Bernheim is a 1983 cm laude graduate of Harvard University, where he was awarded the Harvard College Scholarship for Academic Achievement of Highest Distinction. He is a 1989 graduate of the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania, from which he received his Juris Doctorate. Bernheim has been honored by the Public Justice Foundation, which selected him as one of seven finalists for National
Trial Lawyer of the Year. Bernheim for “single-handed efforts that exposed corporate crime and resulted in a great victory for consumers” in major insurance litigation. Bernheim has also been honored by the California State Bar’s magazine, California Lawyer. Because of his “exceptional work,” it named him one of California’s 20 “lawyers of the year” out of the more than 150,000 attorneys practicing in the state. The president of the American Trial Lawyers Association also honored Mr. Bernheim, by naming him co-chair of the president’s national Insurance Oversight Committee. The Beverly Hills Bar Association admitted Mr. Bernheim to its Order of Distinguished Attorneys in recognition of his “outstanding dedication to the profession,” and he has been admitted to the Elite Lawyers of America, the Legends Society of leading lawyers, and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Bernheim has been invited to testify before the California legislature regarding insurance regulatory issues, and was selected to be a member of the Legislation Review Committee of the Consumer Attorneys of California, in the area of insurance law. He has also been interviewed for many television and radio news broadcasts. Bernheim was selected by the producers of the Fox television series, “Power of Attorney,” to represent members of the public in on-camera trials presented on the show. Bernheim’s most complex insurance cases was the subject of a radio and television investigative story which won one of the most prestigious awards in broadcast journalism. He has lectured regarding complex insurance litigation to such professional groups as the Consumer Attorneys of California, the California Association of Insurance, and the American Conference Institute. He has been invited to serve as a peer‑reviewer for Trial, the journal of the American Association for Justice, in the area of insurance litigation. The Los Angeles Times has published his commentary on insurance regulation. He is a member of both the California Land Title Association and the American Land Title Association, which are, respectively, the California and U.S. professional organizations for the title insurance industry. Bernheim began his career with the Los Angeles office of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson and Bridges, one of California’s oldest full service law firms, where he represented various major insurance companies in litigation and in regulatory matters. Bernheim’s published appellate opinions is Adams v. Murakami (1991) 54 Cal.3d 105, in which the Supreme Court established the rule that a punitive damages award must be based on evidence of the defendant’s financial condition. California is the first state to adopt this rule. Bernheim obtained a published opinion against the insurer in State Farm v. Superior Court (Taylor) (1997) 54 Cal.App.4th 625. In that case, the Court found substantial evidence that the defendant company had engaged in a fraudulent conspiracy against Mr. Bernheim’s clients. Bernheim also engages in pro bono legal work for causes he believes in, such as animal welfare and civil rights. As to his pro bono work, Mr. Bernheim has been commended by the Mayor and City Council of West Hollywood, and has been interviewed and quoted regarding this work by the Los Angeles Times, Court Television, and various local and national radio and television programs. Bernheim is the founder of The Bernheim Foundation, a public charity whose mission is to ease animal and human suffering through the direct action of people who care.
