HarrisMartin's Northwest Asbestos Litigation Conference Speaker Profiles

Katherine Steele is a member in the Seattle office. Her civil litigation practice has, since 1981, emphasized representing defendants in product liability, asbestos defense, complex litigation management, construction defect, wrongful death, personal injury, general maritime law and Jones Act cases. She served as National Asbestos Coordinating Counsel for The E.J. Bartells Co. (the former Northwest Manville contractor and distributor) for nearly 20 years, until its successful reorganization in 2001. She is the current national counsel for a Northwest shipping company.

Ms. Steele is a member of the bar in both Washington and Oregon, and has earned the highest attorneys rating (AV ® Preeminent) in the national Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.

Matthew Bergman is an attorney, philanthropist and entrepreneur. He serves as senior partner of the firm, the Board Chairman of Neural IQ and a trustee of Reed College.

Following law school, Matt spent two years as Law Clerk to Judge Baldock of the United States Court of Appeals – Tenth Circuit. His legal career began at the firm Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe in Seattle, Washington. His practice at this time primarily focused on environmental litigation, Indian law and insurance coverage litigation. In 1995, Matt left Heller Ehrman and began representing asbestos victims with Brian Weinstein, at Weinstein & Bergman, P.S. Matt then founded his own firm, Bergman Draper Ladenburg, which has grown to become the Northwest’s premier asbestos litigation firm.

Matt is nationally known for his work on behalf of asbestos victims. He has spoken at national and international seminars on asbestos litigation. He has testified before the U.S. Congress on asbestos legislative issues, as well as served on numerous creditors’ committees and trust advisory committees. He also fights for the rights of individuals and continues to work closely with local and international unions throughout the northwest.

Matt is personally and sincerely involved with the Maasai Children’s Initiative (MCI). MCI’s objectives include providing education opportunities, increased school enrollment, empowering Maasai women, promoting computer literacy and promoting the maintenance and preservation of the Maasai culture in southern Kenya. Matt is the Chairman and principal funder of MCI. He first travelled to Kenya in 2004 and was overwhelmed with the opportunities to improve educational enrollment in the Maasai communities. He began funding MCI in 2007 and has been directly involved in every stage of the organization’s expansion and development. A frequent visitor to Kenya, Bergman has published numerous articles on African policy and narratives describing his experiences.