Bernard, Drew

Kevin Bernier is a counsel in the Real Estate Practice Group and a member of the Energy and Cleantech Group. He joined the firm in 2005.

Practice

Mr. Bernier is a LEED Accredited Professional. This certification is awarded by the US Green Building Council, and is for those individuals who "possess the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in the design process, to support and encourage integrated design, and to streamline the application and certification" of the LEED Certification Process.

Mr. Bernier regularly advises clients with respect to green building and energy efficiency, including advising landlords regarding incorporating LEED standards into, and otherwise “greening” their leases. He has also advised a large national retailer regarding design and transaction structures addressing the design, construction and transaction implications raised by energy efficiency/LEED legislation.

Most recently, Mr. Bernier advised a client regarding the unique considerations of siting, constructing and permitting a cellulosic biofuels pilot plant, and advised the developer of a solar farm intending to collect and distribute energy to the grid concerning the zoning and property tax issues impacting this relatively new use.

Mr. Bernier also represents several not-for-profit companies such as Alternatives for Community and Environment and Caritas Communities.

Mr. Bernier received his JD, magna cum laude, from the Boston University School of Law. He is the author of "The Inadequacy of the Broad Collateral Attack: Stephenson v. Dow Chemical and Its Effect on Class Action Settlements," published in the Boston University Law Review.  

Other Recent Highlights

• Represented an industrial real estate fund in the acquisition of an approximately $40 million industrial park consisting of six buildings
• Represented a local developer in all facets of their business, including development, leasing, acquisitions, sales, financings and re-financings
• Represented a national REIT in the acquisition and disposition of an approximately $600 million office and laboratory campus in the Cambridge area
• Represented a local developer in the permitting, acquisition, development and financing of an affordable housing complexes in the New Haven, Connecticut area
• Represented an industrial real estate fund in over a dozen acquisitions of various industrial facilities in the Southeast and Southwest Regions of the US
• Represented a client in the leasing of an approximately 165,000 square foot office building in the Braintree area, as well as the ultimate sale of the property
• Represented a major retailer in the leasing and acquisition of over 15 development projects throughout the New England and Mid-Atlantic Areas

Honors and Awards

• Selected as a Boston Magazine "New England Super Lawyers Rising Star" in 2009, 2010 and 2011