Josh Kershenbaum is a mediator and conflict resolution consultant with more than 20 years of professional experience in education and education law. 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he studied psychology and neuroscience at Amherst College and then earned his teaching certificate from the Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Josh began his professional career as a public elementary school teacher in Newton, Massachusetts, where he also served as the union representative for his school and as a Board member for the Greater Boston chapter of PFLAG. 

Josh later earned a Public Interest Scholarship to Temple University’s Beasley School of Law in the Evening Division while working full-time and raising his son during the day. While at Temple, Josh served as a panelist for the university’s Conduct Board and as a law clerk in the Office of University Counsel, where he helped to revise the university’s Code of Conduct. He also worked as an advocate for the Pennsylvania Health Law Project, helping children and adults with disabilities access and navigate the Medicaid system. 

After law school, Josh was as an attorney for the law firm of Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads in Philadelphia, where he represented several colleges and universities in litigation and regulatory matters, including Title IX, Title VII, and Cleary Act compliance. In 2009, along with his friend and colleague Dave Frankel, he founded Frankel & Kershenbaum, a boutique law firm representing students and children with special needs in a wide range of legal matters, including: special education, higher education student rights, civil and constitutional rights and student disciplinary issues.  

Josh has earned a national reputation as an outspoken leader in the field of education law. He developed and taught a seminar on Special Education Law as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Temple and has spoken at numerous professional conferences around the country for attorneys, educators, school administrators, teachers, and students. He has been a guest on several programs on National Public Radio, television, and on the popular podcast, Good Law Bad Law. 

In 2019, Josh earned certifications in both Negotiation and Mediation at the Harvard Negotiation Institute’s Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. He also completed the certification course in Mediation at Good Shepherd Mediation Program in Philadelphia. He is now an independent mediator and conflict resolution consultant for students and professionals in public and private K-12 schools and higher education institutions.