The Hon. Julie J. Bernard is a justice for the Massachusetts District Court. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor Jane Swift on November 20, 2002.

Over the course of her judicial career, Bernard has held assignments as an associate justice for the New Bedford District Court (2002 to 2013) as well as first justice of the Brockton District Court.

Bernard earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982. She then completed a J.D. at Boston College Law School in 1985.

After graduating from law school, Bernard began her legal career as a staff attorney for the Committee for Public Counsel Services as well as an assistant general counsel for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Then, in 1988, Bernard entered into private practice as an associate at Segal & Feinberg.

Bernard left her firm in 1991. At that time, she joined New England Telephone & Telegraph (later Verizon) as a staff attorney. She worked in that capacity until 2002, eventually leaving to become of counsel at Prince, Lobel, Glovsky & Tye and senior counsel at Keyspan Energy Delivery.

Her memberships have included the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct (chair) and the Massachusetts Black Judges Conference. She has also sat on the District Court Committee on Continuing Education, the District Court Working Group on Alternative Dispute Resolution, and the Trial Court Task Force on Diversity and Cultural Competence.

Bernard was born in Bangor, Maine.