Barbara E. Bergman
Barbara E. Bergman

Professor Barbara Bergman graduated from Stanford Law in 1976. After clerking on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, she became a staff attorney at the Public Defender Service (PDS) in Washington, D.C. She took a one-year hiatus from being a public defender to serve as Associate Counsel to President Jimmy Carter in the White House from 1979 to 1980. After representing clients as a PD for a total of five years -- beginning in juvenile court and ending up representing clients charged with murder and rape -- she joined the law firm of Bredhoff & Kaiser handling civil litigation, including employment and union-side labor law.
In August of 1987, she became a professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law and taught there for 28 years with one of her primary courses being a 6-credit Evidence/Trial Practice course. She also taught Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Children’s Law as well as in the clinic. While at the UNM School of Law, she served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for four years and interim Dean for ten months.
Professor Bergman had been co-director of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s (NITA) Southwest Regional Trial Practice program as well as NITA’s Southwest Taking and Defending Depositions Program. She has served on the NITA Board of Trustees since 2006. In 2010, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Trial Advocacy, presented by Stetson School of Law.
During her tenure at UNM, she joined the defense team in the state court capital prosecution of Terry Nichols. She worked on that case for 4 ½ years, spending one and one half of those years in Oklahoma, including the 3 ½ months that the case was in trial in McAlester, Oklahoma.
Her publications include the Everytrial Criminal Defense Resource Book, Wharton’s Criminal Evidence (8 volumes) and Wharton’s Criminal Procedure (5 volumes).
On July 1, 2016, Professor Bergman started work at the U of A as the Director of Advocacy, taking the reins from the legendary Professor Tom Mauet, who had founded the Trial Advocacy Program over 40 years before. She now teaches Basic Trial Advocacy, Advanced Trial Advocacy, Interviewing, Counseling and Negotiating, and Taking and Defending Depositions.
Representative Publications
- Everytrial Criminal Defense Resource Book (2d ed. forthcoming 2016) (co-author, with John Cline).
- Wharton’s Criminal Procedure (14th ed.; Vol 1 (2003); Vol. 2 (2004); Vol. 3 (2005); Vol. 4 (2007 - 2009); Vol 5 (2015)) (co-author, with Nancy Hollander & Theresa Duncan).
- Complete List of Publications
Education
-
J.D. Stanford Law School1976
-
B.A. Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois1973Graduated summa cum laude.
Work Experience
-
Director of AdvocacyJames E. Rogers College of Law2016 - present
-
Emeritus Professor of LawUniversity of New Mexico School of Law2015 - 2016
-
Professor of LawUniversity of New Mexico School of Law1993 - 2015
-
Interim DeanUniversity of New Mexico School of Law2012 - 2013
-
Associate Dean for Academic AffairsUniversity of New Mexico School of Law2008 - 2012
-
Visiting Professor of LawColumbus School of Law, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.2005 - 2006
-
Co-counsel for Terry NicholsState Capital Prosecution in Oklahoma2000 - 2004
-
Faculty memberPre-Law Summer InstituteSummers 1990, 1992 - 1995, 1998 - 1999, 2002
-
Visiting Professor of LawHastings College of Law, San Francisco, CaliforniaSpring 1997
-
Associate Professor of LawUniversity of New Mexico School of Law1990 - 1993
-
Visiting Professor of LawUniversity of Utah School of LawSummer 1989
-
Assistant Professor of LawUniversity of New Mexico School of Law1988 - 1990
-
Visiting Assistant Professor of LawUniversity of New Mexico School of Law1987 - 1988
-
AssociateBredhoff & Kaiser, Washington, D.C.1984 - 1987
-
Adjunct ProfessorColumbus School of Law, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.1980 - 1986
-
Staff AttorneyPublic Defender Service, Washington, D.C.1980 - 1984
-
Associate Counsel to the PresidentThe White House, Washington, D.C.1979 - 1980
-
Staff AttorneyPublic Defender Service, Washington, D.C.1978 - 1979
-
AssociateWilmer, Cutler & Pickering, Washington, D.C.1977 - 1978
-
Law ClerkThe Hon. Ben C. Duniway, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, San Francisco, Californi1976 - 1977
Awards
-
Pamela B. Minzner Chair in Professionalism2012 - 2015
-
2015 Driscoll Award from NM Criminal Defense Lawyers Association2015
-
Justice Mary Walters Award2014
-
Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Trial Advocacy, Stetson School of Law2010
-
Henry Weihofen Professorship2002 - 2004
-
Robert C. Heeney Memorial Award Winner, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers2000
-
Keleher and McLeod Professor of Law1995 - 1997