Barbara L. Bernier

My mission is to:

Create

Educate

Lead

But First, Listen

My consulting company, The Ellery Group, was founded upon these standards. These are the constants and guiding principles drawn from our experiences as lawyers, business advisors, and educators.

To know us is to understand this first and foremost.

Distinguished Legal Subject Matter Expert and Fulbright Recipient

Specializing in international legal frameworks, algorithmic compliance and tech policy. I hold an array of professional titles from Senior Law Professor to Consulting Director and CEO. My exemplary leadership skills complement a creative, solutions-based approach with a proven ability to work collaboratively with diverse sets of stakeholders.

I am especially effective at managing change with superior relational sensibilities.

Click here for services offered.

A Brief Bio

Born and raised in Harlem, I am a product of New York’s State University system by way of my undergraduate and graduate studies in anthropology and social science. My degree programs were foundational to a lifelong interest in education, social science, and law. I continued my graduate studies, earning a JD from Howard University School of Law and then onto Temple University for an LL.M. in Legal Education.

My parents emigrated from Haiti to start their American lives in New York, where they built a business, raised and educated their family in our bilingual household, while they supported many of our immigrating relatives. I frequently accompanied my relatives as their French/Kreyol translator and helped them navigate the streets of their new country. Our Sunday dinners grew to include more people than could be seated at one table amid a mix of languages and cultures. I grew up believing there were no differences among people, and the only things distinguishing one person from the next were the perseverance and determination attributed to so many first-generation Americans. My personal and professional philosophies are grounded in some of my earliest life experiences around our family table.

Collectively, these experiences are the foundation from which we provide consulting to our clients at The Ellery Group. Much like the classroom where every student is equal and unique, our clients require a customized approach developed to address their specific needs. A generic or cookie-cutter perspective is ineffective in the law, the classroom, and especially at The Ellery Group.

Work in Progress

“Algorithmic Takings: Artificial Intelligence, Property Rights Erosion, and the Limits of Constitutional Protection in the United States and Canada” Working Paper, Social Science Research Network (SSRN), June 2026.

Abstract

This Article argues that artificial intelligence has become a primary mechanism of property rights erosion in both the United States and Canada-operating through three distinct channels: algorithmic property valuation that systematically undervalues Black-owned property; AI-driven lending systems that exclude Black and Indigenous communities from property acquisition; and the unlicensed reproduction of protected property characteristics, including geographical indications and appellations, through generative AI systems. Neither the United States Constitution's Takings Clause nor Canada's statutory expropriation framework-the nation's only available property rights protection given the Canadian Charter's deliberate exclusion of property rightsprovides an adequate doctrinal framework for recognizing or remedying these new forms of property deprivation. The Article proposes a unified doctrine of 'algorithmic taking' applicable across both legal systems, drawing on the EU's Geographical Indication framework-the most developed regulatory response to AI-mediated property rights infringement-as a model for North American doctrinal development. The Article further argues that democratic backsliding in the United States, including the dismantling of AI bias accountability mechanisms, creates a structural feedback loop in which algorithmic property dispossession of marginalized communities becomes selfreinforcing and constitutionally unremedied.

Upcoming course: AI, The Constitution and the Law, Fall 2026. University of Illinois College of Law

A Few Additional Details . . .

No one title or job description can encompass all of the responsibilities and duties within that position. Below are a few additional details for a more comprehensive overview of my skills and experiences that demonstrate my long-term interests.

Program Creation and Implementation; Reims, France - International Comparative Law; The Business of Wine - Curriculum design, program presentation including logistical support for students and faculty. Immigration and travel issues, identification of talent, hiring for local counsel and support.

C.L.E.O. (Council of Legal Education Opportunity) and several other Conditional Admission Programs for law schools – An Administrative role to select participants and teaching assistants. Coordinated housing and logistical support, created evaluation standards, and selected candidates for entry into the law school.
INSEAD – Fontainebleau, France - University Consultant; Feasibility study for American law students to study in France; logistical assessments and presentation.
EXPLO - Introduced high school students to the practice of law. Lead Instructor; Responsible for curriculum design, supervised teaching assistants, and coordinated student logistics (in-residence on a college campus) with support staff.
University of Innsbruck and St. Mary’s School of Law; Innsbruk, Austria - International Women’s Rights. Created curriculum and co-taught the course with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
UN Commission on Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland - NGO Representative and Group administrator, assembly supervision.
Consultant - Feasibility study for a joint venture for an exchange program with the University’s School of Law in Germany. Institutional assessment for curriculum and student-based logistics.
Bridge to Success; Roger Williams University School of Law - Provided management and counsel for a community-based and grant-funded program for underrepresented high school students and their parents to engage in college preparation and application processes.
US Supreme Court; Intersession Program – Developed an intensive law school program to visit, study, and assess legislative groups and counsel. Supreme Court personnel meetings and attendance at Court hearings.

Worth Keeping

My Desk Drawer Treasures: Cards signed by the students in the class, a heartfelt thanks from a colleague, a letter from a former student, and an outpouring of emotion on graduation day. A ceremonial gavel engraved with an oft-repeated exclamation attributed to me. Below is a small sample.

One more thing . . .

Thank You for stopping by and for taking the time to get to know me and the Ellery Group. I hope I’ve managed to provide you with some insight beyond the narrow constraints of a brief encounter or hard copy resume. You’ll find additional details through the tabs above or use the link below to contact me.

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