Lloyd Bernstein has devoted his practice for the past 20 years to defending the interests of insurers across the Pacific Northwest. Clients rely on Lloyd’s counsel to help navigate complex legal issues, including insurance coverage, commercial disputes, and the defense of extra-contractual and bad faith claims. During his 25-year legal career, Lloyd has amassed a thorough understanding of insurance and legal issues, nuances relative to local venues, and the landscape, judges, and insurance laws unique to these jurisdictions.

Lloyd is an accomplished trial lawyer who recognizes that an arbitrated, mediated, or negotiated resolution often better addresses the goals of the firm’s clients. To that end, he fields an experienced and skillful team of attorneys specializing in Coverage, Bad Faith, Risk Mitigation, SIU Assistance, Appellate, and insurance issues.

Clients appreciate Lloyd’s direct and open communication style and use of humor to put parties at ease and diffuse tensions. They count on his real-life approach and practical advice. Given his significant experience, Lloyd is prepared to lay out the risks and counsel clients on the most effective path to resolution.

Areas of Focus

Insurance Policies 
Lloyd represents insurers on issues involving various types of policies including but not limited to Property & Casualty; Professional, Employment & Fiduciary; Builders Risk & Inland Marine; Technology & Cyber; and Excess & Surplus.   

Advising on & Litigating Business Disputes
Lloyd has deep experience in dealing with business disputes, including employment, harassment, and discrimination; general, business and commercial contracts and torts; product, professional, and premises liability cases; construction, title and escrow, and real estate matters; and catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases.

    Education

    • California Western School of Law (J.D.)
    • State University of New York at Plattsburgh (B.S.)
      • University of Central Lancashire-England – Study Abroad

    Bar Admissions

    • Oregon
    • Washington

    Court Admissions

    • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
    • U.S. District Court, District of Oregon
    • U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
    • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
    • U.S. District Court, Central District of California
    • U.S. District Court, Southern District of California

    Professional Affiliations

    • Oregon Association of Defense Counsel (President, 2020; Board Member, 2014–2020; Chair, Insurance Coverage Practice Group, 2011–2013; Member,  Governmental Affairs Committee)
    • DRI: The Voice of the Defense Bar: (Member, Insurance Law Committee, Property Insurance Subcommittee, Bad Faith Subcommittee)
    • Association of Defense Trial Attorneys
    • West Side YMCA (Volunteer Youth Basketball Coach)
    • i9 Sports (Volunteer Youth Flag Football Coach)
    • Stand for Children Oregon (Beaverton Chapter Leader, 2013–2015)

    Awards & Honors

    • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America®, 2026
    • Super Lawyers, Top Rated Insurance Coverage Attorney in Portland, OR, 2025
    • AV® Preeminent™, Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
    • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® (2019–2021 – Commercial Litigation; Insurance Law; Litigation – Insurance)
    • Named as a “Rising Star” in Oregon Super Lawyers (2008 – Insurance Coverage)
    • Recipient of The State Bar of California’s Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Service
Privacy Settings
Your Privacy Choices
We value your privacy. Under privacy laws in your jurisdiction, you have the right to control how your personal information is used, including the right to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. You may also limit the use of your sensitive personal information.

Below, you can review and adjust your cookie and data sharing preferences. For more information about how we use your data, please see our Privacy Policy.

Your Rights and Choices

Opt Out of Sale or Sharing: You may opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for advertising and analytics purposes by turning off Advertising & Targeting Cookies. We will honor your choice and will not sell or share your personal information for these purposes unless you enable these cookies again. Wilson Elser does not sell or share personal information in any other manner.

Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: If we collect sensitive personal information, you may limit its use to only what is necessary to provide requested services by adjusting your preferences here. Please contact privacy@wilsonelser.com with any questions.

Global Privacy Control: We honor browser-based opt-out signals, such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC). If we detect such a signal, your opt-out preference will be automatically applied.
These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually set in response to actions made by you, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They may be set through our site by us or our analytics partners to understand your interests and deliver more relevant content to you. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our site