Brian P. Berson has received the highest rating from Martindale-Hubbell in both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards.  He is also a Certified Specialist in Criminal Law by the State Bar of California.

Brian has been practicing criminal defense exclusively for over 21 years.  He defends people accused of - or suspects in - everything from homicides to white collar crimes to DUIs and petty theft.

Brian has tried dozens of cases and most of his clients in those trials have been acquitted of all charges.  Brian's last seven out of eight trials have resulted in acquittals of all charges for his clients.  Those cases included charges of: attempted murder, drug conspiracy and distribution with mandatory minimum prison terms if the clients had been convicted, terrorist threats, unlawful firearms and criminal contempt of court. 

One of Brian's more recent trials involved two counts of attempted murder.  The jury found his client not guilty of those charges, but guilty of the lesser included crimes of attempted voluntary manslaughter. At sentencing, Brian's client received probation, and was released from jail later the same day after serving approximately 14 1/2 months in jail. The best plea bargain that could have been obtained prior to the trial would have resulted in 7 years in state prison following a guilty plea to the two counts of attempted murder, as charged. Brian advised his client to reject that plea bargain and, as a result, he is no longer in custody.  This was the only criminal trial out of Brian?s last eight that did not result in acquittal of all charges.

Brian P. Berson
Member
Email: brianberson@yahoo.com

Practice Areas: Criminal Law (Certified by the State Bar of California as a Specialist in Criminal Law).

Admitted: 1983, Louisiana and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana; 1987, California and U.S. District Court, Northern District of California

Law School: Tulane University of Louisiana, J.D., cum laude, 1983

College: George Washington University (B.A., 1978; M.A., 1982)

Member: Bar Association of San Francisco; State Bar of California; Louisiana State Bar Association; National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; California Attorneys for Criminal Justice; California Trial Lawyers Association.

Biography: Member, Federal Public Defender's Office: New Orleans, Louisiana, 1983-1987; San Francisco, California, 1987-1993.

Reported Cases: U.S. v. Rahm, 993 F.2d 1405 (9th Cir. 1993).

Born: Washington, D.C., July 31, 1956

ISLN: 909055743

235 Montgomery Street Suite 625 San Francisco, California 94104 Telephone: 415-788-2707 Fax: 415-392-5275