HARRISBURG, Pa. (April 23, 2024) — The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee will present its Sir Francis Bacon Alternative Dispute Resolution Award to Bernhard Behrend, owner, Behrend Mediation Services, Pittsburgh, at an awards ceremony on May 9 during the PBA Annual Meeting in Hershey.
The Sir Francis Bacon Award recognizes an individual who has made a significant impact in bringing mediation and other forms of dispute resolution to Pennsylvania. Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was a Renaissance writer who served British monarchs in a legal capacity as knight, attorney general and solicitor. He authored the essay, “Of Negotiating,” which featured the frequently quoted line, “It is generally better to deal by speech than by letter, and by the mediation of a third than by a man’s self.”
Behrend’s mediation career has spanned more than 40 years. He opened Behrend Mediation Services in 1997 and focuses on private and court-appointed business, civil, employment and family mediation. He also offers training for basic and advanced mediation skills. In addition, he serves on numerous mediation panels for state and federal courts, governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations. Prior to his current role, he was a workplace relations specialist for Pittsburgh Mercy Health System.
In his community, Behrend has been overseeing the Realtors Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh Mediation Program for more than 20 years. He is one of the original mediators for the Generations Program, a mandatory custody mediation program in Allegheny County.
At the federal level, Behrend has mediated for the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and U.S. Postal Service.
A PBA member since 1979, Behrend serves on the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and was a past member of its Ethics and Standards Subcommittee. He is also a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. Behrend is a founding member of Mediators Beyond Borders, president of the Mediation Council of Western Pennsylvania, board member of Just Mediation Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania Council of Mediators and member of the Association for Conflict Resolution.
An adjunct professor at Duquesne University for more than 30 years, Behrend teaches courses on alternative dispute resolution, conflict resolution, employment law and labor law.
Behrend earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York.