On Friday afternoon, October 26, 2007, just hours after the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that his sentence amounted to cruel and unusual punishment, Genarlow Wilson was released from prison. In 2005, Genarlow Wilson, a 17-year-old star athlete and top student, was convicted of aggravated child molestation for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old classmate. He had been incarcerated for almost three years of a ten-year sentence, even though only months after his conviction, a "Romeo and Juliet" law was passed that would have had a maximum allowable sentence of 12 months. Genarlow remained incarcerated until Friday in spite of June decision by a Monroe County Superior Court judge to void the original sentence on constitutional grounds and reduce it to one year. Cases like Genarlow Wilson, Marcus Dixon, and the Jena 6 highlight the rampant discrimination against African-American youth that exists in our criminal justice system.
The attorney who has worked tirelessly on Genarlow’s case since its inception will be speaking at the convention. B.J. Bernstein spoke at the NBLSA breakfast at the National Bar Association’s Annual Convention in Atlanta. She has agreed to come to speak at SRBLSA’s convention in Columbia, SC. Her profile is below.
Brenda Joy (B.J.) Bernstein has worked for over 19 years in criminal and civil trial litigation and appellate work. She founded the firm after six and a half years as an Assistant District Attorney which included special team prosecution of sexual abuse cases. B.J. has been selected as a 2005, 2006, 2007 Super Lawyer in Atlanta Magazine and included in Georgia Trend magazine's Legal Elite List. Atlanta Magazine also listed B.J. as one of the top100 lawyers in Georgia and one of the top 50 female lawyers in Georgia. In 2003, the Daily Report (the Atlanta Legal Newspaper) named B.J. as a “Rising Star in Criminal Law.” The University of Georgia School of Law, her alma matter, presented her in 2007 with the law school's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Scroll Award presented for dedication and service to the legal profession and the law school. In 2001, Georgia Trend magazine recognized her with the“40 Under 40” Award. She has twice been selected by the Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission as one of the final five finalists for a Superior Court Judgeship in Fulton County.
B.J. has handled a number of high profile cases and regularly provides commentary for the media on legal issues. She has appeared on CNN, CNN International, FOX News, MSNBC, CBS Early Show, NBC Nightly News, NPR (National Public Radio), COURT TV, ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today Show and Court TV Radio to provide commentary on cases of national interest. She has guided her clients when their case became the object of media glare. She has learned when media is helpful to highlight a true injustice or when the law enforcement via the media attempts to convict a client long before trial. She is vigilant that whatever the situation the client comes first and all necessary ethical means are employed to assure a fair trial. Some representative cases in the media include: Genarlow Wilson; Colvin C. Hinton which is the subject of a CBS 48 Hours show and COURT TV Online; A shaken baby case aired on COURT TV which resulted in the client’s acquittal; representation of the rapper DaBrat; representation of a manager in the Federal “Gold Club” case, assistance in the Marcus Dixon case and as a court appointed guardian to child victims in the publicized federal Child Prostitution Ring prosecution.
For more information about BJ Bernstein please visit the firm’s website at http://www.bernsteinfirm.com/. Also visit her non-profit organization’s website at http://www.my5th.org/.
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