Ryan M. Bernstein Counsel

In addition, Ryan helps private equity investors and portfolio companies understand the implications of federal and state-level policy decisions and energy market trends for their investment and business decisions.

A respected Republican strategist and former chief of staff to U.S. Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota, Ryan possesses nearly two decades of senior government and political experience and was recognized by The Hill as one of the top lobbyists in 2022 for the third consecutive year.

As chief of staff for Senator Hoeven, he was responsible for overseeing Hoeven’s 30-person Senate staff in Washington and North Dakota since 2012 and served for nearly two years as deputy chief of staff before that. In Bismarck, he was a senior adviser to three North Dakota governors – Jack Dalrymple, Hoeven and Ed Schafer – from 2000 through 2010 in roles that included policy advisor and chief legal counsel.

Ryan earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture economics from North Dakota State University and his J.D. with Distinction from the University of North Dakota Law School. He was also a recipient of the Horizon Award from North Dakota State University. Ryan clerked for the North Dakota Supreme Court and the U.S. District Court in Bismarck and is admitted to the bar in North Dakota and the District of Columbia.