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About Kirk Bernard

Kirk Bernard has been a civil litigator in Washington and California for over 30 years, focusing on personal injury cases for accident victims. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of California at Santa Barbara and graduated from law school in 1981, when he became a licensed personal injury attorney in California. He expanded his practice to Washington state in 1997. Over his career, Kirk has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients, including a record $27 million jury award in a San Francisco Municipal Railway truck crash and a record $18.5 million settlement for a motorcycle rider injured by a dump truck making an illegal U-turn.

He holds memberships in the American Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, Washington State Association for Justice, Consumer Attorneys Association, and the Brain Injury Association of Washington. Kirk has received recognition as an Eagle Member of the Washington Association of Trial Lawyers and holds an Avvo 9.4 Superb Rating. Beyond his legal practice, he has organized children's bicycle helmet giveaways and participates in the Northwest Harvest Food Drive.

Proven verdicts and settlements

$27.4 millionVerdict

A San Francisco jury returned what was then the largest personal-injury verdict ever against the city after a Municipal Railway repair truck ran a red light, struck another vehicle, and jumped a sidewalk, killing a four-year-old girl and injuring three others walking with her.

San Francisco Superior Court, CA · 2005Wrongful DeathRead the full story →
$18.5 millionSettlement

Scott Bliss suffered catastrophic brain injury when a Scarsella Bros. dump truck made an illegal U-turn on an I-5 WSDOT construction ramp in Centralia, yielding what is believed to be the largest WSDOT settlement in Lewis County history.

Lewis County Superior Court, WA (crash near Centralia) · 2016Motorcycle AccidentsRead the full story →

A King County Metro bus driver cut a corner short near the Renton Transit Center on March 10, 2021, rolled the rear tires over Jessica Chapel as she lay on the sidewalk, then canceled her own emergency call and left the scene, costing Chapel her leg.

King County Superior Court, WA · 2021Premises LiabilityRead the full story →
View all 3 proven verdicts →

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.

Practice areas

Education

University of California, Santa Barbara
J.D., 1981
University of California, Santa Barbara
Undergraduate

Bar admissions & credentials

State Bar of California, admitted 1981
State Bar of Washington, admitted 1997

Other attorneys at Bernard Law Group

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Proven verdicts and settlements from other Seattle firms

Luvera Law Firm
Luvera Law Firm
$150 million · King County Jury Awards $150 Million to Families of South Lake Union Crane Collapse Victims
Stritmatter Kessler Koehler Moore
Stritmatter Kessler Koehler Moore
$123 million · $123 Million Verdict for Victims of Aurora Bridge Duck Boat Crash -- Largest Non-Punitive PI Trial Verdict in Washington History
Friedman Rubin
Friedman Rubin
$857 million · $857 Million Verdict for Sky Valley School Victims Poisoned by Monsanto PCBs
Schroeter Goldmark & Bender
Schroeter Goldmark & Bender
$21 million · Jury Awards $21 Million to Former Odessa Brown Clinic Director in Race Discrimination Verdict Against Seattle Children's Hospital
Herrmann Law Group
Herrmann Law Group
$8.25 million · Four Ride the Ducks Crash Victims Settle for $8.25 Million Mid-Trial