Healthcare Attorney ■ Mr. Berning maintains law offices in Chicago and the District of Columbia.  Before entering private practice, he served as an Illinois Assistant Attorney General. He concentrates his practice on legal, financial and practice management issues affecting dentists, dental schools, and health care providers. He is experienced in business and transactional matters, mergers, acquisitions, contract negotiations, planning for practice transition, succession and expansion. Mr. Berning received his Master of Laws in Health Law (LL.M.) from Loyola University of Chicago, School of Law in 1989. Among many activities, he served as a Trustee Advisor for the America's Fund for Dental Health (1994-1995) and as a member of the American Dental Association (ADA) Blue Ribbon Editorial Advisory Panel. Mr. Berning participated in the American Association of Orthodontists’ Ethics Video (2000).  Mr. Berning served as a member of the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research, Department of Health Human Services, NIH (1994-1998).       Healthcare Consultant ■ Mr. Berning is President of Berning & Affiliates, Inc. The firm  maintains consulting offices in Naples, Florida and Burlingame, California.  Since 1979 Mr. Berning and the firm provide strategy and implementation for practice transition, vision building, strategic planning and professional services marketing for dentists and healthcare providers, dental schools and companies. He continues to serve as a Consultant to the ADA’s Council on Dental Practice (1987 - present). A full presentation of Berning & Affiliates capability can be seen at www.BerningAffiliates.com.         Healthcare Educator & Speaker ■ Mr. Berning served as Adjunct Professor of Dental Jurisprudence and Director of Practice Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry from 1993-2000.  He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore College of Dental Surgery and a Clinical Instructor at the University of California-San Francisco, School of Dentistry. As a speaker Mr. Berning has addressed audiences large and small throughout his career  including annual meetings for dental specialty associations (the AAO and constituent association meetings on 18 occasions, including serving on the planning committee, speaking at and moderating the CEO conference in 2003 and 2006), the ADA annual meeting, state associations, constituent societies, and study clubs. He is a ADA Success Seminar Lecturer (1991-present) and he co-presented the ADA national seminar series topic "Do's and Don'ts of Associateships and Practice Valuation" (1987-1992) and "Dental Practice Financing and Debt Management" (1989-1992). From 1988-1994 Mr. Berning presented the Dentistry and the Law ConferenceTM, a national forum designed to address current legal issues confronting dentistry.       Healthcare Author ■ Mr. Berning has written over 125 articles and notes on topics of interest to dentists with articles in ADA News, Dental Practice Report, Dental Economics, Seminars in Orthodontics and others. He serves as an article reviewer for the Journal of the American Dental Association. Previously he has served as an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Law and Ethics in Dentistry, the Journal of Dental Practice Administration, Healthcare Advertising Review, Dentist magazine and the Journal of Health Care Marketing. He co-authored the AAO's monographs Guide to Orthodontic Practice Valuation for Residents and Practitioners and Guide to Financing the Orthodontic Practice for Residents and Practitioners for the Practice Alternatives binders (1998 and 1999). He co-authored the revision of the ADA's publications: Associateships: A Guide for Owners and Prospective Associates (1988, 92, 97, 2001 & 2006) and Valuing a Practice: A Guide for Dentists (1989, 92, 97, 2001 & 2006).  Mr. Berning was a contributing author to the California Dental Association’s publication A Guide for New Dental Practitioners (1997). He was the lead author of Volume VII of the C.V. Mosby Company's Dental Practice Management series, entitled, Personalized Guide to Legal Issues (1985) . He authored two chapters for Clark's Clinical Dentistry, Chapter 37A in 1993 "The Impact of Law on Current Dental Practice" and Chapter 15 in 1994 "Duty to Advise Patient to Consult Specialist".       Healthcare Publisher ■ Mr. Berning publishes The Expert Series for DentistsTM Publications, Advisories, and Special Reports, all of which are available at www.BerningAffiliates.com/store.htm. The mission of the materials is to increase the practice and personal security of doctors by providing timely expert level information.