Bruce M. Berman is General Counsel of WilmerHale. He is a partner in WilmerHale’s Litigation/Controversy Department, leads the firm’s Education Practice and is a member of the Strategic Response Practice and Regulatory and Government Affairs Department.
Mr. Berman focuses his practice in the areas of education law, educational testing, professional responsibility and legal ethics, and complex litigation. Mr. Berman previously served on the American Bar Association Litigation Section’s Federal Practice Task Force.
Experience :
Mr. Berman counsels colleges and universities on Title IX and Clery Act issues as well as a wide range of other regulatory enforcement and litigation matters. He has extensive experience representing higher education institutions in the area of campus sexual misconduct. In that arena he has:
- helped institutions revise their sexual misconduct policies and procedures to meet evolving regulatory requirements;
- counseled colleges and universities on their handling of sexual misconduct complaints;
- counseled on the interplay of Title IX the Clery Act and FERPA;
- and advised on crisis management and strategic communications.
Mr. Berman has also helped develop and defend nondiscrimination and protection of minors policies; conducted investigations of alleged faculty misconduct; and advised on university governance issues.
In a case that drew national and international attention, Mr. Berman successfully represented an Alabama prisoner sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. As a result of the efforts of a team led by Mr. Berman, the Alabama Supreme Court overturned the client’s conviction and he was released after 27 years in prison.
Mr. Berman has been General Counsel of WilmerHale since 2009. In that capacity he advises WilmerHale partners, counsel and associates, and represents the firm, in professional responsibility and legal ethics matters.
Mr. Berman also represents external clients, including lawyers and law firms, in matters involving lawyer regulation, conflicts of interest, standards of care, unauthorized practice, and attorney-client privilege.
EDUCATION :
- JD, Yale Law School, 1979
- BA, Williams College, 1976
ADMISSIONS :
- District of Columbia
- England and Wales, Registered Foreign Lawyer
CLERKSHIPS : The Hon. Walter K. Stapleton, US District Court for the District of Delaware, 1979 – 1980.
Cost
Rate : $$$
