Steve Berman (lawyer)

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This article is about the lawyer. For the editor and writer, see Steve Berman.
Steve W. Berman
EducationUniversity of Michigan, Bachelor of Arts, 1976
University of Chicago Law School, Juris Doctor, 1980
OccupationAttorney
EmployerHagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
TitleManaging Partner
Websitewww.hbsslaw.com

Steve W. Berman is an American plaintiff's lawyer and entrepreneur who founded and is Managing Partner of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, a 76-attorney law firm based in Seattle, Washington.[1][2][3]

Early life and education[]

Steve Berman was born in 1955[4] in Seattle, Washington,[5] and was raised mostly in Highland Park, Illinois.[6] His father ran an insurance company[6] that sold policies for security guards and police officers.[7] Berman was drafted into U.S. military service for the Vietnam War in 1972, but the war ended before Berman was sent to serve.[8] Berman completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan in 1976.[9] He earned his Juris Doctor in law from the University of Chicago Law School in 1980.[6][9][10]

Career[]

Berman helped found his namesake firm in 1993. He was lead attorney in individual and class action cases against Enron, Washington Public Power Supply System, Purdue Pharma (over OxyContin), Exxon (with respect to the Exxon Valdez oil spill), Boeing, Intel (over alleged monopoly practices), Michael Milken, the Rio Tinto mining company (with respect to human rights violations and environmental destruction in New Guinea), and Visa Inc. and MasterCard (in which he achieved a $3 billion settlement). He was also instrumental in the state attorneys general’s litigation against the Liggett Group and subsequent $216 billion settlement, against the tobacco industry, serving as special assistant to the various states. He was lead counsel for Microsoft during part of its defense against antitrust claims.[11]

In 2003, Berman and his family endowed the Kathy and Steve Berman Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Washington School of Law.[12] In April 2009, it was announced that funding for the clinic had been eliminated and it would not be continued beyond the 2008-2009 academic year.

He has been listed as top lawyer in Washington state and one of the 100 most powerful lawyers in the United States by the National Law Journal.[citation needed]

In 2006, he sued Apple Inc., alleging that iPod music players could cause hearing loss if the volume were too high.[13]

In 2007, Berman filed a class action lawsuit against Avvo, a law-related review site, on behalf of Seattle, Washington attorney John Henry Browne, over the claimed unfairness of the site's rating system.[14] That suit was dismissed on First Amendment grounds.[15]

In October 2009, he filed a class action lawsuit accusing the PulteGroup of artificially propping up house sales prices and contributing to the United States housing bubble. The lawsuit was dismissed by the court.[16]

In 2012, he was involved in a class action suit related to aspirin which was settled with Bayer.[17]

In 2018, Law360 selected Berman as one of three attorneys for its MVP of the Year Award in its "Class Action" category.[18]

Personal life[]

Berman is married and has three children.[9] He is a triathlete,[7] cyclist, and a referee for youth soccer.[4]

References[]

  1. ^ Modie, Neil (August 2, 2006). "McGavick sued over Safeco payout". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  2. ^ Ho, Vanessa; Lewis, Mike (March 4, 2006). "Seattle law firm told to pay $10.8 million". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  3. ^ "MVP: Hagens Berman's Steve W. Berman". Law360. December 10, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Garde, Damian (April 20, 2017). "The lawyer who took on Big Tobacco and Enron is now going after Big Pharma for 'gouging' the American consumer". Business Insider. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  5. ^ Donaghy, Kathy (July 18, 2001). "'Big tobacco' action could earn £18 billion". independent. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Dembicki, Geoff (December 22, 2017). "Meet the Lawyer Trying to Make Big Oil Pay for Climate Change". VICE. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Dorn, Karen (August 3, 2003). "Lawyer usually smokes competition; Berman representing thousands in field-burning case". Spokesman Review. p. A.1.
  8. ^ Boysen, Ryan. "Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Hagens Berman's Steve Berman". Law360. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Fahy, Declan (July 21, 2001). "Man who won in US advises Irish to take on tobacco giants Anti-smoking litigants have a good chance of succeeding, says the man who won in the US courts". Irish Times. p. 8.
  10. ^ Lee, Patrick (March 7, 2014). "NCAA Faces Legal Push Led by Litigator With Tobacco Stash". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  11. ^ Brinsley, John H. "Recent Developments in United States v. Microsoft Provides Insight to Department of Justice's Stance on Antitrust Violations". Findlaw.
  12. ^ "Berman Environmental Law Clinic". University of Washington School of Law.
  13. ^ Goodin, Dan (February 1, 2006). "Apple sued over potential hearing loss from iPods". USA Today.
  14. ^ Duryee, Tricia (June 15, 2007). "Attorneys sue site that comes up with ratings on ... lawyers". Seattle Times.
  15. ^ Carter, Mike (December 19, 2007). "Lawyers' suit over site's legal ratings dismissed". Seattle Times.
  16. ^ Caulfield, John (February 23, 2010). "California court dismisses class action lawsuit against Pulte Homes". Hanley Wood.
  17. ^ "Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Douglas & London P.C. Announce Proposed Class Action Settlement in Bayer Combination Aspirin Products Litigation" (Press release). PR Newswire. September 7, 2012.
  18. ^ "Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attorneys From 71 Firms". Law360. November 25, 2018.

External links[]

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