Law Offices of Karen Berntson

Berntson Law specializes in labor and employment matters—from litigating wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation and wage cases to negotiating employment and severance agreements.

Berntson Law also represents clients in a wide range of business, consumer and civil rights cases.

Berntson Law is committed to tirelessly advocating on behalf of our clients, and clarifying the process for them along the way. We also pride ourselves on our common-sense approach to litigation: resolving matters informally or through mediation when appropriate while being fully prepared and willing to go to trial when necessary.

Education and Prior Work Experience

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Karen Berntson moved to Washington, DC, where she worked on Senator Barbara Boxer’s legislative staff. A few years later, Karen returned to California and worked for The Capital Group Companies, Inc. in Los Angeles, California, before leaving to attend law school.

Karen received her law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law. After law school, Karen joined the joined the law firm Bell, Rosenberg & Hughes LLP in Oakland, where she represented individuals, corporations and public entities in both transactional and civil litigation matters. Karen later represented employees and unions at the law firm Davis & Reno in San Francisco before starting her own law practice.

Memberships and Activities

Karen is a member of the California State Bar, and is admitted to practice in both federal (Northern District) and state court in California. She is a member of the San Francisco Bar Association. Karen is also an active member of the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA), where she serves on the Education Committee, and of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA). She also serves as a volunteer supervising attorney for the Legal Aid Society—Employment Law Center’s Workers’ Rights Clinic in San Francisco, and has done pro bono work through the Alameda County Bar Association.