Stuart L. Berman has opened doors for victims of securities fraud to pursue recoveries around the world. As head of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check’s global litigation practice, Stu actively counsels institutional investors on filing lawsuits in jurisdictions outside the United States and has helped recover billions of dollars for investors worldwide.
The firm’s global litigation focus first began around 2009 through Stu’s role in representing European investors in the precedent-setting $350 million settlement with Royal Dutch Shell in the Netherlands—the first class settlement approved under Dutch law. Since then, Stu has helped organize and lead shareholder actions against companies in the Netherlands (Fortis), Germany (VW and Porsche), France (Vivendi), Japan (Olympus, Toshiba and Mitsubishi), Australia (BHP Billiton), Portugal (BES) and the United Kingdom (Royal Bank of Scotland).
A well-known authority on global litigation and portfolio monitoring, Stu actively engages with institutional clients regarding how they may best protect their investments made in the United States and abroad. Through Kessler Topaz’s proprietary SecuritiesTracker™ program, which Stu helped create and launch, the firm’s institutional clients are able to quickly review and analyze potential claims anywhere in the world. The firm’s clients trust Stu to accurately assess their fiduciary responsibilities and guide them on how best to pursue and recover assets lost to fraud. His experience and judgment are indispensable in determining when there is the right combination of facts, law and source of recovery to warrant a commitment to active litigation.
In actions brought in the United States, Stu has been instrumental in representing numerous institutional investors through the lead plaintiff, discovery and class certification process in high-profile class actions. He also has represented institutional clients as named plaintiffs in direct (opt-out) actions against companies such as Petrobras, Merck and Vivendi.
Stu is a frequent speaker and panelist at investor meetings and conferences around the world on topics such as shareholder actions, corporate governance, shareholder rights, and the importance of monitoring portfolios and analyzing shareholder claims on a global basis. Stu also serves as General Counsel to Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP.
Updated Sep 2024
