DAVID J. BERNAL was appointed vice president and associate general counsel and interim general counsel, in October 2024. Before assuming this role, Mr. Bernal served as assistant general counsel at the company. He joined Apache in 2008, where he handled commercial litigation, counseled executives and senior management, and provided legal guidance on various employment and human resources issues.
Previously, Mr. Bernal served as a Texas state district judge, presiding over hundreds of jury and bench trials, evidentiary hearings, and other motions involving various types of civil litigation. From 1999 to 2003, Mr. Bernal was a legal associate at King & Spalding.
Mr. Bernal received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Houston and his law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center.