If you take the politics out of the Civil Court 6th District judicial race and just looked at it from a pure intelligence and character standpoint, then attorney Tehilah Berman is extremely qualified to sit on the bench.
Born and raised in Ditmas Park, Berman started at NYU College of Arts & Science at age 16, where she served as a teaching assistant in the subject of Mathematical Thinking. She made the Dean’s list every semester until she graduated at age 20 with a BA Cum Laude and Honors in History.
Berman later attended Brooklyn Law School where she was a Richardson Scholar. She graduated at age 23, having received the Donald D. Greenstein Prize for the highest grade in Pension Law. She was also admitted to the New York Bar at age 23.
While she attended law school, Berman worked as a law clerk in the ERISA Litigation Section of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, where she drafted appeals that were successfully argued in the 4th Circuit United States Court of Appeals.
During the early part of her career, Berman specialized in the fields of ERISA, employee benefits, labor and employment law for prestigious firms such as Pryor, Cashman, Sherman & Flynn, Richards & O’Neil, LLP, and Craig & Ells. During that time she handled complex ERISA issues in multifaceted transactional deals which shaped her as a diligent and thorough attorney, able to work on numerous issues at one time.
And it is this experience that Berman says she will bring to her courtroom.
“Parties who appear before the court also want a judge with the proper judicial temperament. That means a judge that will listen carefully and courteously to the parties that appear before the court; a judge that will not prejudge the case; and a judge will explore the competing arguments with an open mind. The parties want a judge with the requisite patience and not a judge who will not carefully listen to what the dispute is about or a judge that will not carefully read the papers that contain the legal arguments and evidence,” said Berman.
Berman’s passion for justice caused her to turn her attention towards criminal appeals. As such, she worked with Alan Dershowitz, Esq. as a pro bono attorney conducting legal research and providing advisory memoranda for a criminal appeal in the case of a female defendant convicted of murder and conspiracy. In this capacity, she single-handedly drafted an extensive motion to vacate the conviction and an appeal for an indigent man who was convicted and received a life sentence as a coconspirator to the female defendant.
“I have that requisite patience. I worked for thousands of hours without pay on an appeal and motion to vacate the murder and conspiracy conviction of an indigent man. I am committed to protecting everybody’s rights. I like to carefully research the law. I realize the importance of carefully listening to the arguments. I practice patience on a daily basis as I have four children at home,” Berman said.
Berman currently serves as the Principal Law Clerk to the Honorable Katherine A. Levine, Justice of the Supreme Court of Kings County, after having served as the Principal Court Attorney to her in the Civil Court of Kings County.
She is an active member of the Brooklyn Bar Association, Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, and the Brooklyn Brandeis Society.
Berman resides in the Fiske Terrace/Midwood Park section of Brooklyn with her husband and four sons, ages 12-19.
“The important thing for a judge is to be fair and impartial. I strive for that at all times. When I help the judge draft decision, I always strive to follow the law and not favor the rich or the poor or one type of person versus another,” said Berman.
The election is tomorrow, June 25. The 6th Municipal District includes Crown Heights, Flatbush, East Flatbush and Prospect Lefferts Gardens.
