In my practice area – mediation, arbitration, and discovery management – I never have to look long and hard, or ask where litigants disagree, as that jumps off the page. My goal is finding areas of commonality, and then, hopefully, crafting a resolution that provides both sides with a balanced result, and one with certainty and finality as well.
Judge Berman brings to the firm a wealth of expertise garnered from his 19 years of service to New Jersey’s Judiciary. Following a 17 year career in private practice, he served in the Superior Court of Middlesex County from 1989 to 1998, where he presided over matters ranging from prerogative writs to capital murder. He was appointed Prosecutor for Middlesex County in 1998, appearing before the New Jersey Supreme Court and trying numerous jury cases during his tenure. In 2002, he returned to the Middlesex County bench, serving as Presiding Judge of the Family Part from 2003 to 2008. Prior to his retirement on January 1, 2013, Judge Berman served as one of two judges assigned to the Chancery Part - General Equity, where he presided over probate, foreclosure, and complex commercial disputes. During this time, he was also designated as Acting Criminal Part Presiding Judge and Acting Assignment Judge. Judge Berman was specially designated to preside over New Jersey’s 2012 landmark cyberbullying case, State of New Jersey v. Dharun Ravi.
An American Arbitration Association trained arbitrator, Judge Berman sits on the AAA’s Employment and Commercial Panels.
Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
Honors & Awards
- American Bar Foundation Fellow
- Recipient of the Middlesex County Bar Association Robert J. Cirafesi Chancery Practice Award (2023)
- Recipient of the Middlesex County Bar Association Arthur H. Miller Lawyer Achievement Award (2015)
- Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rated AV® Preeminent (a trademark of Internet Brands, Inc.)
Please visit our Award Methodology page for a description of the standard or methodology on which these accolades are based. Attorney Advertising: No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Representative Matters
Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
Judge Berman has authored published opinions encompassing all four divisions of the New Jersey Superior Court; General Equity, Family, Civil and Criminal:
Chancery-General Equity
- Bank of New York Mellon v. George S. Elghossain and Mona C. Elghossain, 419 N.J. Super. 336 (2010)
- UPS Capital Business Credit v. Kenneth J. Abbey, Washington Mutual Bank, FA and American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., 408 N.J. Super. 524 (2009)
Civil Division-Law
- South Brunswick Associates v. Township of Monroe, 285 N.J. Super. 377 (1994)
- Diocese of Metuchen v. Township of Piscataway, 252 N.J. Super. 525 (1991)
Chancery Division-Family Part
- In the Matter of Ashley Meng, 376 N.J. Super. 641 (2004)
- DiBella V. DiBella, 372 N.J. Super. 350 (2004)
- Paulino v. Ramirez, 311 N.J. Super. 420 (1998)
- Pasternak v. Pasternak, 310 N.J. Super. 483 (1997)
- Siegel v. Siegel, 243 N.J. Super. 211 (1990)
- Siegel v. Siegel, 241 N.J. Super. 12 (1990)
- Prikril v. Prikril, 236 N.J. Super. 49 (1989)
Criminal Division
- In the Matter of Application of R.C. for Expungement, 292 N.J. Super. 151 (1996)
- State of New Jersey v. Pittman, 282 N.J. Super. 349 (1994)
- State of New Jersey v. Dylag, 267 N.J. Super. 348 (1993)
- State of New Jersey v. Parkins, 263 N.J. Super. 423 (1993)
- State of New Jersey v. McCoy, 261 N.J. Super. 202 (1992)
- State of New Jersey v. Jersey Carting, Inc., 259 N.J. Super. 130 (1992)
Uniquely NJ
- New Jersey State Bar Association: Family Law Section Executive Committee; Equity Jurisprudence Special Committee; Amicus Committee; Business Law Section; Business and Commercial Litigation Special Committee
- New Jersey Supreme Court: Family Practice Committee (2019-2021, 2021-2023); Committee on Women in the Courts, Conference of Family Part Presiding Judges, Conference of General Equity Judges, and Conference of Criminal Part Presiding Judges, past Member
- Middlesex County Bar Association (past Trustee)
- Middlesex County Bar Foundation (past Trustee)
- Trial Lawyers Association of Middlesex County
- Aldona E. Appleton Family Law American Inn of Court
- Jewish Bar Association of New Jersey
- New Jersey Supreme Court District VIII Fee Arbitration Committee (Middlesex County) (past Member)
- New Jersey Supreme Court District VIII Ethics Committee (Middlesex County) (past Member)
- Townships of Old Bridge (1982-83), Monroe (1984-87) and East Brunswick (1986-87): Municipal Prosecutor
- Boroughs of Helmetta (1980-85) and South River (1973-74): Zoning Board of Adjustment Counsel
- Townships of Monroe (1987) and Old Bridge (1988-89): Director of Law
- Township of South Brunswick: Special Counsel (1984)
- Borough of South River: Councilman (1976-81) and Council President (1980)
- Halpern-Furman Inn of Court, Somerset and Middlesex Counties (past President)
More Activities & Experience
- American Arbitration Association: Commercial and Employment Arbitration Panels
- American Bar Association: Section of Dispute Resolution
- Former host of “The Law Matters,” part of the Sound Advice program series on 1450 AM WCTC Talk Radio
- Interviewed by WCTC Radio on the subject of NJ Child Support Reform on February 29, 2016.
- While attending law school, member of the Editorial Board of the Case Western Reserve Law Review
Presentations & Speaking Engagements
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, September 27, 2024
- September 24-25, 2024
- Presenter, Gen X Divorce: Legal Insights and StrategiesSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, August 26, 2024
- Sponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association , May 16, 2024
- Speaker, 2022 Family Law Summer InstituteSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 7.26-27.22
- Panelist, 2022 Legal Malpractice UpdateSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, March 26, 2022
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 11, 2021
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, September 30, 2021
- Panelist, 2021 Family Law Summer InstituteSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, July 27, 2021
- Speaker, 2020 Family Law Summer InstituteSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, July 21-22, 2020
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, February 18, 2020
- Speaker, Hot Tips in Family LawSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 11, 2019
- Speaker, Divorce after 50: Shades of GraySponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 2, 2019
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, October 10, 2019
- Sponsor: New Jersey Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute, July 18, 2019
- Moderator and Speaker, Perspectives on ArbitrationSponsor: NJSBA 2018 Annual Meeting and Convention, May 17, 2018
- Panelist, Contracts That Get the Job DoneSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, March 27, 2018
- Sponsor: Under Oath Podcast, March 21, 2018
- Speaker, Injunctions from Bergen County to BoardwalkSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2016
- Moderator, Arbitrating Business DisputesSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2016
- Host Conversationalist, Great ConversationsSponsor: Morris Arts, April 21, 2016
- Speaker, Tools of the Trade: The Top Procedural Devices for Trial Lawyers - Strategies that Get ResultsSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, August 27, 2015
- Panelist, 2015 Family Law Summer InstituteSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, July 28-29, 2015
- Panelist, Getting to ‘Yes’ in Mediation – and Staying There!Sponsor: The New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2015
- Faculty Member, Handling the Media in Cases with Notoriety: A Lawyer’s GuideSponsor: C. Willard Heckel Inn of Court and Rutgers Institute for Professional Education, October 28, 2014
- Featured Speaker, Pivotal Issues in Equitable DistributionSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education presented in cooperation with the NJSBA Family Law Section, October 25, 2014
- Panelist, Tools of the Trade: Procedural Devices Available to the Trial LawyerSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, August 21, 2014
- Panelist, Handling the High Profile CaseSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting, May 17, 2014
- Presentation to graduating law school-bound students on “Constitutional Law and Statutory Construction”Sponsor: Gettysburg College, March 22, 2014
- Speaker, Hearsay: Admissible or InadmissibleSponsor: Middlesex County Bar Association, March 13, 2014
- Constitutional Law ClassSponsor: Monroe Township High School, March 10, 2014
- Panelist, A Review of the 2013 Family Law OpinionsSponsor: Middlesex-Union-Somerset County Bar Associations, February 20, 2014
- Speaker, Handling High Profile CasesSponsor: Haydn Proctor Inn of Court in the Monmouth County Vicinage, February 12, 2014
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education in cooperation with the NJ Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, October 19, 2013
- Speaker, Ethical Considerations for Trial & Transactional AttorneysSponsor: Middlesex County Bar Association, May 22, 2013
- Speaker, State v Ravi and The Issue of CyberbullyingSponsor: Monroe Township High School Constitutional Law Class, May 21, 2013
- Moderator/Presenter, Handling the High Profile CaseSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2013
- Speaker, Annual DinnerSponsor: American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers’, May 2013
- Speaker, Trial TacticsSponsor: Trial Attorneys of New Jersey, April 25, 2013
- Sponsor: Rutgers School of Law - Newark, April 24, 2013
- Panelist, New Technologies & Invasion of PrivacySponsor: New Jersey Association for Justice Boardwalk Seminar, April 19, 2013
- Panelist, Negotiating & Mediation StrategiesSponsor: New Jersey Association for Justice Boardwalk Seminar, April 18, 2013
- Presenter, Fourth Annual Solo & Small-Firm ConferenceSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, March 2013
- Presenter, 2013 School Law ConferenceSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, February 27, 2013
- Panelist, Abraham Lincoln - 15 Captivating Stories From His Legal Practice, and the Lessons They Can Teach Us TodaySponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, February 18, 2013
- Panelist, Demystifying Chancery PracticeSponsor: General Equity Section of the Burlington County Bar Association, January 31, 2013
Publications & Alerts
- New Jersey Lawyer Magazine, April 2014
News
Departments
Practice Groups
Education
Case Western Reserve Law School, J.D., 1972
Gettysburg College, B.A., with honors, 1969
Bar Admissions
- New Jersey, 1972
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1972
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1978
Please visit our Award Methodology page for a description of the standard or methodology on which these accolades are based. Attorney Advertising: No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.