Andrew Berman's professional profile touts his appellate expertise, work in health care and business litigation, probate experience and national accolades.

But it's his much smaller practice—niche work representing attorneys in crisis—that's earned him a reputation as a “fixer” in legal circles.

“This gives me the most satisfaction,” said Berman, who practices in state and federal courts. “You're really helping people who are in need. You're helping people start their careers, save their careers, or get back into their careers.”

Berman is senior partner at Young Berman Karpf & Gonzalez in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, where his primary focus is business litigation and appeals. But it's his work defending fellow lawyers facing public disgrace, criminal charges or loss of their livelihood that grabs headlines.

He made the news representing high-profile attorney Henry “Hank” Adorno, caught in a whirlwind scandal that caused the nation's largest minority-owned law firm, Adorno & Yoss, to implode after its principal faced charges for mishandling a class action.

Berman's latest headlines involve the representation of Jeremy Alters, a Dania Beach personal injury plaintiffs attorney suspended in December 2011 over allegations he misappropriated funds from his Miami law firm's trust accounts and used clients' funds to cover other obligations.

The Florida Supreme Court lifted the suspension in January 2012 and reinstated Alters' license to practice law. Then, court-appointed referee, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Marcia Caballero, found Alters guilty of two of the six charges against him but cleared him of willful misconduct. She recommended no disciplinary action after finding the attorney prevailed on the most serious counts, but that he failed to prevent repeated misconduct by others in his firm.

For years, Berman championed Alters in a fight against the Florida Bar, which sought to recover about $305,360 in prosecution costs. The effort paid off in September, when Caballero highlighted many “troubling features of the bar's disparate prosecutions.” Noting several missteps in the aggressive pursuit of Alters, the judge concluded it was the Florida Bar who owed the attorney—and not the other way around. She recommended the bar pay nearly $144,000 to cover his fees and expenses in fending off the litigation.

Berman doesn't like to talk about the case. A vague bullet point on his website appears to be the only reference to the hard-fought and ongoing fight and touches only on the early part of the litigation.

“Successfully overturned emergency suspension of prominent attorney by Florida Supreme Court within 30 days of suspension order,” the site notes.

Berman's ethics practice dates back to his days as a young attorney in the 1980s, when he worked for former Florida Bar President Burton Young, now his law partner. In those days he helped Burton on disciplinary cases, until lawyers started reaching out to him for representation on bar admissions and ethics.

“I feel the most pressure when I am convinced that a lawyer is innocent,” Berman said. “I fight long and hard to make sure that a bad result does not occur.”

His big breakthrough came while representing a well-connected attorney with ties to the White House.

The client was plaintiffs lawyer Hugh Rodham, whose sister is Hillary Clinton. He faced ethics charges for lobbying his powerful brother-in-law, then-President Bill Clinton, to commute the sentences of two men with felony convictions and ties to major Democratic campaign donors. Rodham took about $400,000 in fees from the men, who Clinton pardoned on his last day in office. The Clintons denied any knowledge of the payment and demanded Rodham return the money.

Berman helped Rodham beat the allegations. In 2001, the Florida Bar found Rodham did not violate ethics rules.

“We defeated that because he wasn't engaged in the practice of law,” Berman said. “Anyone could ask the president for a pardon. It was completely discretionary with the president.”

The media attention made him a noted litigator, but if he had his way, Berman would keep all his clients out of the spotlight.

“When I do my best work no one even knows about it,” he said. “It never gets to the point where something public occurs.”

Albert Diaz

Andrew Berman's professional profile touts his appellate expertise, work in health care and business litigation, probate experience and national accolades.

But it's his much smaller practice—niche work representing attorneys in crisis—that's earned him a reputation as a “fixer” in legal circles.

“This gives me the most satisfaction,” said Berman, who practices in state and federal courts. “You're really helping people who are in need. You're helping people start their careers, save their careers, or get back into their careers.”

Berman is senior partner at Young Berman Karpf & Gonzalez in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, where his primary focus is business litigation and appeals. But it's his work defending fellow lawyers facing public disgrace, criminal charges or loss of their livelihood that grabs headlines.

He made the news representing high-profile attorney Henry “Hank” Adorno, caught in a whirlwind scandal that caused the nation's largest minority-owned law firm, Adorno & Yoss, to implode after its principal faced charges for mishandling a class action.

Berman's latest headlines involve the representation of Jeremy Alters, a Dania Beach personal injury plaintiffs attorney suspended in December 2011 over allegations he misappropriated funds from his Miami law firm's trust accounts and used clients' funds to cover other obligations.

The Florida Supreme Court lifted the suspension in January 2012 and reinstated Alters' license to practice law. Then, court-appointed referee, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Marcia Caballero, found Alters guilty of two of the six charges against him but cleared him of willful misconduct. She recommended no disciplinary action after finding the attorney prevailed on the most serious counts, but that he failed to prevent repeated misconduct by others in his firm.

For years, Berman championed Alters in a fight against the Florida Bar, which sought to recover about $305,360 in prosecution costs. The effort paid off in September, when Caballero highlighted many “troubling features of the bar's disparate prosecutions.” Noting several missteps in the aggressive pursuit of Alters, the judge concluded it was the Florida Bar who owed the attorney—and not the other way around. She recommended the bar pay nearly $144,000 to cover his fees and expenses in fending off the litigation.

Berman doesn't like to talk about the case. A vague bullet point on his website appears to be the only reference to the hard-fought and ongoing fight and touches only on the early part of the litigation.

“Successfully overturned emergency suspension of prominent attorney by Florida Supreme Court within 30 days of suspension order,” the site notes.

Berman's ethics practice dates back to his days as a young attorney in the 1980s, when he worked for former Florida Bar President Burton Young, now his law partner. In those days he helped Burton on disciplinary cases, until lawyers started reaching out to him for representation on bar admissions and ethics.

“I feel the most pressure when I am convinced that a lawyer is innocent,” Berman said. “I fight long and hard to make sure that a bad result does not occur.”

His big breakthrough came while representing a well-connected attorney with ties to the White House.

The client was plaintiffs lawyer Hugh Rodham, whose sister is Hillary Clinton. He faced ethics charges for lobbying his powerful brother-in-law, then-President Bill Clinton, to commute the sentences of two men with felony convictions and ties to major Democratic campaign donors. Rodham took about $400,000 in fees from the men, who Clinton pardoned on his last day in office. The Clintons denied any knowledge of the payment and demanded Rodham return the money.

Berman helped Rodham beat the allegations. In 2001, the Florida Bar found Rodham did not violate ethics rules.

“We defeated that because he wasn't engaged in the practice of law,” Berman said. “Anyone could ask the president for a pardon. It was completely discretionary with the president.”

The media attention made him a noted litigator, but if he had his way, Berman would keep all his clients out of the spotlight.

“When I do my best work no one even knows about it,” he said. “It never gets to the point where something public occurs.”