About the President, Lee Jay Berman

Trained as a mediator in 1994, Lee Jay began mediating full time in 1995.  He founded the Institute for Mediation Studies in Santa Monica in late 1995 and taught basic and advanced mediation skills there through 2002.  He was also on the cutting edge, teaching courses such as "Maximize Your Mediation Practice", "Maximize Your LA Superior Court Mediations", "Economic Case Analysis" and "Advanced People Reading Skills" beginning in 1998.  His vision for that Institute was to bring together trainers from other fields to integrate learning from outside of the mediation field in order to help to raise the level of practice among mediators.

Upon returning to L.A. after having moved to Santa Barbara to accept the position as ADR Director with the Santa Barbara Superior Court, he taught basic and advanced courses for that Institute as well as for the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine Law School and the Institute of Conflict Management. Working with the Institute for the Study and Development of Legal Systems in 2005, Lee Jay traveled to Delhi, India to train a group of judges in mediation skills, observe and coach their mediations in chambers, and help to write the Delhi High Court's Mediation Rule of Law, which was later adopted by the Indian Supreme Court.

Beginning in 2003, Randy Lowry and Peter Robinson asked Lee Jay to become exclusive to Pepperdine's Straus Institute and he closed his Institute.  From 2003 to 2009, Lee Jay served as Adjunct Professor and Director of Pepperdine's "Mediating the Litigated Case" program, teaching the "Advanced Mediators Forum" with Randy Lowry at Pepperdine as well as Faulkner University.  Working with Doctor Lowry and the Pepperdine faculty in an outside consulting firm, as well as Erica Fox's firm with the Harvard Program on Negotiation faculty, Lee Jay traveled to 17 states and Amsterdam and Dubai in an 18 month period teaching mediation, conflict resolution, negotiation and client development skills to judges, lawyers, business leaders and insurance claims professionals.

From 2003-2007, Lee Jay served as the national Chair of the Training Committee for the American Bar Association's Section on Dispute Resolution, developing and holding training programs around the country for mediators and advocates and developing a listing of all of the ADR training programs available worldwide that is posted on the Section's website. Working with the United Stated Agency for International Development in 2003, Lee Jay put on an advanced mediation skills training in Los Angeles for a group of mediators from post-war Croatia. Soon thereafter, Lee Jay became a Dispute Resolution Expert for the United Nations Development Programme.

In 2008, Lee Jay founded the American Institute of Mediation offering "World Class Training for the Complete Mediator", and delivered by surrounding himself with an all-star core faculty that included Ken Cloke, Erica Ariel Fox, Jim Melamed, Forrest "Woody" Mosten, Jim Melamed, Doug Noll and Mel Rubin. The AIM Institute quickly rose to prominence on the national scene, having recently delivered a 2-day cutting edge advanced mediation skills program for 85 members of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals in Orlando earlier this year.

Lee Jay continues to be a top draw at the ABA Dispute Resolution Section and Association of Conflict Resolution Annual Conferences, as well as delivering keynote addresses and presenting at statewide mediator conferences, including Alabama, California, New Mexico, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington, with Arizona and Texas slated for early 2011.

He continues to give well-earned praise to his own mentors, including the late Bill Hobbs and Richard Millen, and contemporaries Jim Melamed, Randy Lowry, Pete Robinson, Nina Meierding, Woody Mosten and Erica Fox.

When it comes to the practice of mediation, Lee Jay believes in the principle espoused by Franklin D. Roosevelt, that "rising tides raise all boats" and that by raising the level of practice of all mediators, everywhere, that mediation as a whole will grow in awareness, in willing users, in user satisfaction, and in overall effectiveness, in turn benefiting (or "trickling down to" to keep politically impartial) each and every mediator.

Lee Jay has been a conflict analyst on the KTLA 5 Morning News in Los Angeles and he has published dozens of articles on Mediation and ADR, including a monthly column in the Los Angeles & San Francisco Daily Journal titled, “Mediation Strategies” and is a regular contributor to Mediate.com. He is a popular and motivating speaker on topics including negotiation, conflict resolution, ADR and ADR Ethics. He co-hosts a radio talk show on conflict resolution called Talk It Over and authors the popular blog Eye On Conflict.

What people have said about him:

Victoria Pynchon's post, Eye on Conflict is Cause for Celebration, on her Commercial ADR blog about the effect that Lee Jay has had on her career.

"Lee Jay is one of the few dispute resolution professionals seemingly born to be a mediator and trainer of the first order. His exceptional skills are exceeded only by his persistence and tenacity. Lee Jay has an exceptional capacity to communicate with widely diverse audiences credibly and persuasively. His enthusiasm, excellence and effectiveness are extraordinary.”

- Larry Bridgesmith , Executive Director , Lipscomb University Institute for Conflict Management

  “The course presented a great deal of material with clarity in a short period of time.  My negotiation skills are greatly enhanced and this course is my springboard into being a professional mediator.”

- Neil Reynolds, Architecture & Construction Consulting, Woodland Hills, CA

 “The presentation was superb, and the material useful and interesting.  The mediation exercises were especially helpful.  I’ve already recommended to other colleagues that they consider taking the course to enhance their professional skills.

- Mark Loeterman, Esq., Cole & Loeterman, Los Angeles, CA

"Lee Jay is a dynamic, enthusiastic instructor.  He energizes the class, easily leads them into participation.  His willingness to “teach” – “impart knowledge” (as opposed to simply demonstrate knowledge) is refreshing."

- Litigation Attorney

 "Lee Jay is excellent.  He holds interest, he’s responsive, he’s knowledgeable, and he teaches from the heart and mind."

- U.S. Dept. of Justice Attorney

 "Lee Jay has excellent communication skills and the broadest perspective imaginable!  He’s knowledgeable and responsive to class concerns.  The course is logical, progressive, and builds on what has gone before.  It focuses on integrating personal style and traits with the art of mediation.

- Attorney/Mediator

"You obviously are very passionate about the mediation process and have a sincere desire to impart your knowledge and experience to help all of us improve our mediation skills. Your generosity in that regard is greatly appreciated. It was two days well spent."

-Craig von Sternberg

Currently, Mr. Berman is teaching Introduction to a Career in Mediation (Live and Online), Mediating and Negotiating Commercial Cases, Legal and Insurance Terms of Art and Settlement Strategies, How to Win in Mediation: Advanced Advocacy Strategies, The Mediator's Forum - Mentoring Groups for Mediators of all Levels, Mediating the Non-Litigated Dispute, Harnessing the Power of the Master Mediator, Settle More Cases by Mastering the Essence of Mediation, for the AIM Institute.