David Longly Bernhardt currently serves as Solicitor of the Department of the Interior. The Solicitor is the third ranking official in the Department and its chief legal officer. The Solicitor provides legal advice to the Secretary and members of his staff, the Assistant Secretaries of the Department, the heads of the offices and bureaus and all other officers and employees of Interior. The Solicitor also is also responsible for formulating the legal policies of the Department and resolving any conflicts which may arise in the application of these policies.

David has extensive experience within the Department of the Interior. He previously served as Deputy Solicitor, as well as, Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Secretary and as Director of Congressional and Legislative Affairs and Counselor to the Secretary of the Interior.

Before joining Interior, David worked at a private law firm and held a variety of positions within the office of Congressman Scott McInnis including Legislative Director, Counsel and Committee on Rules Associate Staff.
David earned a B.A. in political science with a minor in business administration from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley in 1990. He graduated with honors from the George Washington University National Law Center in 1994.

A native of Rifle, Colorado, David is married to Gena Rae Bernhardt and has two children, William and Katherine.

On November 18, 2005 President George W. Bush nominated David to be Solicitor for the U.S. Department of the Interior. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 30, 2006 and was sworn into office on October 5, 2006.

• Office of the Solicitor Web Page