Adam J. Berner, Esq., M.A., is the founder of the Berner Law & Mediation Group, a boutique firm specializing in Mediation and Collaborative Divorce based in the Metropolitan New York and New Jersey area. The firm offers a unique focus on family law and alternative processes for resolving disputes. Adam's practice of mediation and collaborative law is based on the principles of facilitating understanding, enabling parties to work out their agreements according to their family values, priorities, and schedules while being informed of the law.
Adam is a past president of the Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York, where he chaired the Continuing Education Committee and sat on the Board of Directors for 7 years. He served as the Matrimonial Committee liaison on the ADR Committee of the New York Bar Association. He has been on the Training Committee while serving as an Advanced Practitioner Member for the Association of Conflict Resolution. For over 20 years, Adam has been an Accredited Practitioner Member of the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation and the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators.
Adam has an active Collaborative Law Practice and has played a leading role in bringing Collaborative Practice to New York and New Jersey. He is a founding member of the New York Association of Collaborative Professionals and has served as the co-chair of its Continuing Education Committee and Curriculum Committee, commissioned to establish best practices of Collaborative Training. Adam was the Founding President of the North Jersey Collaborative Law Group from 2005-2011, based in Bergen County, New Jersey and a founding member of the New Jersey Council of Collaborative Practice Groups.
In addition to his private practice of over 25 years, Adam is an Adjunct Professor at Cardozo Law School where, for over two decades, he has taught Divorce Mediation and Collaborative Law. Adam is an experienced trainer in mediation and A.D.R., having trained attorneys, court personnel, law students, and other professionals throughout the New York City area. He is also certified by the New York State Office of Court Administration to provide basic and family mediation training.
Adam has founded his practice on the belief that preserving relationships while resolving conflicts is a prioritized goal. Adam understands that divorce is not the end of a relationship, as couples often have many years of co-parenting together. Divorce is a restructuring and reorganization of the family, and he is mindful of the relationships both during the divorce process as well as for the many years to come. It is the goal of Berner Law & Mediation Group to facilitate this transition in the best way possible.
Of greatest importance, as a husband and father of 4, Adam realizes that our conflict resolution skills remain a work in progress and practices his skills at home on a daily basis.