Academic and Bar Success

Michele H. Berger joined the Charleston School of Law in Fall 2022 as the Assistant Dean for Academic Bar and Success.

Professional Experience

Berger joined the Charleston School of Law from Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law where she worked as an Assistant Professor of Law and full-time faculty member, developing robust academic success and bar programs to ensure student success.

She began her law school teaching career as an adjunct professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California, her alma mater. Berger went on to receive a full-time appointment as an Associate Director of Academic Success & Bar Preparation where she assisted in leading the ASP and Bar Prep departments.

Berger also served as the Assistant Director of Academic Success & Bar Programming and Adjunct Professor at Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, WA, and within one year, she became the Interim Director of Academic Success & Bar Programming. She led the school’s C.E.A.L. division (coaching, educating, and advising life-long learners) in developing a robust academic and bar support program.

She began her legal career at Cleinman Performance Partners in Oneonta, New York, where she served as their corporate counsel, establishing and managing the legal department and working closely with some of the largest optometry practices in the country.

Berger then worked as a managing attorney for Lincoln Credit Center & USA Credit Solutions based in San Diego, CA where she recruited, trained, and collaborated with over two dozen attorneys across the country to assist clients with debt resolution services, as well as establishing an extremely efficient legal department for the company, advising them on all legal matters relevant to her position as in-house counsel.

Education

Berger received her J. D. with Honors from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California, where she served as an editor for the Thomas Jefferson Law Review, Vice Justice of Phi Alpha Delta, and a regular volunteer at the VITA Tax Clinic. Berger received her B. A. in English from Salem State University with a double minor in Secondary Education and Spanish.