Careers

80-year-old lawyer won biggest case of his career last year

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If you think success has eluded you, take heart: There’s still time to succeed.

That’s the lesson in this Desert Sun story about an 80-year old California lawyer who last year won a $10.4 million judgment in a medical malpractice case, the biggest award of his career.

The Palm Springs lawyer, Martin Berman, was co-counsel in the case, which contended the U.S. Air Force was negligent when it transferred an expectant mother from Edwards Air Force Base to Spain without recognizing her high-risk pregnancy, according to the the Desert Sun story. The baby was born premature with cerebral palsy.

Berman says he will stick with the case through any appeals. “Assuming I’m on this side of the grass–which I hope to be–I will be involved,” he told the Desert Sun.

Berman, who began his career as a chemical engineer, says he took the Law School Admission Exam as a result of a bet with a friend over who would do better. The friend didn’t show up for the test.

Berman also made news in 1990 when a jury awarded $3 million on behalf of his clients after their child was infected with HIV in a blood transfusion.

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