J.R. Bernans

J.R. Bernans is an attorney with Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima, and he works primarily out of the firm's law office in Cincinnati, Ohio. A top-ranked trial lawyer and an emerging leader in his field, Mr. Bernans provides exceptional counsel and support to clients throughout his region and across the state who have legal needs involving any of the following:

· Criminal defense

· White collar criminal defense

· Civil litigation 

· University Title IX issues

Over the course of his legal career, Mr. Bernans has successfully handled a number of criminal and civil cases in state and federal courts across his region. He has also gained the status of Fellow with The Ohio Innocence Project, where he has worked with those wrongfully convicted of crimes to help them with their post-conviction and appellate matters. He also has extensive experience handling appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit and other venues.

Mr. Bernans has gained a reputation as one of his area's leading lawyers for white collar criminal defense borne from his accounting and business experience, and he has defended the rights and interests of executives, small-business owners and Fortune 500 companies in a variety of high-stakes, complex white collar investigations and prosecutions. 

Honored for his outstanding professionalism and service, Mr. Bernans has earned consistent recognition from his peers as being among the top 5% of lawyers in his region, and he has received many testimonials and referrals from his satisfied clients.

A 2016 summa cum laude graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Carl H. Lindner College of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration, Mr. Bernans obtained his Juris Doctor magna cum laude from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2019, graduating Order of the Coif. He also successfully completed an academic internship with the Law and Criminal Justice Program sponsored by the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars.