Richard H. Bernstein is an associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and the first blind justice in the court’s history. Based in Michigan, he has built his life around discipline, access, and public service.
Born legally blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, he learned early that systems are not always built for everyone. Instead of stepping back, he pushed forward. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan and went on to earn his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law. To gain admission, he challenged the structure of the LSAT, arguing it unfairly measured blind applicants. His persistence opened doors.
After law school, he joined The Law Offices of Sam Bernstein. Much of his work focused on disability rights. He represented clients in cases that improved wheelchair access on Detroit buses, expanded accessible seating at Michigan Stadium, and made roundabouts safer for people with disabilities.
In 2014, he was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court and began serving in 2015.
Outside the courtroom, Bernstein is an endurance athlete. He has completed 27 marathons and multiple Ironman competitions. After a severe cycling accident in 2012, he spent months recovering. Within a year, he ran another marathon.
His career reflects steady effort. He builds change step by step, whether in courtrooms, classrooms, or on a marathon course.
Q&A on Success with Richard H. Bernstein
You’ve broken barriers in law and athletics. How do you define success?
Success is steady progress toward something that matters. It is not about titles. It is about growth and impact.
When I challenged the LSAT system before law school, I was not trying to make a statement. I wanted a fair chance. Success meant creating access where there was a barrier. The same mindset applied when I worked on cases involving wheelchair lifts on buses or accessible seating at Michigan Stadium. If more people can participate fully in public life, that is success.
In athletics, success is similar. Finishing an Ironman is not about the medal. It is about the preparation. It is about waking up early and training when it would be easier not to.
You worked incredibly hard in law school. What did that period teach you?
Law school required structure and repetition. I memorized lectures. I had fact patterns read to me until I could hold them in my mind. Some exam questions were five pages long. I worked seven days a week, often 13 hours a day.
That experience taught me that limits are often logistical, not personal. If you build the right system, you can perform at a high level. I learned to rely on discipline instead of convenience.
What role has adversity played in your success?
Adversity forces clarity.
In 2012, I was struck by a cyclist in Central Park. The injuries were severe. I spent three months in the hospital. Recovery was slow and humbling. But it sharpened my focus. When I ran another marathon in 2013, it was not about proving anything to others. It was about proving consistency to myself.
Adversity strips away ego. It leaves you with effort.
You have focused much of your legal career on disability rights. Why?
Because access shapes opportunity.
When I represented Detroit residents to fix wheelchair lifts on buses, the issue was not just transportation. It was employment. Education. Healthcare. The same was true in the Michigan Stadium case. Accessible seating means families can attend games together. It means equal participation.
Success in law, for me, has meant making systems work for more people.
How did serving on the Wayne State University Board of Governors shape your view of leadership?
Leadership is about policy, not personality.
On the board, we addressed the accessibility of the Kindle reader. If blind students could not use it, then it should not be used. The goal was simple: fairness in implementation. Good leadership looks ahead and anticipates barriers before they become exclusions.
What advice would you give someone who feels limited by circumstances?
Build endurance.
Endurance is mental and physical. It is waking up for training. It is reviewing case files late at night. It is accepting setbacks and returning to the task.
I have completed 27 marathons and multiple Ironman events. None of them were easy. But each mile reinforced a simple truth. Progress is earned through repetition.
Success is rarely dramatic. It is consistent.