Bernardo joined Miner, Barnhill & Galland in 2023 after a federal clerkship in the Northern District of Illinois. Before clerking, Bernardo was an associate at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago. There, he worked on cases in the areas of accountants’ liability, class actions, securities litigation, and white-collar litigation and investigations. He focused part of his practice on global matters, like international arbitrations, requiring Spanish-language proficiency.

At Sidley, Bernardo received several awards for his pro bono work on immigration, veterans’ rights, and Section 1983 matters. These included a 2022 “Rising Star Award” from the National Immigrant Justice Center and Sidley’s “Thomas H. Morsch Award” for pro bono achievement.

Prior to Sidley, Bernardo served as a PILI Fellow at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), where he was staffed on civil rights cases and policy projects in employment, immigration, and voting rights. During law school, he worked as an intern with Legal Aid Chicago and as a judicial extern in the Northern District.