Lawyers
Brand Cooper
Brand Cooper was admitted to the bar, 1975, California, United States District Court, Southern District and Central District of California, and United States District Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: University of Southern California (B.S., 1971); Loyola University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1975). Member, Loyola University Law Review, 1974 -1975. Author: “Civil Conspiracy & Interference with Contractual Relations.” 8 Loyola Law Review 312 (quoted with approval by the California Supreme Court in Applied Equipment v. Litton Saudi Arabia (1994) 7 Cal. 4th 503 [28 Cal. Rptr. 475]).
Mr. Cooper has spent much of his career handling contractual disputes and/ or giving advice on contractual interpretation. Contractual disputes include litigation over partnership agreements, lease agreements, software license agreements, literary and publishing agreements. He also has had substantial experience in insurance coverage involving insurance policies of every nature, bad faith litigation and fee dispute litigation arising out of said contracts. This work involves the analysis and litigation of contractual provisions which includes providing opinions on contractual interpretation under case law as applied to different factual scenarios and litigating the interpretation of contractual provisions.
Mr. Cooper has developed extensive experience in the area of professional fee review and analysis which has garnered him a nationwide reputation as an expert in this area. Mr. Cooper has for over 25 years represented clients (including lawyers) in disputes over legal representation and charges associated therewith. He litigates, arbitrates and mediates such disputes. Mr. Cooper assists clients in contemporaneous and retrospective reviews of legal billings to insure that the legal billings are reasonable, appropriate and necessary and comply with billing guidelines and reasonableness standards.
In addition, often disputes arise over the reasonableness and scope of legal charges and the obligations of clients to fund all or a portion of legal charges associated with litigation. Allocations of legal charges are often performed by Mr. Cooper and his team to determine the proper scope of defense obligations. Mr. Cooper has also been asked by his clients to determine the reasonable value of legal services both in support of lawyers' claims and in opposition to lawyers' claims.
Mr. Cooper has provided expert testimony on fee dispute and legal malpractice matters in excess of 85 occasions in State and Federal Courts, and in arbitrations. The firm has also represented a variety of governmental entities (including the cities of Los Angeles, Pasadena, Glendale and Riverside) in tort, contract and fee dispute matters.
In addition to the foregoing, Mr. Cooper has represented and continues to represent individuals and electrical energy generators in the electrical utility industry in litigation concerning the California Power crisis of 2000 and 2001. This litigation includes the responsibilities of the California Power Exchange to comply with tariff provisions in the relaxation of creditworthiness standards for purchasers of electricity and the ability of public utility purchasers of electricity to sue municipal sellers for overcharges in the Independent System Operators market.
Mr. Cooper has also handled numerous intellectual property, trademark and copyright infringement matters including the landmark decision of Comedy III v. Saderup, (2002) 25 Cal. 4th 387, [106 Cal. Rptr. 2d 126], involving the right of publicity and the California Supreme Court’s new standard for determining when the Constitution protects a person’s right to expression in the area of portraits of famous persons.
Robert M. Bruning
rmb@cooperlaw.com
Robert Bruning was licensed to practice law on December 21, 1977. Also admitted to practice in United States District Court, Eastern and Central Districts and the United States District Court of Appeal, Ninth CIrcuit. Education: University of Southern California (B.A. 1974); Southwestern School of Law (Juris. Doctorate 1977). Legal Intern for Second DIstrict Court of Appeal Justice Thaxton Hanson.
From 1979 to 1998 Mr. Bruning practiced in his own firm as a partner with Peter Lichtman (currently Los Angeles Superior Court Judge - complex litigation) and on his own. Mr. Bruning's career has focused on a wide range of business litigation matters including contract dispute litigation, contract draftsmanship, attorney partnership disputes, real estate litigation, legal malpractice, insurance coverage and insurance contract interpretation and attorney fee dispute resolution. He is currently representing municipalities in electrical utility litigation involving the California energy crisis.
In connection with his fee dispute practice, he has reviewed and analyzed hundreds of litigation matters involving mass disasters, class actions and multi-district litigation throughout the United States. Mr. Bruning collaborates as a team member with Mr. Cooper on most of the firm's expert analyses and opinions regarding the performance and charges of lawyers. Mr. Bruning often performs allocations of legal billings in accordance with the scope of contractual clauses, statutory provisions or the decision of Buss v. Superior Court in the insurance context. Mr. Bruning's practice includes appellate work in both State and Federal Courts.
Scott Rasmussen
sr@cooperlaw.com
Scott Rasmussen was licensed to practice law in 1976. He is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Central District of California, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Second Circuits, The United States Supreme Court and the United States Court of Federal Claims. Education: Loyola University (Juris Doctorate 1976); Loyola University Law Review, staff member (1974-1975), Chief Note and Comment Editor (1975-1976) Author: " The Evolving Definition of Procedural Due Process in Debtor-Credior Relations: From Sniadach to North Georgia Finishing" 8 Loyola Law Review 339.
Mr. Rasmussen practiced litigation as a Deputy California Attorney General from 1977- 1985. He represented State departments, officials and employees in a wide variety civil litigation including condemnation, tort and contract, prison rights, malpractice, discrimination, construction contracts, copyright violations, mandamus and appeals, administrative hearings for licensing, personnel and retirement matters before the Office of Administrative Hearings, the State Board of Personnel and WCAB.
He practised law as a staff attorney with Southern California Edison from 1985-1988 representing SCE before the California Public Utilities Commission. He counseled the SCE Cogeneration Small Power department (representing 9% of SCE's total resources) on the administration of 420 renewable power sales agreements. His advice to SCE involved contract matters, transmission service agreements, system bypass, research and development, energy conservation and special discount rates.
As Assistant CIty Attorney for the City of Pasadena (1988 -1998, 2001-2011), Mr. Rasmussen handled transactional, regulatory and litigation matters for the Pasadena Department of Water & Power. In 1991 he made presentations to the American Public Power Association regarding outside counsel retention and legal billings. His experience includes groundwater cleanup, transmission service agreements, power sales contracts with renewable energy sellers, construction contracts, inter-utility and joint powers agreements etc. He successfully represented the CIty of Pasadena before FERC and state and federal tribunals in procuring millions of dollars of recoupment for power sold to the California Independent Systems Operator during the 2000-2001 California electricity crisis.
He was also General Counsel to the California Power Exchange (1998-2001) and in such capacity advised the 27 member Board of Governors on a broad range of transactional, regulatory and litigation matters. From the period of 1998-2001 approximately 80% of all electricity consumed in California was traded on this exchange. Mr. Rasmussen established the law department and monitored millions of dollars in billings of outside counsel.
