Steve Berman (lawyer)

:"This article is about the lawyer. For the writer, see Steve Berman; for the Mayor of Gilbert, Arizona see Steven M. Berman"Infobox Person


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name = Steve Berman
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education = University of Michigan, Bachelor of Arts, 1976
University of Chicago Law School, Juris Doctor, 1980
employer = Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
occupation = Attorney
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website = http://www.hagens-berman.com
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Steve Berman, a nationally prominent [cite news
url = http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/pac02.shtml
title = McGavick sued over Safeco payout
publisher = Seattle Post-Intelligencer
author = Neil Modie
date = 2006-08-02
accessdate = 2007-06-17 ] [cite news
url = http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/264184_lawfirm24.html
title = Seattle law firm told to pay $10.8 million
publisher = Seattle Post-Intelligencer
author = Vanessa Ho and Mike Lewis
date = 2006-03-04
accessdate = 2007-06-17 ] plaintiff's lawyer, is Founder and Managing Partner of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, a 42-attorney (as of June, 2007) law firm based in Seattle, Washington.

Background

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, Rio Tinto Mining Company (with respect to human rights violations and environmental destruction in New Guinea), [cite news
url = http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/pac02.shtml
title = Mining firm is sued for 'crimes' on Bougainville
publisher = Seattle Post-Intelligencer
author = Larry Johnson
date = 2000-10-02
accessdate = 2007-06-17 ] and VISA 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. [cite web
url = http://library.findlaw.com/2000/Jan/1/129746.html
title = Recent Developments in United States v. Microsoft Provides Insight to Department of Justice's Stance on Antitrust Violations
publisher = Findlaw
author = John H. Brinsley
date =
accessdate = 2007-06-12 ]

In 2003 Berman and his family endowed the "Kathy and Steve Berman Environmental Law Clinic" at the University of Washington School of Law. [cite web
url = http://www.law.washington.edu/clinics/environmental.html
title = Berman Environmental Law Clinic
publisher =
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accessdate = 2007-06-12 ] 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.

Several recent cases spurred public criticism. In 2006 he sued Apple Computer, alleging that iPod music players could cause hearing loss if the volume were too high. [cite news
url = http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2006-02-01-ipod-hearing-loss_x.htm
title = Apple sued over potential hearing loss from iPods
publisher = USA Today
author = Dan Goodin
date = 2006-02-01
accessdate = 2007-06-17 ] 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. [cite news
url = http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003748713_avvo15.html
title = Attorneys sue site that comes up with ratings on ... lawyers
publisher = Seattle Times
author = Tricia Duryee
date = 2007-06-15
accessdate = 2007-06-16 ] That suit was dismissed on First Amendment grounds. [cite news|title=Lawyers' suit over site's legal ratings dismissed|author=Mike Carter|publisher=Seattle Times|date=December 19, 2007|accessdate=2007-12-28|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004081647_lawyers19m.html]

References

External links

* [http://www.hagens-berman.com/frontend?command=Staff&task=viewStaffDetail&iStaffId=10 biography] - on firm website