Steve W. Berman, Managing Partner
Steve Berman co-founded Hagens Berman in 1993 and is the firm’s managing partner. He represents consumers, investors and employees in large, complex litigation held in state and federal courts. Berman’s trial experience has earned him significant recognition and led The National Law Journal to name him one of the 100 most powerful lawyers in the nation, and to repeatedly name Hagens Berman one of the top 10 plaintiffs’ firms in the country. Berman was inspired to build a firm that vociferously fought for the rights of those unable to fight for themselves. His innovative approach, tenacious conviction and impeccable track record have earned him an excellent reputation and numerous historic legal victories. He is considered one of the nation’s most successful class-action attorneys.
Mr. Berman served as lead counsel for the largest ERISA settlement in U.S. history representing Enron employees whose retirement accounts were wiped out by Enron’s fraud. He also represented plan participants and their beneficiaries as co-lead counsel against General Motors. Ultimately, the settlement resulted in $37.5 million for General Motors ERISA plan participants and their beneficiaries in addition to significant revision of retirement plan administration. The case concerned two General Motors ERISA Plans - the Personal Savings Plan for Hourly Employees and the Savings-Stock Purchased Program for Salaried Employees - both holding large amounts of General Motors stock. Plaintiffs claimed that despite General Motors' financial problems and the companies plummeting shares, GM and plan fiduciaries ignored these troubles, relying on false projections to mask the extent of the company's financial woes.
Steve also filed a class-action lawsuit against Washington Mutual on behalf of all employees participating in the company's 401(k) plan. The suit claimed the company's CEO, board members and all other fiduciaries failed to adequately monitor the plan and advise participants when the company stock investment was no longer prudent. As a result, employee participants suffered total financial losses in excess of $150 million. The suit settled in 2011 for $49 million. more »
Robert B. Carey, Partner & Executive Committee Member
Rob Carey is a member of Hagens Berman's executive committee and leads the firm's Phoenix office. Mr. Carey handles class-action lawsuits against many different types of organizations and companies. He has served as lead counsel in cases such as the LifeLock Sales and Marketing Litigation, Hyundai Motor America’s cases on sub-frame corrosion and airbag systems and the state of Arizona’s claim against McKesson Corporation for overcharging on prescription drugs. Mr. Carey has argued high-profile cases in federal and state courts across the country. His practice focuses on class-action lawsuits, including auto defect, insurance, right of publicity and fraud cases and he routinely handles jury trials for high-value cases. His recent successes include helping originate the Toyota Sudden Unintended Acceleration case, filing the initial Hagens Berman complaints for a case that eventually settled for $1.6 billion. He also helped secure a first-ever ($60 million) settlement for collegiate student-athletes (Keller, consolidated with O'Bannon) from Electronic Arts (EA) and the NCAA for the misappropriation of the student-athletes' likenesses and images for the EA college football video game series. This groundbreaking suit went up to the U.S. Supreme Court before a settlement was reached, providing student-athletes—even current ones—with cash recoveries for the use of their likenesses without permission. more »
Leonard W. Aragon, Partner
Leonard Aragon, a graduate of Stanford Law School and a military veteran, handles employment litigation cases as well as other practice areas. He is currently working on several matters involving health care fraud and elder abuse issues. His recent successes include a multimillion dollar class-action settlement on behalf of a nationwide class of student-athletes whose images were used on a website affiliated with CBS Interactive without their permission or compensation. He has also been involved in the firm's case against trucking company Swift Transportation, In re Swift Transportation Co., Inc. representing all employee truck drivers seeking recovery for an alleged years-long practice of shortchanging drivers for the actual miles they drive from location to location. more »
Martin D. McLean, Partner
Mr. McLean is a true trial attorney having tried more than 20 cases to verdict in various state and federal courts. During his tenure with Hagens Berman’s legal team, Mr. McLean has contributed to numerous lawsuits resulting in multi-million dollar recoveries on behalf of the firm’s clients. more »
Jacob Berman, Associate
Jacob Berman is an associate at Hagens Berman's Seattle office where his practice focuses on employment discrimination, personal injury and class-action cases. As a junior member of Hagens Berman’s legal team, Mr. Berman is learning from the best as he hones his skills as a young trial lawyer. more »
