What is the difference between a Lead Plaintiff and a Class Member?

A class representative, or lead plaintiff, brings the case on behalf of others. Class members are the individuals in the class, which can be as few as 40 people, and as many as a million or more. The class is defined by specific parameters, which can vary from case to case. For example, in a class action filed against a debt collector, the class may be defined as those individuals living within a specific geography who received the same violating collection notice during a specific time period.