J. Bernard Alexander III

A seasoned attorney who has tried more than 60 cases, Alexander says, “Most of the time I’m able to get opposing counsel to see the light, that settlement is a better route than going to trial.”

The key to dealing with a hostile opponent and ensuring a civil interaction is to stay calm, he said.

“Oftentimes there’s at least some common ground you can find to get things done efficiently and effectively to at least minimize the conflict,” Alexander explained.

He enjoys representing middle-class plaintiffs in challenging cases, such as a personnel department employee who was fired after implicating a company executive in sexual misconduct.

“It all depends on whether the employer undervalues the emotional stress in the case,” Alexander said. “If they’re willing to pay the value of the stress, then we’re able to reach a settlement.”

When he does goes to trial, Alexander said he often secures large verdicts for his clients, especially when they are lower middle class and long-time employees. “When a low wage earner loses their job the jury can be very sympathetic to their emotional distress,” Alexander said. “But these are not easy cases.”

He won $1.2 million, including attorney fees, for his client Aron Monterroso, who was given leave to visit his dying mother in Guatemala but was fired when he returned at the scheduled time.

“He had been there approximately 25 years. When we went to settle, they undervalued his emotional distress and forced us to go to trial,” Alexander said. Monterroso v. Hydraulics International Inc., BC654053 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Mar. 14, 2017).

Alexander recently took on the Los Angeles Unified School District, winning $100,000 for a high school soccer coach who said he he was fired for complaining about unequal treatment between girls’ and boys’ sports programs. Asfall v. Los Angeles Unified School District et al. 2:18-cv-00505-CBM-RAO (C. D. Cal. Filed Jan. 19, 2018). “He was basically volunteering, and the jury ruled unanimously in his favor and we’re awaiting a ruling on the attorney fees,” Alexander said.

—Nick Kipley