Francis O. Scarpulla

Francis O. Scarpulla, Senior Partner at the Law Offices of Francis O. Scarpulla in San Francisco, was named Competition Law Expert of the Year in California, US at the 2024 Corporate INTL Global Awards. A veteran of the San Francisco competition bar, he has devoted his career to litigating complex antitrust and unfair competition cases, chiefly for plaintiffs, and is regarded as one of the field's most experienced practitioners.

Scarpulla graduated from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, formerly Hastings, in 1967 and has practised ever since. He began his career as an associate at the Law Offices of Joseph L. Alioto, where he prepared complex civil antitrust cases, before forming his own firm in November 1970 to continue prosecuting complex civil litigation. From June 2006 he led the antitrust practice at Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason as a senior partner, returning to his original firm in March 2015, where he continues to practise today.

Competition law addresses the rules that keep markets open and fair, prohibiting conduct such as price-fixing, market allocation, monopolisation and other restraints on trade. Litigation in this field frequently proceeds as class action, drawing together large numbers of affected purchasers and turning on detailed economic analysis of market structure and effect. Scarpulla has participated in many federal antitrust class actions that have helped develop both state and federal law, and has been appointed lead or co-lead counsel for indirect-purchaser plaintiffs in numerous such cases, securing substantial settlements on their behalf.

His standing in the field is reflected in his recognition as a Band 1 plaintiffs' antitrust attorney by Chambers & Partners USA and his consistent ranking among the leading competition litigators in San Francisco. Over a career spanning more than five decades he has recovered significant sums for consumers, and his repeated appointment to leadership roles in complex litigation demonstrates the trust placed in him by courts and fellow counsel alike.

Practising as a focused boutique, Scarpulla offers clients the continuity and depth of a lawyer who has concentrated on competition and antitrust matters throughout his career. That single-minded focus, combined with the practical experience of managing large, hard-fought cases against substantial defendants, has made him a fixture of the plaintiff-side competition bar in California and beyond.

The Competition Law Expert of the Year in California, US award recognises Francis O. Scarpulla's long and influential contribution to competition enforcement on behalf of plaintiffs. It affirms his position among the state's most respected practitioners in an area of law central to the protection of consumers and the maintenance of open, competitive markets.