Dowd Bernsen

Tory Dowd Bernsen is a Criminal Justice Act Panel Attorney for the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri and the Southern District of Illinois. She serves as a mentor on the mentor-mentee panel in the Eastern District of Missouri.

Ms. Bernsen sits on the Board of Directors for the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL).

Ms. Bernsen had the opportunity to serve as St. Louis County’s DWI Court defense attorney for four years. It changed the way she looked at substance use and she asks anyone who needs or wants to call or text her on her cell.

Ms. Bernsen received the Atticus Finch Award from MACDL in 2020 and is a staunch advocate for appellate review on the merits and effective representation of criminal defendants.

Ms. Bernsen is a member of the National College for DUI Defense and, while serving as Special Assistant Attorney General and Legal Counsel to the Director of Revenue, she completed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) course in the administration of standardized field sobriety testing.

Ms. Bernsen has tried numerous federal jury trials in the last several years and has successfully defended clients on charges of murder, assault, sex offenses, stealing, drug crimes, and DWIs. She has prosecuted numerous appeals and post conviction motions. In 2024, she successfully defended an appeal in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals where the Court found that toothpaste should be provided to inmates.

She has, for years, been named as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers and as a Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyers. She is an executive member of the American Association of Premier DUI Attorneys and was named as one of the 10 Best Attorneys in Missouri for Exceptional and Outstanding Client Service by the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys.