Bernard van Gils received his Juris Doctor in 1986 from the Washington College of Law  of American University in Washington, D.C. where he was an Associate Editor of the inaugural edition of The American University Journal of International Law and Policy. He holds a Bachelors of .Arts in History and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia.  Bert is a member of the Virginia State Bar (admitted to practice, April 1987) and a member of the International Law, Business Law, and Wills, Trusts and Estates sections.

Mr. van Gils has over 20 years of diverse domestic and international experience as a transactional attorney and business consultant.  He has facilitated, negotiated and drafted transactions for companies active throughout the United States and for companies conducting business in Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia.   In addition to universities, he has assisted businesses in information technology, retail and wholesale sales, engineering, building and home contracting, printing, graphic arts, web page design, high technology training, international trade, real estate, music production and publishing.