Liability Assessment and Litigation Management Team

Assistant General Counsel , Catherine Bernstein

In April of 2000, the Office of Legal Affairs assembled the Liability Assessment and Litigation Management Team, LALMT (formally known as the Liability Response Unit), under the leadership of Catherine Bernstein, to begin meeting the litigation management demands of the immense volume of inmate civil actions pending against the Department and its employees.

LALMT evaluates each of the estimated 600 new civil lawsuits that are served on the Department and its employees each year, assessing liability, acting as liaison to defense counsel, and participating in the strategic planning of case management.

LALMT has conducted Litigation Coordinator workshops and a pilot litigation orientation program for CDCR employees that are being sued. Further training is planned. Through the interaction provided by training sessions and ongoing daily communication with the field, LALMT has become an identifiable resource for the institutions and regional offices that are responding to litigation demands and attempting to minimize our liability exposure.