Resolute is pleased to announce that Hon. Bernice B. Donald has joined its national dispute resolution team. Judge Donald is a nationally recognized former federal Judge providing mediation, arbitration, special master, moot court strategy and advisory services in high profile, complex matters in national and international litigation. Based in Memphis, Judge Donald expertise broadly spans many areas of law, including: commercial, appellate, bankruptcy, class actions, corporate contract, employment, securities, antitrust, pharmaceutical, e-discovery, insurance, intellectual property, product liability, trade secrets and trademark disputes.

Prior to joining Resolute, Judge Donald served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She was nominated to that position by President Barack Obama and was confirmed by a vote in the Senate on September 6, 2011 and served until her retirement in January 2023. Prior to that, Judge Donald sat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. She was appointed to the district court by President William Jefferson Clinton in December 1995. She was sworn into office in January 1996. She previously served as Judge of U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee (1988-1996), becoming the first African American woman in the history of the United States to serve as a bankruptcy judge.

Judge Donald has been the recipient of over 100 awards for professional, civic, and community activities, including the Sandra Day O’Connor award from The National Judicial College, Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Memphis, the Martin Luther King Community Service Award, and the Benjamin Hooks Award presented by the Memphis Bar Foundation.

In 2020, the American Bar Association created “The Judge Bernice B. Donald Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award.”

As a former judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals, U.S. District Court, and U.S. Bankruptcy Court – Judge Donald’s diversified and extraordinary law career acquired in over four decades of private practice and on the bench makes her exceptionally well-qualified to assist parties and their counsel in resolving cases through mediation, arbitration, and other dispute resolution processes.

To schedule mediation or arbitration with Judge Donald, please contact Mike Weinzierl at [email protected] or 800.776.6060, ext. 125. We also invite you to visit her website at www.judgedonaldadr.com.