Howard J. BergmanCounsel in ResidenceCornell University, B.A. Howard J. Bergman (’81) joined the Law School on April 1, 2011, as Counsel in Residence. He is developing a new Corporate Institute that will augment the strong business concentration programs for J.D. and LL.M. students, provide opportunities for students to meet practicing business counselors, and deepen the Law School’s relationship with the business community. Bergman received his B.A. in history from Cornell University, his M.A. in economics from the University of Minnesota, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School. He began his legal career with Faegre & Benson, where he worked in the litigation departments for four years. In 1985 Bergman joined the Office of General Counsel at 3M. He worked for the company for nearly 26 years, acquiring broad experience working with 3M’s global businesses and serving as the general counsel to 3M’s Health Care Business (2000-04) and Consumer & Office Business (2010-11). Included in the businesses were divisions responsible for the development, manufacture, marketing, and sales of medical devices and supplies, pharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems, dental and orthodontic supplies and equipment, software used by hospitals for Medicare coding, and 3M’s well-known consumer products, such as Scotch Tape, Post-It Notes, Filtrete filters, Scotchbrite cleaning products, and Nexcare consumer health products. From 2004-09, Bergman was located in Brussels as general counsel to 3M’s operations in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). 3M’s EMEA Region extended from Norway to South Africa and from Ireland to Kazakhstan. It included 30 national subsidiaries and 20 national branches that were responsible for the entire portfolio of 3M products. Bergman was responsible for 25 attorneys working in-house in 10 subsidiaries, having hired 3M’s first in-house attorneys in Poland, Turkey, and Dubai. He provided support to the managing directors of subsidiaries that did not have in-house counsel and to the vice president of the region on issues of global and regional significance. He also managed 3M’s public affairs for the European Union. While at 3M, Bergman developed expertise in antitrust issues and has been a speaker at various conferences, including the ABA Spring Antitrust Meeting, the Sedona Conference, the IBA Competition Law Conference (in Fiesole, Italy), the Conference Board Antitrust Conference, and the Practising Law Institute Advanced Antitrust Seminar. He chaired the 3M Office of General Counsel Antitrust Practice Group and the MSBA Antitrust Section and co-chaired the 3M Office of Intellectual Property Antitrust Committee. In Brussels, Bergman was an active member of the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU) Competition Law committee. |
