Strengthening Global Democracy: How a Law Degree Can Be Used to Help Countries Build Effective Institutions

Believe it or not, there is a role for lawyers in the work of international development beyond the general counsel’s office. Join Wasserstein Fellow David Bernstein ’88 for a community discussion about the career options for lawyers interested in working internationally to help strengthen and build democratic institutions in developing countries. David, recently retired after 20+ years at the World Bank, will discuss his career supporting democratic institutions, reforming judiciaries and combating corruption in countries across the globe while working for the U.S. State Department, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank.

Lunch provided. RSVP below. Open to the HLS community.

If you or an event participant requires disability-related accommodations, please contact HLS Accessibility Services at accessibility@law.harvard.edu two weeks in advance of the event.

David Bernstein recently retired from the World Bank after over 20 years working on justice reform, anticorruption and public sector development. David was a Lead Public Sector Specialist in the World Bank’s Governance Unit working in the Middle East and North Africa region when he retired. David worked on justice reform and anticorruption projects in the MENA countries, including Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and West Bank & Gaza. Before working in the MENA region, David led justice reform and anticorruption projects in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union starting in 2003.  David also worked in the World Bank’s Integrity Vice Presidency where he focused on corruption prevention activities in the East Asia Pacific region and served as advisor to INT’s Policy Director. David has worked on public sector reform projects focusing on the justice sector since 1992 and on anticorruption projects since 2010. Mr. Bernstein worked in private legal practice at WilmerHale (formerly Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering), for the U.S. State Department (in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor) and for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. David has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.