Barry Berkman

A founding partner of Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein LLP, Barry Berkman received his B.A. degree from Harvard College and his law degree from Stanford University. Specializing in matrimonial law and mediation, he has guided many of his clients to successful, highly satisfactory out-of-court resolutions through the collaborative law process or mediation.

Mr. Berkman has been a driving force in growing the popularity of alternative dispute resolution in divorce and family law matters. Mr. Berkman has served on the American Bar Association Task Force on Standards of Practice for Divorce Mediation, and has been a member of the Matrimonial Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Mr. Berkman also serves as a Mediator on the New York County Supreme Court’s Roster of Matrimonial Mediators. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Family and Divorce Mediation Counsel of Greater New York, and is a co-founder of the New York Collaborative Law Group. Mr. Berkman has taught matrimonial law as an adjunct professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and Fordham Law School, and teaches mediation at the Center for Mediation in Law. He has made numerous CLE presentations on behalf of the New York, Westchester and Nassau County Bar Associations, as well as the American Bar Association. These activities and his reputation for ethical standards and professional ability among his fellow lawyers have earned him the highest rating, AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated SM by Martindale-Hubbell®. Similarly, Mr. Berkman has been selected by his peers for listing in The Best Lawyers in America from 2010 through 2024, and in New York Super Lawyers in from 2009 to 2025. In 2025, Mr. Berkman was named by Forbes as one of the Top 10 Divorce Attorneys in New York. Mr. Berkman also spoke about collaborative law on National Public Radio's "This American Life."

"Our clients are going through an extraordinarily difficult time in their lives, and they know they can count on us to be there for them."

Areas of practice

Education

• Harvard College, B.A.
• Stanford University Law School, LL.B.

Admitted to practice law

• New York
• United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York

Professional memberships

• The Association of the Bar of the City of New York
• New York State Bar Association
• American Bar Association (Former Member, Task Force on Standards of Practice in Mediation)
• New York Association of Collaborative Professionals (Founding Member)

Honors & Recognitions

• The Best Lawyers in America, Family Law, 2010-2025
• Av Rated Preeminent since 2018 - Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence
• Inclusion in Super Lawyers, 2009-2025
• Forbes Magazine, Top 10 Divorce Attorneys in New York, 2025