Profile: Barry H. Berke for His White Collar Defense Work in New York Super Lawyers

Litigation partner Barry H. Berke was profiled for his white collar defense work in the 2009 edition of New York Super Lawyers. The article highlighted Berke's work representing Bear Stearns and former Bear CEO Jimmy Cayne, as well as his successful representation of AIG and David Pinkerton in separate cases. In 2007, Berke was hired to represent Bear Stearns in the government investigations and shareholder civil cases brought against the investment bank concerning the collapse of the CDO market. Berke was quoted as saying that their defense has been that the collapse of the CDO market was the result of mistakes made industry-wide, not from actual misconduct. The complexity and pervasiveness of the issues affecting the industry and economy have never been seen before on this scale, Berke said. He also said that the current climate, with the government willing to spend tremendous energy and resources, has made the work even more challenging and has made for an interesting time to be practicing in white collar defense.