The Lopez Law Firm, PLLC

Rachel Bernard, Esq.
Professional Bio – Lopez Law Firm

Rachel Bernard is excited to join the Lopez Law Firm. She has always been interested in advancing the rights and opportunities of immigrants and refugees. As a result, Ms. Bernard focuses her legal practice on U.S. immigration and nationality law. Ms. Bernard is a fierce advocate for justice and equality, and has represented clients in general immigration law, including waivers, family-based petitions, humanitarian relief, VAWA, U and T visas, adjustment of status, special immigrant juvenile visas and removal defense matters. She also has worked in civil litigation and criminal defense. As a trilingual advocate, she is fluent in and serves clients in English, French and Creole, ensuring that individuals and families can navigate complex immigration processes with clarity and confidence.

Growing up in New England, a child of immigrants and an immigrant herself from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Attorney Bernard brings a profound personal understanding of the challenges her clients face. This lived experience fuels her commitment to providing compassionate, client-centered representation. She is deeply passionate about empowering immigrants, protecting their rights, and guiding them through each step of their legal journey.

Known for her meticulous attention to detail, vigorous advocacy, and trauma-informed approach, Ms. Bernard strives to build trust with every client she serves. She believes that every immigration story is unique and deserves to be heard with respect, dignity, and care. With over 20 years of experience serving in leadership roles in both the public and private sectors addressing housing, education and immigration policy, Ms. Bernard has a unique perspective that strengthens her advocacy. She previously has worked at Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, a leading nonprofit organization in New England that supports the rights and integration immigrants and refugees through policy advocacy-fighting for inclusive legislation, community education and direct services. Her work across diverse settings has equipped her to manage complex cases, more effectively, and approach each client’s situation with strategic insight and genuine empathy.

Attorney Bernard brings a deep commitment to cultural competence to every client she serves. A humanitarian at heart, she has long been an engaged community leader and advocate, dedicated to uplifting diverse voices and ensuring that individuals from all backgrounds feel respected and understood in the legal system. Her experience in academia further enriches her approach as a guest panelist at a Harvard Law School forum, where she addressed the role of lawyers in humanitarian aid and immigration. Also, in her role as the Director of the MassBay–UMass Boston Haiti Initiative, she helped develop the course Gateway to Cultural Competency, a course piloted with early childhood educators to equip them with tools to view their work through a culturally sensitive lens. Designed for application across multiple disciplines and career tracks, this curriculum emphasized the importance of understanding cultural context, lived experiences, and a deep understanding of the communities being served.

Beyond her legal practice and expansive work experience, Ms. Bernard is very active in professional and civic affairs. She is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the national association of more than 18,000 attorneys and law professors who practice and teach immigration law.  She enjoys learning from her peers and ensures that she stays current with the rapidly evolving landscape of immigration law. Recognizing her expertise and desire for helping immigrants, her colleagues have elected her to a number of leadership positions with various nonprofit organizations serving immigrant populations, such as the Board of Trustees for Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy and the Board of Directors for Refugee Support Services among others. Ms. Bernard is also the Founder and Board Chair of the Anderson St. Louis Foundation, an organization which gives back by exposing overlooked youth to careers in the tech industry in the U.S. and Haiti. She is an active member of local and state bar associations. She was appointed to the North Carolina Bar Association’s Haiti Committee by the president of the association from 2016-2019 to serve as a liaison working with Haitian attorneys and the Port-au-Prince Bar to reform and strengthen the business-law environment in Haiti. 

In addition, Ms. Bernard also serves her community as a member of the clergy and as a chaplain. She is regularly invited to speak at community and faith-based events, offering insight on immigration and a range of pressing social justice topics. She enjoys volunteering with legal aid and other organizations that serve in underrepresented communities. She has been a recipient of the North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society award in 2023 and 2024. She is also committed to contributing to local governance through her appointment to her town’s Planning Board, where she helps shape responsible development and community growth.

Ms. Bernard earned her Master’s in Public Policy with high honors from Tufts University focused on equity and socio-economic policy, where she was a recipient of the Neighborhood Fellows Full Merit Scholarship, her Juris Doctorate Degree from Massachusetts School of Law with a litigation concentration and her Bachelor of Arts in English and French from the College of the Holy Cross with honor society distinctions and as a recipient of the distinguished Presidential Service Award for her outstanding service contributions. She is licensed to practice law in North Carolina, Massachusetts and Connecticut. She is also admitted to the United States Western District of North Carolina.

Whether helping a family reunite, defending someone in removal proceedings, or supporting a person seeking protection who has survived persecution, Ms. Bernard is committed to delivering skilled, ethical, and heartfelt advocacy to the communities she proudly serves. Ms. Bernard enjoys traveling, has lived in Tours and Dijon, France, and worked in Haiti.