Berliner Cohen, LLP, historic San Jose based law firm, announces the retirement of its founder and Northern California legal stalwart, Stan Berliner. Culminating a 50-year career marked by dedication to the community and devotion to the law, Berliner’s retirement marks a new era for one of San Jose’s first and most established law firms.
Stan Berliner’s career and contribution to the local business and legal communities has been immense and wide-ranging. Beginning his legal career in 1961, Stan spent two years in military service as a Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Army (U.S. Army JAG Corps) lawyer in the Washington D.C. Chief Trial Attorney’s office, before moving to San Jose in 1964. There, as an associate with an established law firm, Stan quickly garnered respect and trust from local business people and found himself blessed with a plethora of referrals and recommendations. This early success, coupled with Stan’s ingenuity and ambition, drove him to establish his own law firm in 1966. It was in these early days, with their humble beginnings in a modest office in the Bank of America building at First and Santa Clara streets, that the foundation of the iconic Berliner reputation was laid.
One of his earliest clients was Silicon Valley investor and developer, Terry Rose, of Terrence J. Rose, Inc. Real Estate. “I have always found Stan to be exceedingly ethical and very honest in all his dealings and have valued his counsel tremendously. Over the years our professional relationship has grown into a personal one, and I’m honored to name him among my closest friends,” Terry said.
Berliner’s reputation for honest and ethical work led to more clients and an expanding firm. This growth eventually led to a partnership with Sam Cohen, a Berkeley Law and Boalt Hall colleague. Sam’s ability as a tenacious litigation partner was a perfect complement to Stan’s real estate and business law prowess. Over the years, the Berliner Cohen name came to be associated with quality, stability, and commitment - a reputation that has afforded them longstanding loyal relationships with clients and lawyers alike. In fact, more than a third of the attorneys at Berliner Cohen today have been with the firm more than 20 years.
As Stan’s name grew in reputation and respect, his namesake law firm became a formidable presence in the local South Bay community, representing such notable clients as: Sobrato Organization, Southern Pacific Railroad, Sequoia Pacific Development Company, Campbell Estate, Kimball Small Properties, FMC (Food Machinery Corporation), San Jose Sharks, Oakland A’s, and Federal Realty Investment Trust (Santana Row).
Berliner personally played a vital role in myriad high profile cases, transactions, and negotiations that, over the years, helped shape the business and real estate landscape of present day Silicon Valley. The firm’s early representation of developers such as Sequoia Pacific, FMC, and Sobrato Organization helped cement their real estate practice at a time when the mostly rural region had strict limits on growth. Stan’s skillful negotiations with the San Jose Redevelopment Agency and others played an integral role in Santa Clara County’s transformation into the thriving business center that it is today.
In fact, many of Stan’s first clients are still with the firm. These long-standing relationships confirm Stan’s ability to connect deeply with his clients. John A. Sobrato, of the prominent Silicon Valley family and development firm, Sobrato Organization, stated, "Stan has been far more than a lawyer for our family for the past 30 some years. He has also become a very trusted advisor to the family."
This trust is likely attributable to Stan’s no-nonsense, yet approachable demeanor. Terry Rose recalled, "When setting up appointments to meet with a prospective tenant or buyer, Stan would ask me two questions: ‘Do you want to make the deal?’ and ‘Do I have to wear a tie?’. My standard response to the former was ‘Yes’, and ‘No’ to the latter."
Stan’s ability to turn clients and colleagues into friends has been a hallmark of his influential career. Having negotiated business transactions in places such as London, Boston, Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, and Honolulu, Stan has, quite literally, made friends all over the country. Speaking to this magnetic charm, a client said of Stan, “He is a unique individual, and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like him.”
The Hon. John A. Flaherty (Ret.), former partner and Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge said it this way, "Although Stan and I were in law school at the same time, it was a few chance meetings across Europe while on summer vacation that really cemented our friendship. When he called me to practice law together in 1968, I didn't hesitate. We worked together until I became a judge in 1977, but he remains a dear friend."
For all of these reasons and more, Berliner Cohen, LLP has been included in “The Best Lawyers in America.” for the past 25 years. Truly, the professional and personal legacy of Stan Berliner is so weighty that one must consider it when examining the field of those players, movers, and shakers who were instrumental in the forming of San Jose and the surrounding Bay Area as we know it today.
Mark Makiewicz, Managing Partner of Berliner Cohen, LLP, offered, "On behalf of the partners, I’d like to thank Stan for the leadership, mentorship and friendship he has shown to us over the years. Whether one has been with the Firm for five years or 40 years, each of us has benefitted greatly from Stan’s influence. By virtue of the training we have received, or the model of giving back to the community that is so deeply ingrained in our Firm’s culture, each of us is a product of Stan’s leadership and vision for what an attorney and member of the community should be. It has been a pleasure and a great honor to be part of the legacy that Stan has built."
Berliner Cohen, LLP congratulates Stan Berliner on 50 years of exemplary devotion to not only the building of a prominent and respected law firm but also for his dedication and commitment to the values of philanthropy and diversity in the San Jose Community, as well as the greater Silicon Valley.