Jill M. Manning

Jill M. Manning, founder of The Manning Law Firm, is a skilled litigator and trial attorney who focuses her litigation practice on recovering damages for individuals, employers, and businesses harmed by anticompetitive conduct and unfair business practices. She has successfully litigated some of the leading cases brought under federal and state antitrust and consumer protection laws and has achieved significant recoveries for her clients. Throughout her career, Ms. Manning has consistently demonstrated a commitment to the principles of fairness, integrity, and excellence in the legal practice.

Ms. Manning is one of the top-rated antitrust litigation attorneys in Northern California and has met the stringent “Super Lawyers” selection criteria since 2020. She has tried two antitrust class action cases to jury verdict over the past three years. She represents a certified class of over 3 million California businesses and consumers who paid inflated health insurance premiums because of Sutter Health’s anticompetitive conduct. Following a four-week trial, the jury returned a verdict for the defendant. On appeal, the Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded. Sidibe v. Sutter Health, 103 F.4th 675 (9th Cir. 2024). She represented a certified class of direct purchasers in an antitrust case against the leading suppliers of broiler chickens sold in the United States which has resulted in $284 million in settlements. Following a seven-week trial, the jury returned a verdict for the sole remaining defendant, Sanderson Farms. In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litig., Case No. 16-cv-08637 (N.D. Ill.). She represented a certified class of direct purchaser plaintiffs in an antitrust case against the leading suppliers of pork and pork products sold in the United States which has resulted in over $111 million in settlements to date. In re Pork Antitrust Litig., Case No. 18-cv-01776 (D. Minn.). She played in an integral role in the prosecution of one of the nation’s largest indirect purchaser class actions, and was recognized by Special Master Martin Quinn as “one of the leaders in structuring and managing the overall document retrieval effort.” In re TFT-LCD (Flat Panel) Antitrust Litig., No. 07-cv-01827-SI, 2012 WL 1291870, *8 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 18, 2012) ($1.082 billion all-cash settlement).

A significant portion of her litigation practice is dedicated to promoting competition and fair business practices in sports. She represented a certified class of minor league baseball players against Major League Baseball for violations of wage and hour laws and secured a $185 million settlement and significant injunctive relief. Senne v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, Case No. 14-cv-00608 (N.D. Cal.). She was appointed to Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in In re: NCAA Student/Athlete Concussion Injury Litig., MDL No. 2491, Master Docket No. 16-cv-08727 (N.D. Ill.), a multi-district action against the NCAA on behalf of former Division I football players who sustained concussion-related injuries. She represented North American Soccer League in a case against Major League Soccer and the United States Soccer Federation for participating in a conspiracy to allow MLS to maintain a monopoly in men's soccer in violation of the Sherman Act. North American Soccer League v. Major League Soccer, et al., Case No. 17-cv-05495-HG (E.D.N.Y.) 

In addition to her legal practice, Ms. Manning has demonstrated leadership in her professional life and community. She is currently serving a three-year term on the Board of Representatives of the California Lawyers Association. She served as Chair of the Executive Committee of the Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section of the California State Bar (now the California Lawyers Association) during the 2017-2018 term, and presently serves as an Advisor. She served as editor of the California Antitrust Treatise, Chapter 22 “Indirect-Purchaser Class Actions,” for ten years. She is the co-creator and co-chair of the annual “Celebrating Women in Competition Law in California” event, now in its eighth year. Courts regularly trust Ms. Manning to resolve complex disputes in her role as a neutral for the Northern District of California’s Early Neutral Evaluation Program, a mediator for the Northern and Central Districts of California, and a Settlement Conference Facilitator for the Sonoma County Superior Court.

Ms. Manning lives in West Marin with her husband and daughter. She enjoys cooking with vegetables grown in her garden, hiking coastal Marin and Sonoma with her Australian Shepherd, playing tennis, and exploring ancient ruins.