Berger Montague, a Philadelphia-based plaintiffs class action and commercial litigation firm, has opened an office in San Diego, expanding its footprint to the West Coast.

The new office is headed by Benjamin Galdston, who has joined the firm as a shareholder from Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann. The San Diego office is Berger Montague's fourth nationwide.

“My focus is really going to be on institutional investor clients, because California has some of the largest—if not the largest—public pension funds in the country, and other institutional investors, private equity, money managers, etc.,” Galdston said in an interview. “It is critical to have boots on the ground and a presence to work with those kinds of clients.”

Galdston began working with Berger Montague in April to help the firm plot out it San Diego office. He said the California office will focus on bolstering the securities litigation practice and representing clients in commercial, antitrust and other complex litigation matters.

Galdston, who has more than 18 years of experience representing institutional investors in complex class and individual actions, said a number of economic factors are indicating that another financial crisis might be on its way. Berger Montague is gearing up to help clients deal with the potential legal issues that would arise from such a crisis, he said.

“We want to be poised and prepared to meet those challenges when the litigation ramps up, and it will,” he said.

The San Diego office is the third new location Berger Montague has opened since 2016, when it added a presence in Minneapolis. It also has an office in Washington, D.C.

Galdston added that opening in California “is part of the overall growth strategy that the new leadership is implementing.” Berger Montague announced in January that it elected Eric Cramer to succeed Sherrie Savett as its chair as the firm looked to transition from the founding partners to the next generation of leadership.

“It is a growth strategy that is both prospective and based on our expectations, but also based on the current trends and demands from our clients,” Galdston said.

According to the firm's website, Berger Montague has more than 60 lawyers representing clients in civil litigation, with a focus on complex matters and class actions.

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