Bernie is a member of the Reed Smith Trial Council, which includes the firm's most experienced attorneys who have tried jury cases to verdict in both State and Federal courts.

Bernie has been lead trial counsel, representing both Plaintiffs and Defendants, in a wide range of commercial disputes in the State and Federal Courts of California, Arizona and Arkansas, as well as being specially admitted as lead trial counsel in a number of other States and in various foreign countries [United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada].

Bernie has successfully litigated cases for domestic and foreign individuals, executives in the entertainment industry, a California Grocery chain, large and small entities, a Native American sovereign nation and its Class III Gaming Commission, and various business entities. Those litigated cases have involved the following type of business disputes: entertainment industry contracts and relationships; entertainment executive vs. business manager for professional negligence; board game developer against distributor for negligence and breach of fiduciary duty; securities fraud; defense of secured lenders and banking institutions against a variety of contract, fraud and tort claims; defense of serious personal injury claims; defense of sexual harassment claims by former business associate against business executive; breach of warranty; product liability; real estate disputes for sellers, buyers and tenants; prescriptive easements between neighbors in Bel Air and Beverly Hills; real estate disputes between landlords and commercial tenants; violation of landlord's statutory duties to tenants of luxury condominium; construction defect claims against contractor clients; Intellectual Property; termination of third party administration agreements in insurance industry; bad faith denial of fidelity bond and insurance coverage; violation of rights of privacy; liability of officers and directors of public corporations; foreign judgments; and other complex commercial disputes.

Representative clients: Gelson’s Markets; Fort Hill Construction; Arden Group; Hersch and Company; Automobile Risk Management; Hawaii Disability and Life Insurance Guaranty Association; Naraghi Farms; Pacific Global Investment Company; Fidelity Bancorp; various business managers and their entertainment clients; Mayfair Realty; owners of Bel Air and Beverly Hills residences; U.S. Bancorp; various Family and Charitable Trusts; Transamerica Life Insurance Company; Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians; Town Center Health Club & Spa; TV and Film entities; Paul McKenna.

Bernie has handled and coordinated U.S. and foreign litigation for an international client, over a period of 10 years, which resulted in a recovery of over $150,000,000.00.

Bernie has taught Trial Advocacy and Advanced Trial Advocacy at three of the Hastings College of the Law Trial Advocacy Programs for litigation attorneys and a variety of CEB programs. He has also acted as a Judge Pro Tem for the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Bernie has, for many years, acted as the trusted legal adviser to a number of clients on legal issues, business disputes, and political/legal issues. Bernie acted as special counsel to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ Tribal Council and its Gaming Commission. He was the Tribe's lead negotiator of its 1999 Tribal-State Gaming Compact and its 2006 Amendment thereto, both of which were ratified by the State legislature and the federal government.