Meet Our Team

Steven M. Haskell

Partner

Steven M. Haskell is a Partner Emeritus, with Berkes Crane Santana & Spangler LLP. He received his B.A. in economics from the University of California Los Angeles, where he was a Regents’ Scholar. He received his J.D. from UC College of the Law, San Francisco.  Mr. Haskell also served as a Judicial Intern for the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court.

Over his many years of practice, Mr. Haskell has represented a great variety of clients in civil and criminal matters, including insurers, real estate developers, contractors, design professionals, mortgage companies, realtors, physicians, other attorneys, and criminal defendants. He specializes in complex, multi-party commercial litigation and handles insurance coverage actions involving claims of breach of contract and bad faith arising from environmental liability claims. A former Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender, he has tried dozens of civil and criminal cases to both judge and jury. He has tried cases involving the defense of insurers against claims of coverage for environmental liabilities, the defense of mortgage lenders against claims of discrimination, and the prosecution on behalf of commercial developers of claims of breach of contract, fraud and violation of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act. He has represented clients in multiple arbitrations and mediations and has briefed and argued cases before appellate courts, resulting in published opinions.

In addition to the state courts in California, Mr. Haskell is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Central, Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of California and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He has also practiced in state courts in other jurisdictions.