Professor of Law and Director of the Frank Evans Center for Conflict Resolution
B.S., Georgetown University
J.D., American University Washington College of Law
Areas of Expertise
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Mediation
- Skills and Clinical Teaching
Office: 1114
Debra Berman is Professor of Law and Director of the Frank Evans Center for Conflict Resolution at South Texas College of Law Houston. Her course load includes the Mediation Clinic, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mediation Theory & Practice, and the 40-Hour Mediation Training which is open to both students and practicing attorneys. In 2019, Professor Berman created the Inter-School Negotiation Practicum which has brought together almost 2,400 students from 45 law schools for a unique monthlong experiential negotiation opportunity. In addition, Professor Berman coordinates all of the ADR competition teams that South Texas College of Law Houston sends to tournaments and has personally coached a number of teams to national and international first place wins. In addition to directing STCL’s renown ADR competition program, she also founded the law school’s very own Law Energy Law Negotiation Competition in 2015. Professor Berman has presented on various dispute resolution topics for the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, State Bar of Texas, Texas Association of Mediators, and the Houston Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution and she is co-chair of the ABA Legal Education and Dispute Resolution Committee. She received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and her J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law where she was elected to the Order of the Coif.
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ARTICLES
A Hybrid Model for Teaching Settlement Skills, 70 Wash. U. J.L. & Pol’y 1 (2023). (With Catherine Greene Burnett)
Mediator Proposals: What the Data Tells Us (forthcoming in the fall 2022 issue of the ABA’s Dispute Resolution Magazine)
Lawyer Colonization of Family Mediation: Consequences and Implications, 95 Marq. L. Rev. 887 (2012). (With James Alfini)
Compulsory Arbitration in Nonunion Employee Relations: A Strategic Ethical Analysis, 66 J. Business Ethics 197 (2006).
PRESENTATIONS
ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Annual Conference: Panelist: “Confidentiality: Is It an Essential Ingredient in a Successful Mediation?” (April 2021)
Houston Young Lawyers Association and the HBA ADR Section Joint CLE: Organizer and Moderator: Advocacy Skills in Mediation and Arbitration (April 2021)
Pepperdine’s Clinical New Normal Think Tank: Featured Presenter on ADR Pedagogy (February 2021)
Best Practices and Trends in Teaching ADR, Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference, August 2020.
Nuts and Bolts of Domestic and International Arbitration, ICC Young Arbitrators Forum, February 2020.
Eliciting Disputant Suggestions and Caucusing Plenary, ABA Advanced Mediation Skills Institute, November 2019.
Directive Mediator Actions Plenary, ABA Advanced Mediation Skills Institute, November 2019.
Using Dispute Resolution Skills to Teach Current Events, Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference, August 2019.
The Future of Alternative Dispute Resolution Scholarship, Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference, August 2018.
The Case Conundrum: Keeping Mediation Clinic Students Engaged Beyond Just Small Claims Courts, Annual Conference, ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, April, 2018.
Psychological Aspects of Decision Making in Negotiation and Mediation, Annual Law Review Symposium, Elon University School of Law, October, 2017.
Utilizing ADR Competitions to Foster Practical Dispute Resolution Skills, Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference, July, 2017.
Hot Topics in Mediation Ethics, HBA Annual Conference on ADR, May, 2017.
Teaching Mediation, Part 2: Assessment, Annual Conference, ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, April, 2017.
Ethical Issues and How to Solve Them, Texas Mediator Credentialing Association Annual Symposium, Oct., 2016.
Hot Topics in Mediation Ethics, HBA Annual Conference on ADR, May, 2016.
Teaching Mediation: Theory, Practice & Certification, Annual Conference, ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, April, 2016.
Mediation: A How-To, Houston Young Lawyers Association, Dec., 2013.
Cognitive Barriers in Negotiation & Mediation, Annual Conference, ADR Section, State Bar of Texas, Jan., 2013.
Cognitive Barriers in Negotiation, HBA Annual Conference on ADR, May, 2012.
Family Mediation in the Court and Private Contexts: Is It an Interdisciplinary Practice? Annual Conference, ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, April, 2012.
Lawyer Colonization of Family Mediation: Consequences and Implications, Annual Conference, Texas Association of Mediators, February, 2012.