Overview
Dan Berman co-founded and serves as the Executive Chairman of Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman, LLP. In his role as Chairman, and previously as the firm’s Managing Partner, Dan’s responsibilities include high-level firm management, execution of the firm’s strategic vision, and maintenance of the firm's overall effective operational management. Under Dan’s leadership, WSHB has grown from a regional California based firm to one that is recognized today as a leading national firm of 450 plus attorneys with strong capabilities stretching from coast to coast. Embracing the use of technology, internal data analytics, AI and improved, more efficient processes, Dan utilizes industry leading protocol and alternative fee programs to drastically change and innovate the manner in which legal services are delivered to the firm’s clients.
In his legal practice representing Fortune 500 companies and mid-market businesses, Dan is a recognized authority on commercial and business law. He has received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating of “AV Preeminent” and has been selected a California “Super Lawyer” on numerous occasions. Dan’s legal work spans matters involving business, professional liability, real estate, intellectual property, entertainment, and construction-related issues. He has worked closely for many years with the domestic and London insurance markets, has successfully tried numerous complex cases to verdict and has been instrumental in several groundbreaking favorable rulings in the appellate realm.
Dan is a founding member of the Young Presidents’ Organization's Pacific Coast Gold Chapter and previously served as Chapter Chairman. He formerly served on the Board of Directors for the YPO Santa Monica Bay Charitable Foundation and a Board Member of the YPO Pacific Region Board. He serves and has served on numerous non-profit boards, including the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) Advisory Board, Palisades Malibu YMCA Advisory Board, the City of Hope National Insurance Industry Council Board of Directors, and the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors. Dan has been selected several times by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the 500 Most Influential People in Los Angeles.
Credentials
Education
- Loyola Law School (J.D., 1992)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (B.A., 1989)
Licensed to Practice in
- California
Community
Community Activities
- City of Hope National Insurance Industry Council Board of Directors
- Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors
- Palisades-Malibu YMCA Board of Directors
- YPO Santa Monica Bay Charitable Foundation Board of Directors
- CLM Advisory Board
- California Building Industry Association Legal Action Subcommittee
Memberships
- Firm Chairman, Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP (2015 – Present)
- Managing Partner, Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP (2007 – 2015)
- Young Presidents' Organization Santa Monica Bay and Pacific Coast Gold Chapters (2009 – Present)
- Instructor at the Litigation Management Institute (LMI) at Columbia University and Loyola (Chicago) Law Schools
- Building Industry Association of Southern California
- Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC)
- Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. (RIMS)
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)