Rebecca Bernhard: I Am Barnes & Thornburg

I AM...

• A 25-year resident of St. Paul, Minnesota but still affectionately known as the ‘new family from California’ by my neighbors
• From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and will always be a Pirates and a Steelers fan
• The lucky wife of Bill Bukovsan who, for 30-plus years, has supported me in every endeavor, the two hardest being law school and parenting
• The proud parent of Leo Bukovsan, who was just accepted into graduate school and will be earning their MSW from Portland State University
• The frustrated host of two cats named Patience and Fortitude, both of whom truly rule our home
• Hopelessly addicted to British spy and police dramas, both on TV and in novels
• A recently self-taught loom knitter—everyone I know now owns too many hats and scarves
• Someone who, while in her 20s, quit a good job in D.C. to move to San Francisco to be closer to the Grateful Dead
• Someone who lost everything she owned in a Ryder Truck fire while moving to San Francisco
• Someone who had to seek help from a Nevada prison (Carlin Conservation Camp) while my Ryder truck burned on the side of Interstate 80 West

This profile appeared in the September 2025 edition of I Am Barnes & Thornburg.

View the full publication.