Craig Simon '74

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Berger Kahn Managing Partner Craig Simon '74 is the 2021 recipient of the California Lawyer Attorney of the Year award from the Los Angeles Daily Journal for his work as co-lead counsel for the subrogation plaintiffs in the Woolsey $2.2 billion settlement. The California Lawyer Attorney of the Year award recognizes recipients for their significant achievements within specialized areas of law.

Says Simon, “I credit this recognition to so many talented individuals at Berger Kahn and among our extensive Woolsey subrogation group. It gives me great pride that our collective hard work is being recognized. One can only hope that this settlement will lead California utilities to undertake greater attention to inspection and maintenance of their electrical equipment in the future, to the benefit of all California residents.”

The $2.2 billion Woolsey settlement was between Southern California Edison and over 100 subrogation insurance plaintiffs and other holders of Woolsey fire claims following a 2018 fire that destroyed 151 square miles in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

With broad trial experience representing insurers, financial companies, and business owners, Simon serves as National Subrogation Counsel to a top nationwide insurer, helping to oversee recovery challenges across the country. Recognized by The Daily Journal among the “Top 100″ Attorneys in California, he has been named to the list of Best Lawyers for 2015-present, and the list of Southern California Super Lawyers, with frequent recognition to the “Top 50 Orange County,” and “Top 100 Southern California” Super Lawyers lists.

A political science major at UCLA, Simon earned his J.D. Loyola Law School and is the longtime managing partner of Berger Kahn, A Law Corporation, in Irvine, Calif. The firm's practice areas include insurance coverage and litigation, business litigation, labor and employment, serious personal injury and wrongful death, and subrogation. Located in Irvine and San Diego, it serves matters statewide including in Los Angeles, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, Orange County, as well as in Arizona and Texas.