TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Barry Kolar on May 19, 2023

Bernard E. Bernstein, 92, died this morning in Knoxville. A graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he attended New York University School of Law and received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Bernstein practiced law for 54 years with the firm he founded, which came to be known as Bernstein, Stair & McAdams. He was a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Tennessee Bar Foundation, as well as a past president of the Knoxville Bar Association and a recipient of its Governors Award. He was committed to the provision of legal assistance for those who could not afford to hire an attorney, and, early in his career, was one of the founders of the Legal Aid Clinic at the UT College of Law. Legal Aid of East Tennessee recognized his devotion to that cause by honoring him as the first member in the Donald F. Paine Memorial Pro Bono Hall of Fame. Funeral services will be held Monday at 2 p.m. EDT at Rose-Mann Funeral Home in Knoxville and will also be streamed on the funeral home's Facebook page. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Legal Aid of East Tennessee, The University of Tennessee Medical Center or Heska Amuna Synagogue.