11.21.2022

Plunkett Cooney partner Douglas C. Bernstein, along with 27 other attorneys throughout Michigan, has been named a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation (MSBF).

Established in 1984, the MSBF’s Fellows program recognizes distinguished Michigan attorneys for their professional excellence and service to the community. The Fellows program supports the Foundation in providing leadership and grants for improvements in the administration of justice and in the delivery of civil legal aid to low-income individuals and families.

MSBF Fellowship is only extended to a limited number of Michigan lawyers annually. Fellows are nominated by their peers and must have been admitted to the practice of law for a minimum of 10 years. There are nearly 1,500 Michigan attorneys who are active MSBF Fellows, and since the program’s inception, their contributions have afforded more than $2 million to support the foundation’s leadership and grant programs.

A member of Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office, Bernstein serves as the firm’s Business Law Department Leader. He concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, loan restructuring, commercial loan documentation, bankruptcy, banking-related litigation and appeals. His clients include regional and national banks, credit unions and loan servicers, as well as automotive suppliers and charitable foundations.

Prior to joining Plunkett Cooney, Bernstein worked as an in-house attorney at Michigan National Corporation for over 20 years. He subsequently joined the Standard Federal Bank Legal Department when the bank merged with Michigan National Corporation in 2001.

Bernstein earned his undergraduate degree in 1978 from Wayne State University and his law degree in 1982 from the Detroit College of Law. He has received several honors for his legal work, including selection as a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. He has also received an AV Preeminent™ rating by Martindale-Hubbell, a leading peer-to-peer professional ratings service, and he has received designations as a Michigan Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine from 2008 to 2022 and as one of the Best Lawyers in America® from 2014 to 2023.

Plunkett Cooney is one of Michigan’s leading law firms to the banking and finance industry. The firm represents numerous local, regional and national lenders in loan originations, loan workouts, acquisition of new banking powers, regulatory/legislative issues and related litigation. Plunkett Cooney attorneys also serve as counsel to businesses in the areas of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights with noteworthy participation in numerous complex and high-profile bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters, including the city of Detroit’s historic bankruptcy.

Established in 1913, Plunkett Cooney, which is one of the Midwest’s oldest and most accomplished law firms, is a leading provider of business and litigation services to clients in the private and public sectors. The firm employs approximately 140 attorneys in seven Michigan cities, Chicago, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio; and Indianapolis, Indiana. Plunkett Cooney has achieved the highest rating (AV) awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, a leading, international directory of law firms.

For more information about Doug Bernstein’s induction as a Michigan State Bar Foundation Fellow, contact the firm’s Director of Marketing and Business Development John Cornwell at (248) 901-4008; jcornwell@plunkettcooney.com.

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