Sophia von Bergen
About Sophie
Sophie von Bergen is a member of the firm’s litigation practice team and has experience representing clients in all phases of litigation, with a focus on complex litigation matters, business disputes, and insurance recovery for policyholders. Sophie represents businesses and individuals in state and federal courts in Oregon. Her experience representing clients as both plaintiffs and defendants allows her to analyze issues from multiple perspectives and appropriately advocate on her clients’ behalf.
Before joining Miller Nash, Sophie practiced at a Portland law firm where she represented clients in commercial litigation matters, including complex cases. During law school, Sophie was a judicial extern to the Honorable Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman at the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon where she researched and drafted opinions in civil cases. She also advised businesses at the Small Business Legal Clinic on transactional matters, including on intellectual property issues. Sophie has also co-authored a chapter on issues of gender and politics in developing countries and Lewis & Clark Law Review published her Note on causes of action against companies engaged in “greenwashing.”
Representative Experience
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Business & Corporate Plus
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Defending financial services organization against claims from creditor of educational institution
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Class Actions Plus
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Defending large retail company in putative class action with claims of alleged violations of the unlawful trade practices act
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Insurance Recovery Plus
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Representing Portland-area businesses seeking coverage for business interruption losses sustained from COVID-19, including in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
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Activities
- Multnomah Bar Association, Member
- Young Lawyers Section, CLE Committee, 2021-present
- Oregon State Bar, Member
- Oregon Women Lawyers, Member
- Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, Member
- ACLU of Oregon, Intake Volunteer, 2016
- Federal Bar Association, Member
- Campaign for Equal Justice, Associate Committee, Co-Chair, 2023-present
- Occidental College, Portland Alumni Representative, 2017
- Forward Stride, Volunteer, 2016-2017
Recognition
- Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® (Portland, OR)
- Litigation—Banking and Finance, 2024-present
- Litigation—Environmental, 2024-present
- Litigation—Securities, 2024-present
- Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions—Plaintiffs, 2024-present
- Commercial Litigation, 2022-present
- Selected for inclusion as an Oregon Super Lawyer—Rising Star, 2023-present
Insights from Sophie
- “Chapter 10: Business Litigation,” Oregon Statutory Time Limitations, 2022 Revision (June 2022)
- “2 Calif. Insurance Decisions Question Boundaries Of Fortuity,” Law360, coauthor (May 2022)
- “Using a Kanban Board to Manage Workflow,” Multnomah Bar Association, Multnomah Lawyer, January 2022
- “Holding Oregon Benefit Companies Accountable for Greenwashing and Faux CSR,” 24 Lewis & Clark L. Rev. 1097 (2020)
- “Women in Politics in Latin America,” Women, Policy, and Political Leadership: Regional Perspectives in Today’s World, 35-54 Wilhelm Hofmeister, Mega Sarmah & Dispreet Kaur (eds., 2015) (with Mala Htun & Jennifer Piscopo)
- “Applying to & Navigating Law School and How to Use Law for Social Justice. An Oxy Alumni Panel,” Occidental College, The Matrix: Conversations & Transformations, panelist (Sept. 2021)
- “Women’s Gains and Men’s Losses: Zero-Sum Approaches to Gender Policy in the Anglophone Caribbean,” Fourth Annual European Conference on Politics & Gender, Uppsala, Sweden (June 2016) (with Jennifer Piscopo)
Outside the Office
Born and raised in Portland, Sophie enjoys riding horses and training for Hunter/Jumper competitions in the Northwest. She also plays tennis, is an avid crossword puzzler, and attempts to train her cat, Smokey.