GLOCESTER – The Glocester Town Council has accepted the resignation of longtime Town Solicitor William Bernstein.
“He served the town at a very high capacity for 15 years and represented the residents of Glocester, the police department, the zoning board, and the town council in an extraordinary way,” said Councilor Walter Steere. “I wanted to thank him for his service to the town.”
“He definitely went over and above (on) any kind of thing I chatted with him about,” said Worthy. “He’s always been amazing.”
Bernstein, a longtime Glocester resident and a prosecutor for 36 years, told NRI NOW that he first began considering the idea of becoming lawyer in college.
“In college the law became more and more attractive to me,” he recalled. “I thought it would be an interesting profession.”
Bernstein earned a Bachelor of Arts With Distinction at the University of Arizona, followed by his law degree from Western New England College School of Law in 1978.
He started his career in law as chief law clerk at Rhode Island Superior Court in 1978, moving on to eventually becoming a sole practitioner and assistant solicitor and police prosecutor for the town of Burrillville, as well as general counsel for the Pascoag Utility District from 1998-2015 and special assistant solicitor for the town of Coventry from 2014 to 2015.
Berntein also served as associate municipal court judge for Burrillville from 2017 to 2019, probate judge for Foster from 2007 to 2012, and probate judge for Glocester from 2005 to 2009.
He was the 2014 recipient of the Rhode Island Bar Association’s Ralph P. Semenoff Award for Professionalism and the 2019 Local Prosecutor of the Year for MADD.
Times have changed since Bernstein first started.
“It is so different now,” he said. “When I first started out doing legal research, I had to go to the library and find the book and read all the cases forward. If a young person wants to pursue a career in law now, they should think about what aspect they want to enter. They should also be tech savvy.”
One of his proudest jobs, said Bernstein, was serving his own town. He has lived in Glocester the last 44 years, with his wife Karen and their two children, now grown, Adam and Laura. He has a granddaughter, Sofia, from Adam and his wife Teresa. Over the years he coached Ponaganset High and Middle School Mock Trial teams from 1995 to 2001, and served as the Ponaganset High School assistant tennis coach from 2003 to 2005, and well as being a member of the Board of Directors for the Rhode Island Girl Scouts of America from 1991 to 1994.
“It’s been a privilege to serve my town,” he said. “It was the fulfillment of an interest I had to represent my own town as a member of the Zoning Board, then representing the Zoning Board, as well as the council. That includes the police department. Glocester Police Department has a wonderful reputation. I hope I contributed to that. It is a very good department. It was a pleasure to work with them. Some of those officers wrote great reports, all the I’s dotted, the T’s crossed. On the whole, those relationships I established with people were really, really special.”
Asked what’s next, the longtime legal professional has plans to take it easy.
“I’m catching up on my reading, and visiting with our granddaughter,” said Bernstein. “My other hobbies are cycling, and anything outdoors.”
I’ve been friends with Bill for many years. When I have had to use him for professional purposes. He has been an honest and ethical person. I’ve played a lot of tennis with Bill. I don’t recall him making a bad line call. But my memory isn’t all that well. Congratulations on your stepping down.
Attorney Bernstein, you are one of the most honest and dedicated people I have ever met. I have to thank you for all your support and professionalism throughout the years. I couldn’t have done it without you. I hope you have an enjoyable and well deserved retirement. Sincerely, Carol Conway