Experience

• Recovered millions of dollars in settlement of fraud cases brought on behalf of mortgage banking companies
• Extensive trial experience defending asbestos product liability cases for major national and multi-national corporations
• Tried several jury cases for a national homebuilding company
• Successfully briefed and argued before the California Supreme Court in Alliance v. Rothwell, 10 Cal. 4th 1226 (1995)
• Tried several jury cases for a local real estate brokerage firm, as both plaintiff and defendant
• Successfully prosecuted numerous insurance coverage cases involving title, environmental, and other insurance policies
• Recovered millions of dollars from a title insurer involving multiple parcels of mining property with an extraordinarily complex title history
• Successfully represented a former railroad/landowner in a complex environmental contamination and insurance coverage dispute
• Successfully argued before the California Court of Appeals in Cadlo v. Owens-Illinois, Inc., 125 Cal. App. 4th 513 (2004)
• Served as lead outside counsel in several multimillion-dollar lawsuits contesting a utility's interpretation of long-term alternative energy contracts
• Responsible for administering a counsel-sharing agreement among several corporations, including coordinating the defense of approximately 10,000 asbestos cases in seven states, and supervising more than 80 lawyers and paralegals involved in that defense effort

Publications

"Toward Smarter Cost Estimates," The Recorder (February 7, 2011)

"Alternative Fees Versus Hourly Billing," The Recorder (November 23, 2010)

"The Blame Game: Litigation Arising Out of the Subprime Mortgage Meltdown," (co-author) The Registry (February 2009)

"Thinking Outside The Box: Using ADR as a Settlement Component," San Francisco Attorney, pp. 28-30 (October/November 2000)

"Beware the Square Peg: Fitting the Right Alternative Billing Plan to the Client's Need," San Francisco Attorney, pp. 22-24 (October/November 1998)

"Alliance v. Rothwell, A Near Knock-Out Blow to the Full Credit Bid Rule," Mortgage Finance, pp. 9-10, 36-37 (November/December 1995)

"Getting the Most from Expert Testimony," San Francisco Attorney, pp. 28-32 (August 1995)

"Recovering Damages," 51 Mortgage Banking, pp. 61-65 (August 1991)

Recent Speeches and Presentations

"Ethics: Alternative Fee Arrangements," Windy City Litigation Management Conference, Chicago (June 17, 2011)

"Breaking Free from the Billable Hour: Making Alternative Fee Arrangements Work for Your Practice," American Bar Association Law Practice Management Webinar (June 16, 2011)

"Expanding Your Circle of Influence," (panelist) When She Speaks: Women in Leadership Series, San Francisco (May 19, 2011)

Previous Experience

Ms. Bertrand joined Schiff Hardin when the firm combined with Morgenstein & Jubelirer in 2007. Prior to coming to Morgenstein & Jubelirer as one of its founding attorneys, she joined Steinhart & Falconer in 1978. She served as Morgenstein & Jubelirer's managing partner from 1984 to 1986, and again from 1993 to 1997.

Awards and Honors

Best Lawyers in America, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants; Litigation – Real Estate

Best Lawyers in America, San Francisco Litigation – Real Estate Lawyer of the Year (2013)

Fellow, Litigation Council of America

AV Rated — Martindale-Hubbell

Northern California Super Lawyers, Civil Litigation; Class Action: Mass Torts

Northern California Super Lawyers, Top 50 Women Lawyers