ABOUT US

Alicia has over 25 years of plaintiffs’ litigation experience as a litigation paralegal for 10 years and a litigation attorney for 16 years.  She practiced and tried cases in all areas of civil litigation but specialized in medical malpractice, products liability, auto accidents, UM/UIM, slip and fall, dram shop, bad faith, dog bites and all other areas of personal injury and insurance litigation.  Alicia has tried cases to million and multimillion dollar verdicts in Allegheny, Westmoreland, and Fayette County.  Alicia has litigated complex products liability cases involving automobile rollover cases, tire and wheel cases, crashworthiness cases, ATV, commercial motor carrier liability, defective machinery cases, medical device cases, pharmaceutical cases, class action and multi-district litigation, fire, and roadway design.  Alicia also has experience in real estate, family law, workplace disputes, landlord/tenant disputes, homeowner’s liability, breach of contract, estate administration, wills, powers of attorney, and estates.

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Alicia received training as a mediator from The Conflict Lab and Behrend Mediation Services in October 2021.   Alicia is a certified mediator and arbitrator in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

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Mediation –  Alicia has mediated hundreds of cases in a variety of different areas of the law.  They include various personal injury litigation cases, real estate cases, landlord/tenant matters, divorces, custody, contract disputes, family disputes, EEOC/Human Relation Commission cases, and workplace disputes.

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Arbitration/Special Master – Appointed and served as an arbitrator in several counties and has been appointed a Special Master in Allegheny County on several partition action cases.  

With over 40 years of mediation experience, Bernie Behrend is one of the most experienced mediators in the Pittsburgh area. Bernie is trained in all models of mediation and has mediated hundreds of divorces, employment disputes and other civil matters.

 

In addition to his private mediation practice, Bernie has mediated  for the Family Division of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, the US Equal Opportunity Commission, the US Postal Service, the US District Court of Western District of PA, the US Bankruptcy Court, FINRA, and the Realtor’s Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh.

 

Bernie is a Past President and current Board member of the Mediation Council of Western Pennsylvania and a founding member of Mediators Beyond Borders. Bernie is also a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution, The Pennsylvania Council of Mediators, and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees of the Allegheny County Bar Association and the PA Bar Association. He currently sits on the Board of Just Mediation Pittsburgh.

 

A popular lecturer and trainer on mediation and conflict resolution for various state and local bar associations, Bernie has also frequently presented at professional association conferences.  For 25 years, Bernie was an adjunct faculty member at Duquesne University’s School of Leadership and Professional Advancement where he taught: “Conflict Resolution”, “Mediating Organizational Disputes”, and a variety of courses for Duquesne’s Paralegal Institute including, “Alternative Dispute Resolution”.  For the past 15 years, he has trained new mediators with Selina Shultz.

 

In addition to a number of certifications, Bernie holds a BA in philosophy from Vassar College and earned his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

Minna is an attorney, arbitrator, mediator and a court appointed mini-jury master. She has been practicing law since1992 following her graduation from Temple University School of Law. Minna began her career in litigation as a civil defense attorney with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company representing personal and corporate insureds in the areas of Negligence, Products Liability, Workers’ Compensation, Subrogation and Premise Liability. Minna has tried Jury and Non-Jury cases to verdict in State and Federal Court.

 

Minna also has experience with contract and employment law and is a keen negotiator. Minna has over 30 years experience serving as an arbitrator for the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia County, Washington County and Allegheny County. Minna received training as a mediator from The Conflict Lab in April 2024. Her mediation practice areas include pre-trial civil cases, real estate, and discrimination cases. Minna is a pro bono volunteer mediator with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She is a court appointed mediator for the Washington County Court of
Common Pleas. Minna is active in the Mediation Council of Western Pennsylvania and the Washington County Bar Association.

Minna is admitted to the Pennsylvania State Bar (1992); Federal District Court for the Eastern District of  Pennsylvania (1993); Federal District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (1998) and the United States Supreme Court (2023). She graduated from
Washington & Jefferson College in 1989 with a B.A in History.