Ivy S. Bernhardson , Retired Chief Judge, Hennepin County District Court

Ivy S. Bernhardson, Retired Chief Judge, Hennepin County District Court, is a highly regarded former chief judge, corporate executive and governance leader who joined JAMS in 2021 following a distinguished career spanning more than four decades in the legal, business and judicial sectors. She serves as an arbitrator, mediator, neutral evaluator and hearing officer in business and commercial, corporate governance, employment, health care, insurance and other complex civil disputes. Known for her thoughtful preparation, balanced demeanor and practical approach, Judge Bernhardson brings extensive courtroom, boardroom and executive leadership experience to every matter she handles.

Prior to joining JAMS, Judge Bernhardson served for 13 years on the Hennepin County District Court bench, including four years as chief judge. During her judicial tenure, she presided over a broad range of civil, criminal, family and mental health matters, and earned a reputation for fairness, sound judgment and effective case management.

Before taking the bench, Judge Bernhardson spent more than 22 years at General Mills, ultimately serving as vice president, associate general counsel and corporate secretary. In that role, she advised on corporate governance, SEC reporting, compliance and ethics matters, risk management and insurance issues, and led legal work on acquisitions, divestitures and corporate transactions ranging from $2 million to $2 billion, including two public company spin-offs. Her experience also includes complex insurance coverage litigation and reinsurance arbitration proceedings.

Judge Bernhardson also practiced corporate law at a large Minneapolis firm now known as Stinson and later served as the first general counsel of the Hazelden Foundation, now Hazelden Betty Ford.

As a JAMS neutral, Judge Bernhardson handles a wide range of matters, including business and commercial disputes, corporate governance and fiduciary matters, employment cases, health care and insurance disputes, contract and tort actions, and other complex civil matters. She has been known throughout her multifaceted career as a thoughtful listener and is respected for her calm, business-minded and solutions-oriented approach. She is known for being a fair and calm voice of reason in negotiations and a resilient, problem-solving leader. She has a particular interest in health care and governance issues and strongly believes in the value of private dispute resolution. 

ADR Experience and Qualifications

Judge Bernhardson has served as both mediator and arbitrator in a wide range of complex commercial, employment, consumer and family law disputes, with experience in the following areas:

Arbitration

• Federal antitrust claims (by businesses)
• Federal and state video privacy law claims (by consumers)
• State consumer practices act and fraud claims (by consumers)

Mediation

• Employment discrimination and sexual harassment claims
• Employment contract compensation disputes and noncompete-related disputes
• Local government v. local business land use dispute
• Local government unit v. contractor dispute
• Real estate partnership breakup