Lee Jay Berman began as a full-time mediator 29 years ago and has successfully mediated over 2,700 matters, many of which were high-profile cases. Chambers USA ranks him Band 1, as one of the top 13 commercial mediators in the U.S. He has been voted by his colleagues into the Who’s Who of International Commercial Mediation from 2012-2023, who named him one of the 10 Global Thought Leaders in North America. ADR Times named him to their inaugural “Who’s Who in ADR”. The National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (NADN) named him their inaugural “Distinguished Neutral of the Year” in 2017. California’s Daily Journal twice named him “Top Neutral”. And, the Southern California Mediation Association has honored him with both their Cloke-Millen Peacemaker of the Year (2021) and L. Randolph Lowry Award (2010) for his work as a mediator, trainer, and thought leader in the field.
He is a AAA Master Mediator for employment matters, a national panelist on their commercial and construction panels, and a select mediator on their International Center for Dispute Resolution mediation panel. He is a Distinguished Fellow with the International Academy of Mediators, a Charter Diplomat with NADN, and was one of the first 5 U.S. mediators certified by the International Mediation Institute.
Also a popular trainer, Mr. Berman founded the American Institute of Mediation after seven years as Director of Pepperdine Law School’s Mediating the Litigated Case program (ranked #1 nationally). He has trained mediators, judges, attorneys, and business leaders across North America, Mexico, Europe, and the Middle East, as well as India, Uzbekistan, Australia, and New Zealand.
Lee Jay has been interviewed on dozens of podcasts, published numerous articles on mediation and negotiation, and the American Bar Association will be publishing two of his books in 2024.