Servs. (W.D. Wash.)
- Fed. Home Loan Bank of Boston v. Ally Fin., Inc. (D. Mass.)
- Louisiana Firefighters’ Ret. Sys. v. N. Trust Invs., N.A. (N.D. Ill.)
- Corona v. Sony Pictures Entm’t, Inc. (C.D. Cal.)
- Village of Rockton, Ill. vs. Sonoco Prods. Co. (N.D. Ill.)
- In re Citigroup ERISA Litig. (S.D.N.Y.)
- Lann v. Trinity Health Corp. (D. Md.)
- Gates v. UnitedHealth Grp. Inc. (2d Cir.)
- In re Bank of N.Y. Mellon Corp. Forex Transactions Litig. (S.D.N.Y.)
- Palmason v. Weyerhaeuser Co. (W.D. Wash.)
- In re Pfizer Inc. ERISA Litig. (S.D.N.Y.)
- Handal v. State Street Bank & Trust Co. (D. Mass.)
- In re JPMorgan Chase Mortg. Modification Litig. (D. Mass.)
- Ormond v. Anthem, Inc. (S.D. Ind.)
- Braden v. Walmart Stores, Inc. (8th Cir.)
- In re Wachovia Corp. ERISA Litig. (W.D.N.C.)
- In re Regions Morgan Keegan Sec., Derivative, & ERISA Litig. (W.D. Tenn.)
- In re Merrill Lynch & Co. Sec., Derivative & ERISA Litig. (S.D.N.Y.)
- Curran v. Principal Mgmt. Corp. (S.D. Iowa)
- Spano v. Boeing Co. (7th Cir.)
- In re Bear Stearns Cos. Sec., Derivative, & ERISA Litig. (S.D.N.Y.)
- Krottner v. Starbucks Corp. (W.D. Wash.)
- Gallus v. Am. Express Fin. Corp. (D. Minn.)
- In re Enron Corp Sec., Derivative, & ERISA Litig. (S.D. Tex.)
- In re Delphi Corp. Sec. Litig. (E.D. Mich.)
- In re Wash. Mut., Inc. ERISA Litig. (W.D. Wash.)
- In re Bisphenol-A (BPA) Polycarbonate Plastic Prods. Liab. Litig. (W.D. Mo.)
- In re Ford Motor Co. ERISA Litig. (E.D. Mich.)
- In re Mattel, Inc. (C.D. Cal.)
- In re Xerox Corp. ERISA Litig. (D. Conn.)
- In Re K-Dur Antitrust Litig. (D.N.J.)
- In re Sci.-Atlanta, Inc. Sec. Litig. (N.D. Ga.)
- Langbecker v. Elec. Data Sys. Corp. (5th Cir.)
- Deiter v. Microsoft Corp. (4th Cir.)
- In re Williams Cos. ERISA Litig. (N.D. Okla.)
- In re HealthSouth Corp. ERISA Litig. (N.D. Ala.)
Related Employment
- Managing Partner at Keller Rohrback L.L.P. (1986-present)
- Assistant United States Attorney at Department of Justice (1984-1986)
- Law Clerk for Judge Jerome Farris at United States Court of Appeals - Ninth Circuit (1981-1982)
- Editorial Board, Washington State Securities Law Deskbook
Speaking Engagements
- Emory Roundtable Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, hosted by Institute for Complex Litigation & Mass Claims, Emory University School of Law
- HarrisMartin's MDL Conference: Volkswagen Clean Diesels – Update from Plaintiffs’ PSC Chair and Steering Committee Members on the Environmental Issues
- HarrisMartin’s MDL Conference: Volkswagen Update
- Enforcement of ERISA Rights and Responsibilities: An ERISA @40 Event, Washington, D.C.
- ACI 9th ERISA Litigation Conference, Chicago
- Global Justice Network Presentation re Volkswagen, San Francisco
- AAJ panel - Plaintiff Only Hot Topics and Trends in Litigation Seminar, New Orleans
- Case Perspectives Lecture: Plains Oil Spill Litigation, UCLA Law School
- AAJ Education Trends in Litigation Seminar: "Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Fraud- Potential Classes, Causes of Action, Remedies, and Defenses"
- 14th Annual Pension Law, Governance and Solvency Conference
- 24th Annual ERISA Litigation Conference
- 4th National Advanced Forum on Defending & Managing ERISA Litigation, American Conference Institute
- 24th Annual Producer Conference on Executive Liability
- ERISA Litigation 2010, Practising Law Institute
- 23rd Annual ERISA Litigation Conference
- Real Estate Mortgage Market Litigation
- ABA Winter Meeting Employee Benefits Committee
- 22nd Annual ERISA Litigation Conference
- ERISA Class Actions – Up Close and Personal: An In Depth Look at the Myriad of Complex and Ever-Evolving Issues
- 401(k) Plan Litigation: Employer Stock Suits Continue
- 21st annual ERISA Litigation Conference
- Western Benefits Conference
- Los Angeles Benefits Conference
- 20th Annual ERISA Litigation Conference
- Follow the Money: DOL Initiatives and New Litigation on Service Provider Revenue Sharing
- Employee Benefits Committee MidWinter Meeting
- 19th Annual ERISA Litigation Conference
- ERISA Litigation Developments DOL Speaks: Employee Benefits Conference
- Fiduciary Litigation including Employer Securities, 15th Annual National Institute on ERISA Litigation
- 18th Annual ERISA Litigation Conference
- Ethics & Privilege Issues Under ERISA, 18th Annual ERISA Litigation Conference
- ERISA Breach of Fiduciary Duty Company Stock Litigation, 18th Annual ERISA Litigation Conference - West
- New Frontiers in Fiduciary Liability Employers Stock/Cash Balance Conversions Plus D&O West Symposium
- ERISA Preemption and Effect on other Laws ABA Employee Benefits Committee Meeting
- Newest Plaintiffs' Liability Theories & Trends In Defense Pleadings/Motions Advanced Forum on Complex Litigation
- The Joint Opening Session in Mediation Advanced Mediation & Advocacy Skills Training
- Officer & Director Liability Corporate Directors Series
- More Enron/Worldcom Fallout: Corporate Officers On the Fiduciary Hook Section of Business Law Annual Meeting
- 17th Annual ERISA Litigation Conference
- Mutual Fund Litigation 4th Annual ERISA Fiduciary Program
- Pension Fund/Institutional Fiduciary Program
- The Essentials of Civil Settlement Strategies Seminar
- 33rd Annual Educational Conference
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