Second-Year Law Student Bernard M. Marshall is a Born Leader

Personal Life

Bernard M. Marshall is a second-year law student at West Virginia College of Law with an anticipated graduation date of May 2016. Bernard is interested in many areas of the law including business law, energy law, administrative law, international law, transactional law, commercial development, and land use.




Bernard grew up in a small house with two sisters and one brother. His brother is an engineer for a NuScale nuclear power project, his eldest sister is an attorney in San Jose, CA, and his younger sister is a business consultant in Stockholm, Sweden.

Bernard has traveled all throughout the United States, and also the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Iceland. His most influential traveling experience was visiting his sister and her husband in Stockholm, Sweden. While in Sweden, he was provided incredible insight to the business cultures, the Ex-pat American and Canadian culture, the Swedish maritime culture, and the unique Stockholm nightlife.
 
Bernard earned his Masters in Criminal Justice Leadership in 2013 and his Bachelors in Legal Studies and Business Administration in 2010 from St. John's University. During his time as a student at St John's, he was a member of the Alpha Phi Sigma National Honors Society, a ROTC Cadet, and a Jump Start teacher of English as a Second Language. Bernard wrote his Masters Thesis on "Federal Information Sharing Systems" and how intelligence sharing in the federal system can be improved through new and improved strategies.

During law school, Bernard was a member of the WVU Law Film making Club, the WVU Law Energy Law Association, and served an externship with the US Attorney's Office. Bernard also earned a CALI Award for the highest grade in Energy Law and International Law and was Treasurer of WVU College of Law Veterans Association.

As an Extern with the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia, Clarksburg Criminal Division, Bernard worked on three separate jury trials and over 40 plea negotiations and sentencing hearings. He also drafted motions, responses, jury instructions, and analysis of defense witnesses. He worked directly with resident White Collar Crimes Specialists on multiple white-collar investigations and participated in investigations with Federal Agents from the FBI, DEA, ATF, and other agencies.

When Bernard has free time, he enjoys participating in intense exercise and team sports. He is a highly social person, so he is very interested in getting to know his co-workers well and socializing in professional and semi-professional settings. He also enjoys working on film making, intellectual property law, energy law, and international law matters.

Bernard's Future Aspirations

Why did Bernard go into law? "I am in the field of law to make the biggest possible impact I can on the world."

What are Bernard's legal aims and aspirations? "I aspire to be a leading, executive-level manager of the organization that I dedicate myself to over the course of the next few decades."

When asked about his key strengths and skills that he would like to leverage to advance his legal career, Bernard said that he would like to implement his excellent oral communication and interpersonal skills. He has strong professional networking skills, an unmatched work ethic, and extensive leadership experience.

Life's Obstacles and Community Service

Has Bernard faced any obstacles in his life? He explained:

"I have faced many challenges through being a Military Intelligence Officer and I have relied upon my leadership experience to enable me to work with my key personnel to make difficult goals become a reality. I have also been challenged by moving from Western Massachusetts to New York City, from New York to San Francisco, and from San Francisco to West Virginia. All of these moves and the areas that they took me to were incredible learning experiences in grappling with adversity."
 
Where did Bernard derive his confidence? "I derive my confidence from knowing that I have passed all of the challenges of working for the US Army, Lockheed Martin, the US Attorney's Office, and traveling to and living in Massachusetts, New York, California, and West Virginia in order to make all of those jobs a reality.

What makes Bernard stand out from his peers? He has had extensive professional leadership experience through his work as a US Army Military Intelligence Captain, a Company Commander, and a Graduate Class Leader.

Is Bernard involved with community service? He volunteers for Jump Start at St. John's University, where he taught children English as a second language and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity.

Bernard's key accomplishments include commissioning into the US Army and leading his unit to be awarded the Reserve Officers Association National Outstanding Unit Award. He also gained admittance into the Alpha Phi Sigma National Honors Society, and received the CALI Award for high grades at WVU Law.

Legal Role Models and Personal Philosophy

Who are Bernard's legal role models? He said the following people are his legal role models: US Federal District Judge, Judge Irene Keeley; Gerald M. Stern, an attorney with Arnold & Porter, who represented the victims of the Buffalo Creek Disaster; International Court of Justice, Judge Joan Donoghue; and the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Cisco Systems, Inc. John Chambers.
 
What is Bernard's favorite quote? "I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me," by Anonymous.