Berns, Louis A

Cynthia Bernstiel concentrates her practice in the areas of arson and fraud investigation and litigation. A former top prosecutor from the District Attorney's Office in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Ms. Bernstiel served as Chief of the Investigating Grand Jury in which capacity she oversaw complex, multi-jurisdictional criminal investigations including, but not limited to, arsons and white collar crimes. She also tried numerous cases to verdict, including drug and sex crimes, violent felonies and homicides. Both as a prosecutor and then as a civil litigator, Ms. Bernstiel developed vast experience in the investigation and defense of suspected insurance fraud claims. She conducts in-depth, multifaceted investigations on behalf of her insurance industry clients on a daily basis, and routinely conducts examinations under oath of policyholders in connection with all types of suspicious insurance claims, including arsons, residential and commercial burglaries, and claims involving income tax, bankruptcy and mortgage fraud, among others. Ms. Bernstiel frequently lectures on the topics of arson and fraud investigation and techniques, as well as fraud-related insurance coverage issues.

Throughout her legal career, Ms. Bernstiel has been very active in the Montgomery County Bar Association, serving as President of the Young Lawyer's Division; a member of the Board of Directors; Chair of the American Citizenship and Membership Committees; and Chief Editor of the Montgomery County Law Reporter. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Montgomery County Child Advocacy Project, and provides pro bono legal services as a child advocate. Ms. Bernstiel also served as a Hearing Committee Member for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Disciplinary Board, ending her six-year term as a Senior Hearing Committee Member in 2007. She has been named a "Pennsylvania Rising Star" by Law & Politics.

Ms. Bernstiel is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Delaware where she was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and a writing tutor for the honors program. She received her law degree from Villanova University School of Law where she was a member of the Moot Court Board.