Eric Nathan Bernstein

PRO

Eric Nathan Bernstein

5.0
293 reviews
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.
Rating: 10.0

Licensed for 19 years

Criminal defense Lawyer at Atlanta, GA
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI, Personal Injury

480 John Wesley Dobbs Ave NE, Unit 190, Atlanta, GA

About Eric

Biography

Practice Areas

3

Practice Areas

Criminal Defense 45%

20 years | 3,000 cases

45%
DUI and DWI 45%

20 years | 3,000 cases

45%
Personal Injury 10%

14 years | 150 cases

10%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer

Awards

Client's Choice
Client's Choice
2026 2025 2024
...
+ 11
Platinum Client Champion

Licenses

Licensed in Georgia for 16 years

State: Georgia

Acquired: 2009

Active Member in Good Standing

No misconduct found

Licensed in Florida for 19 years

State: Florida

Acquired: 2007

Inactive

No misconduct found

Location

George C. Creal, Jr., P.C., Trial Lawyers

480 John Wesley Dobbs Ave NE, Unit 190, Atlanta, GA, 30312

georgecreal.com/Attorney-Profiles

Online Presence

Other places you can find Eric online.

Eric Nathan Bernstein's Reviews

Showing 196 - 200 of 267 reviews

Posted by Wendy Rivers | July 19, 2016 | Hired Attorney | DUI & DWI

Aggressive!!!!

Charged with DUI less safe drugs (prescriptions), failure to obey traffic device ( slide through red light snow storm 2014), too fast for conditions ( 15mph snow storm). Now my Major stuff.. I had on an old heavy winter coat that I hadn't worn since traveling to my mother's funeral in Ohio in 2009. ... Had no idea that one ambien pill i was prescibed but not in the bottle was in the pocket. Arresting officer didn't search me. But at the jail another officer took my belonging and saw the pill. Now I was facing two felonies controlled substance, crossing guard line contraband. Eric was always prompt with returning calls and emails. Finally went to court the next year. Prosecutor wanted first offender, couldn't keep my job with the admission of the drug felony. Eric was aggressive, next offer was 9 weekends in jail. People were walking out of there with one year probation with priors, lived out of state, no job, and bags of pills that weren't prescribed to them. Eric fought for hours. My felonies were dropped and I had one year probation for each traffic violation, and one year for the DUI consecutive ( 3 years!!), $1000 fine. 9O days house arrest. I had no priors, 20 years as an educator. Imagine if I didn't have an aggressive attorney that fought for hours. I immediately told my job. Eric even helped with. I met with the human resource people that you typically leave their meeting without a job. I kept my job due to Eric getting the controlled substance dropped.. After sitting in that courtroom and witnessing what was occurring to people. I realized I was fortunate to have Eric despite 3 years probation and 90 days house arrest. I was wrong but I was also the wrong color in the wrong county. The next year I hired another attorney who knew people in that county after i paid off my fine and completed all my requirements. This new attornney was awful and once again seeing five hours of the inequalities of sentencing. I asked your honor can anyone come and obseve what i obseved in an open courtroom to observe what is occurring to people that look like me the same charges and history vs. people that look like him. My new attorney was mad, never fought for me. quickly left me as the judge ignored my question and terminated my probation in 2016 instead of 2018. I wouldn't have my job and I would have went to jail. If it wasn't for Eric. My second attorney that filed my motion to terminate my probation knew everyone in that system. He was mad that I spoke up, he kept joking with the prosecutor, and trying to get me to agree to terms worse than what I had..That proved Eric has character and I wasn't the best client to work with. But he stayed by my side. Too bad some counties it is who you know, do you look like them, or does your last name instantly all work against you. Despite all that....I still kept my job and stayed out of jail.

Posted by JESSE | June 24, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Speeding & Traffic Ticket

Quick Turnaround and great service

Eric handled a case for me in Atlanta were I lived several years ago and was unaware of a ticket that had my record suspended. He took care of the ticket and had the suspension lifted within a three days and I didn't have to travel back to Atlanta for court. Great service and very quick turnaround!...

Posted by Josh | June 22, 2016 | Hired Attorney | DUI & DWI

Expect great work!

Being at the defending end of a DIU case is horrible. For me it was a terrifying situation. The best thing about Eric was his ability bridge the gap between my ignorance of the process and his knowledge of how it actually works. Setting expectations and letting me know his perspective in relation to... the prosecutor, the type of court (tried at municipal court in my case) and the case itself. Taking the guesswork and my movie-based preconceptions was very important to me. Also, this guy expected everyone involved to tell the truth. And I don't mean like in a moral sense (of course that's part of it but it's not what I mean). It's hard to explain because I'm not a lawyer. But in essence, the officer had to prove that the accusations were correct and Eric held him accountable for that unyieldingly demanding truth and not allowing ambiguity. It was very impressive really to watch how it all works. I had never seen a lawyer at work before, so I don't have anything to compare it with. But the way of following a logical string and positioning the witness in a place where they had no room to throw in anything other than the truth was really cool. There is something about detailed scrutiny and the ability to see all aspects of a situation that I find admirable. By the tone of my review I guess you can assume the case went in my favor. It was a challenge to foot a bill for an attorney given my personal situation at the time. But it was worth every dime. And Eric as a person was nice to be around. Even after the trial he sat outside with my family discussing the whole thing and helping all of us kind of close out that chapter. Really a very personable guy. This was also true about the office staff. Not only would I hire this Attorney again (though I seriously hope I never have to), I have already recommended him to a close friend of mine.

Posted by anonymous | June 17, 2016 | Hired Attorney | DUI & DWI

DUI reduced to reckless driving.

I contacted Mr. Bernstein a couple days after my arrest for DUI in the City of Atlanta. He was forthright about all the potential outcomes and some were pretty harsh punishment possibilities. He was able to first find a way for me to keep my license even though I didn't take a breath test at the poin...t of my arrest. Mr. Bernstein worked with the evidence and convinced the prosecutor to dismiss the DUI charge and have it reduced to reckless driving with probation. I am very thankful that he was able to reduce the sentence and make sure I didn't serve additional time in jail. I gratefully give his effort five stars and I am happy I chose the law firm of George C. Creal, Jr., P.C.

Posted by anonymous | June 16, 2016 | Hired Attorney | DUI & DWI

Saved my record!

Eric did such a great job with my case! I was getting charged DUI, failure to maintain in lane, and speeding. My case didn't seem in my favor at all but after excellent knowledge he called me after a court hearing and told me that the prosecutor dropped it down to a reckless driving! I was in shock a...nd was super happy about my outcome! Completely worth my time and money! Even though I did have pretty steap Chargers and it wasn't expensive I would rather pay what I have to, to not have a DUI on my record! If you want a great lawyer! Hire this guy!

See All Client Reviews

Eric Nathan Bernstein's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Eric
Anthony Lawrence Kozycki headshot
Anthony Kozycki

DUI and DWI lawyer | Dec 10

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Eric is tremendously knowledge and passionate about his work."

David Schnipper headshot
David Schnipper

DUI and DWI lawyer | Aug 31

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Eric is a smart and knowledgeable attorney. But even more important, he works hard and is dedicated to his clients and their cases. He is passionate about winning and making sure all of his clients are able to fully comprehend their legal situations. I would confidently recommend Eric and his firm to handle any case."

Michael David Bixon headshot
Michael Bixon

DUI and DWI lawyer | Mar 24

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Absolutely fantastic lawyer. When it comes to DUI defense you really couldn't do any better."

Gordon Thomas Nicol headshot
Gordon Nicol

DUI and DWI lawyer | Aug 27

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Professional through and through. Very knowledgeable and experienced attorney."

Mark V. Clay headshot
Mark Clay

Criminal defense lawyer | Aug 19

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I highly endorse Mr. Bernstein. Truly exceptional and caring attorney who achieves great results in representing clients! I really want all people to contact him for help."

Michael P Cognata headshot
Michael Cognata

DUI and DWI lawyer | Dec 31

Relationship: Other

"I highly endorse this lawyer. Mr. Bernstein is a giant in the community and quite expert at what he does. He cares for every one of his clientele."

David Gregory Sarif headshot
David Sarif

Criminal defense lawyer | Oct 24

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Jessica Katherine Stern headshot
Jessica Stern

DUI and DWI lawyer | Aug 11

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Eric is willing to think outside-of-the-box and fight hard for his clients. I endorse Eric Bernstein."

Helen Dillon Freed headshot
Helen Freed

DUI and DWI lawyer | Jul 09

Relationship: Other

"Eric recently handled a DUI/traffic offense matter for a close family friend. He did a fine job, getting the traffic charges dropped and securing a minimal sentence on the DUI. Eric was good at explaining all of the options and the possible outcome of each, so that his client could make an informed decision. I will gladly refer DUI and criminal matters to Eric in the future."

Sean Cleary headshot
Sean Cleary

Criminal defense lawyer | Jun 11

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. An extremely talented and well respected attorney in the legal community."

Michael S. Waddington headshot
Michael Waddington

Criminal defense lawyer | May 28

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse Eric. He is a highly skilled attorney that is well respected in the legal community."

John Eric Seay headshot
John Seay

Criminal defense lawyer | Apr 16

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Eric is a high integrity attorney and for that reason alone I trust him with referrals. But he is also a knowledgeable attorney able to achieve positive outcomes for clients."

Benjamin Black Alper headshot
Benjamin Alper

Criminal defense lawyer | Jan 21

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I recently worked with Eric on a case and can say without a doubt that he is an excellent criminal defense attorney that does great work for his clients. He is extremely knowledgeable and is a phenomenal advocate for his clients both in Court and when negotiating with prosecutors. I would absolutely recommend Eric for any criminal defense matter."

John Michael Phillips headshot
John Phillips

Unknown lawyer | Dec 16

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"With a great track record on Avvo.com and the reputation from clients and attorneys alike, it is easy to see that attorney Bernstein is skilled and knows the law well, too. Kudos."

Yehuda D. B. Bruck headshot
Yehuda Bruck

Criminal defense lawyer | Oct 23

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Eric is a smart, friendly and creative lawyer."

Jeffrey Michael Kolokoff headshot
Jeffrey Kolokoff

Criminal defense lawyer | Jul 08

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"Mr. Bernstein is a knowledgeable and passionate advocate for his clients. We worked in the Miami-Dade County, Florida, criminal justice system opposing each other for several years. He goes out of his way to defend his client's rights and is a skilled negotiator should a plea bargain be in his client's best interests. I do not hesitate to endorse Mr. Bernstein."

Andreas Roman Heiss headshot
Andreas Heiss

Criminal defense lawyer | Jul 02

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I worked with Eric for years in Miami as a defense attorney. I have seen him in action at every critical stage of the case, from the initial client interview to the closing argument. Eric excels in preparing every detail of his cases. As a result, he knows his case inside and out, better than anyone else inside the courtroom. I know he has received not guilty verdicts in DUI cases, drug sale cases, and robberiess. As a result of his experience and preparation, Eric has the ability to get what he wants inside the courtroom. Clients have told me that he treats them with the utmost respect and courtesy. I would recommend hiring this attorney to anyone in need of criminal defense."

Thomas Kenny headshot
Thomas Kenny

Criminal defense lawyer | Jun 30

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Timothy J Van Name headshot
Timothy Van Name

Criminal defense lawyer | Jun 28

Relationship: Co-worker

"What can I say about Mr. Eric Bernstein besides that he is one of the most dedicated, hard working and noble attorneys I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He has the charm of a southern gent, and the moxy of a big city suit. If I was to be facing the harsh penalties of the criminal justice system, I would feel 100% confident having Mr. Bernstein by my side."

Andrew Peters headshot
Andrew Peters

Criminal defense lawyer | Jun 22

Relationship: Co-worker

"Eric Bernstein is an aggressive and effective litigator. Mr. Bernstein has an exceptional knowledge of the law and displays a great ability in applying it to his motion practice. He is an experienced trial attorney with a candid ability to argue passionately to jurors in a persuasive and cogent manner. I am constantly amazed at how he always makes time for his clients and takes a caring, personal approach to his representation. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work alongside Mr. Bernstein, and I would recommend him for criminal matters of any severity."

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David Schnipper headshot
David Schnipper

Criminal defense lawyer

Benjamin James Lucas headshot
Benjamin Lucas

Criminal defense lawyer

Michael David Bixon headshot
Michael Bixon

Criminal defense lawyer

D. Benjamin Sessions headshot
D. Sessions

DUI and DWI lawyer

Michael P Cognata headshot
Michael Cognata

DUI and DWI lawyer

David Gregory Sarif headshot
David Sarif

Divorce and separation lawyer

Jessica Katherine Stern headshot
Jessica Stern

Criminal defense lawyer

William Starr Hardman Jr. headshot
William Hardman

Criminal defense lawyer

John Eric Seay headshot
John Seay

Entertainment lawyer

Benjamin Black Alper headshot
Benjamin Alper

Criminal defense lawyer

Howard J. Weintraub headshot
Howard Weintraub

Criminal defense lawyer

John Michael Phillips headshot
John Phillips

Unknown lawyer

Yehuda D. B. Bruck headshot
Yehuda Bruck

Criminal defense lawyer

Jeffrey Michael Kolokoff headshot
Jeffrey Kolokoff

Criminal defense lawyer

Timothy J Van Name headshot
Timothy Van Name

Criminal defense lawyer

Kevin Raymond Fisher headshot
Kevin Fisher

DUI and DWI lawyer

George Chadwell Creal Jr. headshot
George Creal

DUI and DWI lawyer

Christian Scott Dunham headshot
Christian Dunham

Criminal defense lawyer

Frank J. Gaviria headshot
Frank Gaviria

Criminal defense lawyer

Julia B Seifer-Smith headshot
Julia Seifer-Smith

Criminal defense lawyer

Experience

Rating:  10.0 (Superb)

Honors

2017

Rising Stars 2017, Super Lawyer

2017

Rising Star, Super Lawyers

2014

Client Choice Award, Avvo

2014

Top 40 Under 40, National Trial Lawyers

2013

Client Choice Award, Avvo

2006

Academic Scholarship, Zeta Beta Tau

2005

English Honor Society, University of Alabama

2003

Honors Program, University of Alabama

2003

Cum Laude, University of Alabama

Work Experience

2013 - Present

Associate, George C. Creal, Jr., P.C., Trial Lawyers

2006 - 2012

Assistant Public Defender, Dade County Public Defender

Associations

2014 - Present

National College of DUI Defense

member

2013 - Present

Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Attorney Member

2009 - Present

United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Attorney Member

2009 - Present

State Bar of Georgia

Attorney Member

2007 - Present

Florida Bar, Administrative Law Section

Attorney Member

2007 - 2012

Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Attorney Member

2005 - 2006

University of Alabama

English Honor Society

Sample of Legal Cases

State v. Farley

Not Guilty

State v. Escobar

Not Guilty

State v. Davis

acquitted by Judge

State v. Burroughs

not guilty, armed robbery with a firearm

State v. Ferguson

Client acquitted by court on trafficking in methamphetamine and possession charges

State v. Dieterich

Motion to suppress granted in part after a three day motion to suppress hearing. I successfully argued that State's police dog was not properly trained and qualified in detecting and alerting to the odor of marijuana.

State v. Alvin

Not guilty on all counts

State v. Eloi

Client pled guilty but was given no jail or probation in light of mistrial

State v. Bryant

not guilty to fleeing and eluding

State v. Chirinos

Client found not guilty of battery by strangulation and guilty of misdemeanor assault

Wedderburn v. State

Not Guilty on all counts

State v. Castillo

not guilty to DUI

State v. Lopez

not guilty to leaving scene of accident

State v. Musgrove

Not guilty on all counts

State v. Betancourt

not guilty to DUI; pled guilty to driving with suspended license

State v. Martinez

not guilty to assault on a police officer

State v. Gallardo

Client found not guilty on all counts by jury

State v. Hemerson

not guilty to DUI

State v. Calunga

Not guilty on all counts, including armed burglary with a firearm

See More Legal Cases

Education

2014

Defense of Drinking Driver's Institute

certificate of completion

2013

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration seminar

certificate of completion

2006

University of Miami School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

2003

University of Alabama

Bachelor of the Arts

Speaking Engagements

2016

Defending a DUI

Field Sobriety Evaluations

2015

Specialize to Succeed Criminal Defense Panel

2012

Winning the Fingerprint

Fingerprint Cases

2011

Miami Dade Public Defender's Intra-office Seminar

Drug Dog Sniffing Case Law and Strategy

2009

Professional Career Day

The Criminal Justice System

Publications

Languages

Spanish

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

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Avvo Rating Levels
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