About Bernstein & Bernstein

Our History

In 1923, the auto industry was still in its infancy, and Detroit was earning its new nickname, “The Motor City.” Prohibition was in full swing (along with a thriving cross-border bootlegging trade). The city’s population was exploding, and new businesses were throwing open their doors—including the law firm of Bernstein & Bernstein, established by brothers Jacob and Mandel Bernstein.

Bernstein & Bernstein was a small business then, and it remains a well known personal injury law firm today. In 1974, more than fifty years after the firm’s founding, attorneys William Watkinson, Harvey Howitt, and Newton Bernstein purchased the firm from then-owner David Bernstein. In 2005, they passed their personal injury law firm on to the next generation: William Watkinson, Jr., Lisa Watkinson, and Joe Howitt. Lisa and Joe continue to head the firm today, and William was recently appointed to a position as a Workers’ Compensation Judge by Governor Whitmer.

Jacob and Mandel Bernstein couldn’t have imagined the ways in which the practice of law would change over the course of a century. But while the technology and tools of legal practice may have evolved, we like to think our firm’s founders would be proud of what has remained exactly the same—our dedication to our clients.

Our Approach

We know that the clients who come to our personal injury law firm for help are facing uncertainty, often dealing with both health and financial challenges. They are hard-working people, more used to lending others a hand than asking for one themselves. They aren’t looking for anything they don’t deserve—they just want to get their lives back and have a secure future for themselves and their families. Our mission is to make that happen.

Results matter to our clients, and the members of our team have decades of personal injury law firm experience and a long track record of success helping people who have been hurt. We have the legal knowledge and the skill to get our clients the recovery or benefits that they need. Our firm has a reputation for being detail-oriented, thorough, and well-prepared—and over time, Bernstein & Bernstein has recovered over a billion dollars for our clients.

But while results matter, they are not all that matters. Behind every case is a real person: our client. Being injured or disabled, and dealing with financial pressure, is stressful for them and their family. We are committed to lifting that stress and worry off their shoulders.

At Bernstein & Bernstein, we take pride in getting to know our clients, learning their stories and helping them understand what to expect from the legal process. We want them to feel comfortable reaching out to us whenever they have a question, and we keep them informed whenever there’s a development in their case. We intentionally maintain a caseload that allows us to be responsive; we’re not a “volume shop” that pushes cases through the system as fast as possible to try to get a quick settlement.

Our priority is to get every one of our clients the best possible result in their case, whatever it takes—and to give them the respect and support they deserve every step of the way.

Our Promise

When you work with our personal injury law firm, you will work with an experienced attorney who knows you and cares about your case; you will get responsive, attentive personal service, and committed advocacy focused on getting you the best possible outcome.