Herman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Barnard College in 1968 and a Juris Doctor from the New York University School of Law, where she was a note and comment editor for the New York University Law Review.

[5][6] Herman served as pro se law clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

[1] When she was elected president, Herman was the organization's general counsel and had served on its board for 20 years.

[10] Herman has appeared as a guest on NPR, PBS, C-SPAN, NBC News, and MSNBC.

[15] Herman is married to Paul Gangsei, a law partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.