He focuses on restructurings and insolvency law; in addition, he advises on many aspects of banking and finance law, for instance on sophisticated acquisition, corporate or borrowing base financings. As an acknowledged expert in the fields of financing and restructuring, Franz Bernhard has been advising corporates, lenders or investors for many years in refinancing and crisis situations and on the preparation, negotiation and implementation of complex and international restructuring concepts, for instance by way of an out-of-court "consensual" restructuring or debtor-in-possession (Eigenverwaltung) or other court proceedings. He regularly represents creditors in large corporate insolvencies and protects his clients' interests in creditors' committees.

Franz Bernhard lectures, for instance at Bucerius Law School and at the Institute for Law and Finance, and regularly speaks and publishes on finance and insolvency law issues. His current focus includes the restructuring of Schuldschein loans, the preventive restructuring framework (StaRUG), the issues of application and recognition in connection with Dutch schemes and UK restructuring plans, but also private debt and direct lending in distressed situations.

Franz Bernhard studied law at the University of Paris (Université René Descartes) and the University of Münster. While writing his doctoral thesis, he worked on corporate law issues for Prof. Dr. Wolfram Timm (Institut für Deutsches und Europäisches Unternehmensrecht, Münster). Afterwards, he spent his legal clerkship at the Berlin Higher Regional Court.