Attorney Stephen M. Bergren joined McCathern’s Dallas office in 2022 following years of public service in the military and federal law enforcement that prepared him to provide experienced counsel to McCathern clients in several key practice areas. Stephen is beginning his career as a private sector lawyer with a focus on Business & Commercial Litigation, Employment Law, Estate Planning, and Healthcare.

Stephen was a Cavalry Officer in the Oklahoma Army National Guard from 2011 until 2017, when he left to become an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps. His first role as a JAG was at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio as a Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA). There he handled multitudes of misdemeanors charged of civilians on the base. In 2018, he transitioned to matters involving the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) and federal employment law. In addition, he assisted military members and their dependents with questions related to wills and other estate planning situations.

In 2019, Stephen made a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, just outside of St. Louis, which is home to Air Mobility Command, U.S. Transportation Command and other critical functions. Stephen was first Chief of Civil Law, overseeing a team of four attorneys and five staff that worked numerous cases and matters involving a wide variety of legal situations. In addition, he was instrumental in the base’s legal management of the Covid-19 pandemic while in this role. He then became Chief of Military Justice, where he dealt with criminal matters and the resulting disciplinary measures faced by military members on the base.

In 2021, Stephen made the decision to leave the Air Force and begin FBI training in Quantico, Virginia. After graduating the Academy, he became a Special Agent in the Bureau’s Miami field office. In this role, he spent much of his time investigating healthcare fraud, in particular schemes involving Medicare fraud. After a year in Miami with the FBI, Stephen and his family decided to move back to Texas to start a private sector career as an attorney with McCathern.

Prior to his time in the Air Force and FBI, Stephen earned his Juris Doctor degree in 2016 from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he was awarded membership in the Order of the Coif. Stephen graduated in 2011 and 2013 from Oklahoma State University with degrees in Animal Science and Political Science.

Stephen is licensed to practice in Texas and Oklahoma.