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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 focuses his practice on mediation, arbitration, and discovery management of complex family, commercial, estate/probate, real estate and general equity matters. His practice area also encompasses special master services, settlement conferences and law enforcement investigations.

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.

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.) (2019 – present)

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

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
  • 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)
View Expanded Bio

More Activities & Experience

  • American Arbitration Association
  • 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

Publications & Alerts

View Abbreviated Bio

Departments

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

Fellow of the American Bar Foundation


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.