Donald Scott Bernstein
On the New York attorney register since 1979 · office in New York, NY
PlainAttorney’s reading of the public register file, not a court record.
- Registration No.
- 1256767
- Admitted
- 1979 · First Department
- Status
- Due to re‑register
- Next registration
- Jul 2026
Donald Scott Bernstein is due to re‑register on the New York attorney register file of Sep 29, 2026. Admitted in 1979 in the First Department, with an office in New York, NY; next registration due Jul 2026. The status is the same in all 3 files we hold. The registration was due in Jul 2026 and the register has not recorded it as filed.
What this status means on the register
On the register, “Due to re‑register” means the attorney has a biennial registration falling due or overdue: the rule asks for it within 30 days after the attorney’s birthday in each alternate year, and the record gives the month it is due. The value stays until the register records the filing or marks the registration delinquent, so the month can have passed; by itself it is not a finding.
- Due to re‑register unchanged
- Due to re‑register unchanged
- Due to re‑register the first file we hold
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; the Jul 3, 2026 and Aug 6, 2026 files for the history.
Others who list this employer on the register
1,104 other attorneys list Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP or one of its other names as their employer on the register; 37 of them were admitted before 1979, and 969 of the 1,105 give an office in New York, NY. The 5 whose admission is closest to 1979, earliest first:
| Attorney | Admitted | Status |
|---|---|---|
| George R. Bason Jr. | 1979 | Currently registered |
| Alan Dean | 1979 | Currently registered |
| John Riche Ettinger | 1979 | Currently registered |
| Patrick Marc Hamilton | 1979 | Suspended, delinquent |
| William Martin Kelly | 1979 | Delinquent |
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; employer spellings merged (methodology).
Where this record sits on the register
Donald Scott Bernstein studied at University of Chicago Law School (the register spells it “UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO”). 170 of its 3,232 living graduates on the register were admitted in the 1970s, as Donald Scott Bernstein was.
- Same law school
- 3,232living graduates; 87.4% registered (current or due), against 87.1% overall
- Office in New York, NY
- 93,604living registrants
Of the 93,604 living registrants with an office in New York, NY, 4,378 were admitted before 1979 and 88,646 after.
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; living registrants only.
Questions this record leads to
- Everyone who lists Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP1,105 on the register, 37 of the others admitted before 1979; 969 of the 1,105 give an office in New York, NY.
- University of Chicago Law School graduates on the register3,232 living, 87.4% registered.
- Attorneys with an office in New York, NY93,604 living registrants give an office there.
- New York County’s registered bar75,989 currently registered, 46.63 per 1,000 residents.
- Admitted in 19793,974 people admitted in 1979 are on the register, 1,513 of them through the First Department.
- Every registration that reads “Due to re‑register”47,986 on the register file of Sep 29, 2026, by decade of admission.
- What a New York lawyer may chargeThe court rules on fees, retainers and fee disputes, each cited.
How to confirm it officially
For a statement of Donald Scott Bernstein’s standing, contact the Attorney Registration Unit of the NY Office of Court Administration (nycourts.gov/attorneys), or ask the Appellate Division, First Department, which admitted Donald Scott Bernstein in 1979. A complaint about this attorney would go to the First Department’s grievance committee, which covers New York County, where the register places the office.
This page reads the register file of Sep 29, 2026, and the court system’s own search can be newer; the register shows only the current value, so a suspension that ended before the files we hold, or a censure, leaves no trace here (Appellate Division decisions are published through the court system’s Law Reporting Bureau).