Todd A. Berger

Professor Todd A. Berger joined the College of Law faculty at Syracuse University in 2012. He is currently a Professor of Law, serving as Director of Advocacy Programs. Berger’s scholarship is concentrated in the areas of criminal law and procedure, as well as the intersection of trial advocacy and attorney ethics.

In recognition of his excellence in teaching, Berger received Syracuse University’s Meredith Teaching Recognition Award in 2017. He also was selected by the graduating classes of 2015, 2020, 2021, and 2022 to receive the College’s Res Ipsa Loquitur Award. This honor is given to an outstanding faculty member for “service, scholarship, and stewardship” to the students. Further, Professor Berger is the author of award-winning scholarship, having received the 2021 Edward D. Ohlbaum Paper in Advocacy for his article, Problematic Problems: The Case Against Mock Trial Problems Involving Racist Speech, 94 Temp. L. Rev. Online 1 (2022). The Ohlbaum Paper in Advocacy is selected based on its originality, and usefulness to advocates and students of advocacy.

Before joining the College, Berger was the founding Managing Attorney of the Federal Prisoner Reentry Project at Rutgers School of Law-Camden. Previously, he worked as an assistant public defender with the Defender Association of Philadelphia, representing indigent defendants throughout all stages of the criminal justice system, from arraignment through trial and post-verdict motions. He also worked as a supervisor in both the Municipal Court and Felony Waiver Units, assisting new attorneys in trial preparation and courtroom practice, and in the Major Trials Unit representing clients in jury trials involving serious felony charges. He also was a Lecturer in Law at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, where he taught in the Criminal Defense Clinic.