Hon. Bernice Bouie Donald (Ret.) is a nationally recognized retired federal judge with a distinguished judicial career spanning over 40 years. Serving as a mediator, arbitrator, court-appointed neutral (special master/referee) and neutral evaluator, Judge Donald has broad experience as a jurist, private practitioner and leader in various national organizations, which informs her work in dispute resolution. Judge Donald has served on the United States District Court, Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee and General Sessions Criminal Court for Shelby County, Tennessee. After serving for more than 11 years as an appellate judge on United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, she retired from the bench in 2023 and began a career in ADR. As a result of her trailblazing judicial career, she has been the recipient of over 100 awards for her professional and community contributions. A respected jurist, Judge Donald has adjudicated and authored hundreds of opinions in all areas of law that come before federal courts, including commercial, partnership disputes, bankruptcy, banking and financial institutions, civil rights, employment, ERISA, securities, antitrust, pharmaceutical, e-discovery, insurance, intellectual property, product liability, trade secrets and intellectual property. She is adept at handling complex matters, including multidistrict litigation (MDL), class actions and mass torts, and can bring the most contentious, high-stakes disputes to resolution. Judge Donald is a flexible mediator who adjusts her style to the needs of each case and draws upon a variety of techniques to guide the parties toward settlement. As an arbitrator, she takes a managerial approach to ensure that cases move forward fairly and efficiently. As a neutral evaluator, she is available to preside over a variety of mock and moot exercises, including trials and arbitrations, mock oral arguments, neutral appraisals and investigations. Judge Donald is known for her integrity, empathy and ability to build trust with parties. She believes in the promise and the power of the law and has dedicated her career to pursuing justice.