ABOUT OUR HONOREE
MATTHEW P . BERGMAN
Matthew P . Bergman is an attorney , law professor , philanthropist , and community activist . He is the founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center and Bergman Draper Oslund Udo law firms ; a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School ; and a member of the board of directors of nonprofit institutions in higher education , national security , civil rights , worker protection , and the arts .
Matthew is nationally known for his work in product liability litigation and has recovered over $ 1
Billion on behalf of his clients . He has litigated over 1,500 product liability cases , conducted over 25 trials , and prosecuted over 30 reported appeals . Matthew has testified before the U . S . Congress , was appointed to a dozen creditors ’ committees in toxic tort cases and serves on the advisory committees of several multi-billion-dollar asbestos trusts . He has carried the fight for injured victims from the courthouse to federal and state legislatures and works closely with medical providers throughout the northwest . Bergman Draper recently received the Swedish Hospital Community Impact Award .
In 2021 , Matthew founded the Social Media Victims Law Center ( SMVLC ) in response to the youth mental health crisis caused by social media addiction and abuse . SMVLC was the first law firm in the country to use product liability principles to hold social media companies accountable for the severe mental health harms their platforms inflict on young people . He currently represents over 1,000 parents of children who suffered mental health injury , sexual abuse , exploitation , or died from social media addiction and abuse . SMVLC ’ s litigation efforts have received international press attention and Matthew ’ s work has been the subject of multiple feature stories on CNN , ABC , NBC , CBS , Fox and Newsmax and over 300 newspaper articles including New York Times , Wall Street Journal and Washington Post . Matthew was a featured speaker at the first International Digital Wellbeing Summit in Dharan , Saudi Arabia .
Matthew serves on the board of the Mississippi Center for Justice , a public interest law firm committed to advancing racial and economic justice . The Center prosecutes impact litigation in Mississippi involving voting rights , fair housing , health care consumer protection and reproductive rights . Matthew also serves on the Board of Working Washington , a statewide workers ’ organization that fights to improve wages , improve labor standards , and change the conversation about wealth , inequality , and the value of work .
Besides his legal work , Matthew is active in international and national security issues He founded the Maasai Children ’ s Initiative ( MCI ), a female literacy project among the Maasai tribe in Southern Kenya . Matthew built two schools that provided primary education to 300 Maasai girls , feeding programs for schoolchildren and employment for village women . Located deep in the Savanna with no power or electricity , Matthew equipped his schools with solar-powered computer labs with satellite internet connectively and built a solar-powered well to provide potable water to the school and surrounding villages .
In addition to his philanthropic efforts , Matthew serves on the Board of the American Security Project , an organization of retired legislators and flag officers that promotes bipartisan solutions to national security challenges including the US-Russia relationship , nuclear proliferation and climate change . Matthew is also a board member of the Naval Historical Foundation which works to preserve , commemorate , and educate the history of the United States Navy and furnish contemporary strategic decision makers with historical context for current national security challenges .
Matthew is deeply committed to strengthening ties between Israel and Arab nations , building and fostering relationships between Jews and Arabs , and expanding multi-faith efforts in the region . Mathew is a Board Member of American Jewish Committee ’ s ( AJC ) newly launched Arabian Gulf Institute which works to achieve a more stable and peaceful Middle East through gaining and imparting perspectives and establishing trust .