C. Brent Bertram
After earning his MBA, Brent served for 4 years as a captain in the US Air Force, where he worked as a hospital administrator. Following his separation from service, he started law school in St. Petersburg, Florida, and received his JD from the University of Missouri – Kansas City in 1991. During law school he worked for several professors and law firms on research and writing projects, in areas of real property, civil rights and constitutional law. Brent joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City in 1991 and served in a number of roles for the company, departing in 2012 as Associate General Counsel. During his two-decade career at Blue Cross, Brent had the opportunity to gain a wide range of experience and expertise in advising and serving internal business clients, ranging from line management to senior executives, on such diverse areas as corporate governance and transactions, state and federal regulatory compliance, intellectual property and the many corporate contracts and licenses required for Blue Cross Blue Shield to conduct its business. He led and served on numerous teams to complete corporate projects critical to the company’s ability to adapt to a changing industry and continue to serve its customers’ needs.
A Unique Approach
In approaching a client’s legal needs, a candid conversation is the first step. A “plain English” discussion of the issues and challenges facing the client often helps to focus both the client and the attorney on the real issue at hand, the challenge that is of immediate concern to the client’s personal or business success. If we agree that there is an issue that legal expertise can help to resolve, then we will agree on the scope of the engagement and move as quickly as possible to a solution that allows the client to get back to focusing on achieving his or her goals in life. If the need for counseling is ongoing (e.g., routine assistance with business filings, or periodic compliance reviews), we will agree on a schedule to accomplish that assistance with minimal disruption to the client’s business.