BDG Law Group is pleased to share that Shareholder Brian Bergman has been named one of this year’s “Top Real Estate and Development Lawyers” in California by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal. In the annual issue, Brian is recognized for successfully representing clients in high-profile cases, saving them millions of dollars, and for his expertise in real estate litigation and eminent domain.
The Daily Journal first highlights Brian’s successful representation of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA). He served as lead trial counsel in Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority v. Green Valley Corporation et al. after the development company rejected two settlement offers for the BART extension, increasing the price to nearly $6 million higher than SCVTA’s offering price.
“We had to be fully prepared to prove our numbers in the courtroom, and the verdict validated that approach,” Brian shares in his profile. “Trying an eminent domain case on behalf of a public agency presents a twofold challenge: overcoming prejudice against the government, and making a highly technical subject understandable to a jury.”
The Daily Journal also discusses Brian’s representation of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Wilshire Gayley, LLC v. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Brian tells the Daily Journal that the victory in this case saved the metro tens of millions of dollars, allowing the station to open in time for the LA28 Olympics.
“As the state pursues ambitious infrastructure plans, from transit expansions to dam and stormwater projects, public agencies need counsel who pair deep procedural knowledge with strong courtroom skills because the ability to try a case credibly is often what makes a fair negotiated resolution possible,” he concludes.
Read Brian’s full feature in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal.