Whitney Z. Bernstein - Lawyer in San Clemente, CA

Whitney Z. Bernstein is an aggressive litigator and accomplished criminaldefense attorney with a track record for achieving success for her clients whenthe odds are against them. She has spent her career successfully defendingfelony and misdemeanor criminal offenses, leading companies in internalinvestigations to prevent litigation, and representing companies andindividuals in contract and business tort claims and employment litigation. Whitneyis a credible, tireless, and respected advocate who has tried numerous felonyand misdemeanor federal and state jury trials.

In addition to Whitneys considerable courtroom and trial experience, shehas drafted and argued countless suppression and discovery violation motions,negotiated favorable dispositions for her clients, and obtained numerousdismissals of charges. Whitney takes a very hands-on approach by involvingherself in all aspects of case management, investigation, discovery,depositions, interviews, negotiations, and trial preparation. She also hassuccessfully argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals regardinginterpretation and application of federal immigration laws

Whitneys outstanding results and reputation earned her recognition by SuperLawyers as a Rising Star every year from 2020 to 2022, a distinction bestowedon no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in any state. She also has beenrecognized by Best Lawyers for her work in Criminal Defense: White Collar for2021 and 2022. The National Trial Lawyers also named Whitney as one of the Top40 Under 40 Defense Trial Lawyers in 2021 and 2022 for her demonstratedsuperior qualifications, leadership skills, and trial results.

Outside of the courtroom, Whitney is very involved in her community. Shetrains federal criminal defense practitioners at the local and national level,and proudly serves on the inaugural Advisory Board to the San Diego CountyProbation Department Chief, as a Lawyer Representative for the SouthernDistrict of California, and as a member of the Womens White Collar DefenseAssociation.

Prior to joining Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP, Whitney was a trial lawyerfor the Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. Before that, she was a trial lawyerfor Brooklyn Defender Services in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from theUniversity of Pennsylvania Law School earning her Juris Doctor andsimultaneously earning her Master of Science in Criminology from the Universityof Pennsylvania Department of Criminology. As an undergraduate at CornellUniversity where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Government and Sociologywith a concentration in Law and Society, she graduated with Distinction in AllSubjects, Deans List, and was an active volunteer in the local community as afirefighter and teacher.