Kenneth R. Bernard, Jr.
Car Accident Lawyer in Douglasville
Lawyer Ken Bernard | Car Accident Lawyer
With 35 years of experience, Ken Bernard remains passionate about every client, regardless of the size of the case. He has been involved in numerous successful million and multi-million dollar personal injury resolutions, but still rolls up his sleeves and engages each client’s case individually.
Ken Bernard grew up in Douglas County, graduated from the University of Georgia and the University of Georgia School of Law, and voluntarily served his country with distinction in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Judge Advocate General (JAG), where he attained the rank of Captain during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
At the University of Georgia, Ken would become close friends with his future law partner, John Sherrod. They shared a vision not only of futures in law but in creating their own law firm to help injury victims and their families.
During Ken’s service in the Corps, he and John Sherrod remained close and talked frequently about the vision they had as undergrads to create a law firm. When he left active duty in 1992 and returned to Georgia, Ken made the decision to continue to serve his community by providing first class representation to injured people.
“I was looking out the glass of one of the tallest buildings in Atlanta,” he recalls, “and I said to myself, ‘This really isn’t me.’ “That’s when I committed to come home to West Georgia and take a stand for people that needed a lawyer; I cared about their needs and the needs of their families.”
Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., was launched in 1992 with the mission to provide superior legal services with a neighborly touch.
“Our focus is: You don’t have to go Atlanta to get the best lawyer. We’re helping our neighbors, our friends, the people we coached, and the people we go to church with, so they can stay close to home and get the personal attention they deserve with the highest degree of professional service anywhere.”
Ken’s practice focuses on all kinds of personal injury cases, including car, truck and motorcycle accidents, product liability, and wrongful death cases. “My job is to help those injured due to someone else’s negligence, and to shoulder my client’s worries, while getting them just compensation.” He has obtained numerous million dollar resolutions on behalf of his clients.
Ken has represented numerous victims of distracted driving and DUI accidents. He was successful recently in gaining a seven figure resolution for an elderly couple involved in a catastrophic wreck caused by a distracted teenager. “My clients become part of my family. I feel their pain and struggles.”
One of his personal career highlights was his involvement in the wrongful death claim against General Motors involving a defective ignition switch. The legal action resulted in a significant confidential settlement and the recall of millions of vehicles, which saved countless other lives.
Ken is a former member of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, where he served on the Executive and Compensation Committee; Chairman of the Organization and Law Committee (which oversees the legal affairs of the 31 public universities and colleges in Georgia); Chairman of the Finance and Business Operations Committee; Chairman of the Committee on Internal Audit, Risk, and Compliance; and Chairman of the Health Professions and Education Committee. He also served 3 terms as Chairman of the University System of Georgia Foundation, Inc.
Ken previously served as a Special Assistant Attorney General; Chairman of the Marine Corps Association of Georgia Lawyers; Vice-Chairman of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA), and as a member of the Governor’s Development Council (GDC). He is a former member of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia and served on the audit committee (past member judicial evaluations committee). He is also a member of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, American Bar Association, Georgia Bar Association, Douglas County Bar Association, and a former member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys.
Ken has been awarded numerous awards over the past 35 years. The most recent include the 2021 Martindale Client Champion Platinum Award and the 2021 Avvo Clients’ Choice Award.
In addition to his work on behalf of clients, Ken serves the community in other ways as well. He chairs the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce’s Toys for Tots program and joined with his law partner in providing disaster relief to residents who were harmed by Hurricane Michael.
He has also served as a youth sports coach in the community and enjoys reading — particularly history books — and spending time with his family.
“We care about people in this community in West Georgia,” he says. “And while we have cases all over the state — and some out of state — there’s something about being a contributor to your community and helping people at times when they’re stressed the most. I want to be their neighbor lawyer, I want to be the guy who they think of in their community that they want by their side.”
