Mr. Stern is a graduate of The University of Chicago Law School (1975), where he served on the Managing Board of The Law Review. In 1972, he graduated from the University of Illinois, where he majored in accountancy and was elected to membership in Beta Gamma Sigma, the business college analogue to Phi Beta Kappa.

Mr. Stern clerked for the Honorable John Minor Wisdom, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, from 1975 to 1976, then was employed by the Carter-Mondale Presidential Campaign in a management position in Virginia. He joined Tuttle & Taylor in 1977, became a partner there in 1980, and moved to Morrison & Foerster as a partner in 1991.

As detailed below, Mr. Stern’s practice has focused on the defense of banking, securities, and accountants’ liability litigation.

Banking Litigation Experience. Mr. Stern has represented banks in a broad range of litigation, including, for example, an antitrust action challenging interchange fees in ATM transactions, major contract disputes, consumer class actions, and Section 17200 claims challenging a variety of credit card fees and practices.

Securities Litigation Experience. Mr. Stern has represented numerous companies and their directors and officers in the defense of shareholders’ class actions and SEC investigations involving accounting and financial disclosure issues. He also has been retained by several national accounting firms to defend securities claims made against them.

Accounting Litigation Experience. Mr. Stern has passed the CPA exam and, before becoming a lawyer, worked for both public and private accounting firms in the areas of auditing and tax services. He has represented national accounting firms on audit, tax, and consulting malpractice issues, and in connection with regulatory and other concerns. Mr. Stern has lectured and written on a variety of auditing and related litigation topics, including twice being a panelist for the annual Accountants’ Liability Program sponsored by the Practicing Law Institute.

Professional and Community Involvement. In 2005, Mr. Stern was selected by the judges of the Central District of California to serve a three-year term as a lawyer representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. Mr. Stern has held a number of management positions at Morrison & Foerster and at his former firm. He also has held leadership roles in several community service organizations, including the Jewish Federation Council's Community Relations Committee and the Constitutional Rights Foundation, where he has long served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.