Top-Notch Trial Lawyer Joins Greenberg Traurig's Pre-Eminent
Real Estate Litigation Practice
LOS ANGELES, CA-- June 5, 2006 -- Continuing its aggressive expansion
strategy, Greenberg Traurig LLP’s Los Angeles office has brought
another highly respected litigator on board --
Scott Bertzyk.
He joins as a shareholder and member of the firm’s burgeoning real
estate litigation practice chaired, in the Western region, by
Eric Rowen. Former
partners at Jones Day, Rowen and Bertzyk make a powerful real estate
litigation team, bringing a combined 46 years of experience in delivering
successful outcomes for clients in real estate and other disputes.
Bertzyk has litigated some of the largest cases in California history
for a wide array of clients including Baldwin Builders, Village
Properties, Los Angeles County, Ventura County, the State of California,
Goodrich Corporation and Bridgestone/Firestone.
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Scott Bertzyk |
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“Scott is among the best litigators in the nation. He thinks
creatively and brings extensive knowledge, skill and experience
to bear in representing clients,“ notes Rowen. “He will add tremendous
depth and breadth to our group, and be an invaluable asset as we
move Greenberg Traurig’s Western region real estate litigation practice
to a new level. It will be great to work together again developing
strategies designed to deliver exceptional results for our clients.”
“Eric and Scott make a formidable litigation team that provides
important value to our highly regarded real estate and secured finance
practices,” adds Jeff
Scott, co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Los Angeles
office. “Real estate is a critical element of the California economy
and their specialized skills in litigating disputes within all sectors
of the industry allow us to provide first-rate representation to
clients not only within the state but also throughout the U.S. In
addition, Scott brings substantial appellate experience to our national
appeals group.”
Bertzyk has litigated a wide variety of major real estate-related
disputes for both private and public entities including matters
involving acquisitions, rights of first refusal, easements and CEQA,
as well as ownership and entitlement issues. For example, he obtained
a victory for the Orange County Fair against sellers of the Pacific
Amphitheatre that reopened the facility and netted his client a
substantial settlement. He successfully defended a hospital in Palm
Springs against competitors’ CEQA challenges designed to halt the
facility’s expansion plans, and won the plaintiffs’ appeal against
the judgment. Thereafter, in a separate tort suit against these
competitors, Bertzyk obtained the largest jury verdict in Coachella
Valley history at that time. He also won the largest FDIC settlement
in history for a developer in a suit claiming the FDIC failed to
honor the client’s right of first refusal to acquire property surrounding
the Westlake reservoir.
On the public entity side, Bertzyk successfully represented a
number of counties in a series of class actions seeking increases
in retiree pensions. The claims had created more than $10 billion
in exposure to the counties. He also represented two local counties
in litigation against the State of California, establishing their
rights to certain property tax revenues that the State Controller
claimed belonged to the State. As a result, Los Angeles County became
entitled to a refund of more than $135 million and to receive $18-
$20 million per year in annual funding on a go-forward basis, while
Ventura County was assured of $30 million in refunds and funding.
In another case, Bertzyk represented the State of California in
securing a published appellate decision affirming reversal of an
arbitration panel’s award of almost $89 million in attorneys’ fees
to a consortium of plaintiffs’ lawyers.
His extensive experience and track record in the appellate court
make him an invaluable advocate whether he is defending a trial
court decision or arguing for a reversal.
Bertzyk graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Texas
Law School and summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin
– Eau Claire, with a joint degree in accounting and business administration.
He has taught appellate advocacy at Loyola Law School. While in
law school, Bertzyk also passed all phases of the Certified Public
Accountants’ examination in the first sitting.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, full-service law firm with 1,500
attorneys and governmental affairs professionals in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The
firm is ranked seventh on The American Lawyer's Am Law 100 listing of the
largest law firms in the U.S., based on number of lawyers.
Greenberg Traurig serves clients from offices in: Albany, NY; Amsterdam, The
Netherlands; Atlanta, GA; Boca Raton, FL; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Denver,
CO; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL;
Morristown, NJ; New York, NY; Orange County, CA; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia, PA;
Phoenix, AZ; Sacramento, CA; Silicon Valley, CA; Tallahassee, FL; Tokyo, Japan;
Tysons Corner, VA; Washington, D.C.; West Palm Beach, FL; Wilmington, DE; and Zurich,
Switzerland. Additionally, the firm has strategic alliances with the following independent
law firms: Olswang, London and Brussels; Studio Santa Maria, Milan and Rome; and
Hayabusa Kokusai Law Offices in Tokyo.
For additional information, please visit the firm's Web site at
www.gtlaw.com.
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