The 2006 Alex Fee Memorial Pro Bono Service Award
The Young Lawyers Section of the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA), in
conjunction with the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, is pleased to announce
the recipient of the 2006 Alex Fee Memorial Pro Bono Service Award, Ms. Youshea
A. Berry, Esq. Berry is a solo practitioner, providing legal counsel to individuals,
businesses, corporations, non-profits and churches in the areas of real estate
and business/corporate law.
Berry’s pro bono and public service work is extensive and varied. She
spends numerous hours providing legal counsel through community organizations
and clinics. In Baltimore, she works with the Community Law Center and Maryland
Volunteer Lawyers Service. In Prince George’s County, she volunteers
with Community Legal Services’ walk-in clinic and serves as a settlement
conference facilitator with the District Court, as well as legal clinics and
pro bono programs in the DC area.
Berry believes it is important to invest in the future and, therefore, she
invests time in speaking to student groups in high schools and elementary schools
about legal issues during their Career Day programs.
Berry also believes in the importance of public service and is a strong advocate
for mentoring programs. She mentors both individuals and groups in underserved
communities.
Berry volunteers for domestic and national outreach programs as well, such
as Habitat for Humanity, Operation Crossroads Africa, Girls on the Run, Girl
Scouts, Junior Achievement, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), Sister
to Sister Mentoring Program and on the Board of Advisors of the local YMCA
Youth & Government program.
Berry also believes it is important to be involved in the bar association.
At the national level she is: Assistant Editor of the Young Lawyers’ Newsletter;
Vice-Chair of the YLD Law Practice Management Section; and a Member of the
West Solo Advisory Board of the GPSolo Division. Last year, she was an ABA
Young Lawyers’ Division Scholar. Today, she is Diversity Fellow at the
ABA’s GPSolo Division Conference in Wisconsin.
At the state level she serves or has recently served on:
- YLS Council as Annual Meeting Coordinator
- Advisory Committee of the Leadership Academy as well as member, Special
Committee on Minorities in the Legal Profession and member, several Public
Awareness Committees of the MSBA
- At the local level, she serves in a leadership capacity in local, minority
and women’s bar associations in both Maryland and DC.
In short, Youshea Berry does a lot because she believes in a lot. She believes
that young people are our future and that we have a responsibility to help
them to see it. She believes that we are expected to give back to our families,
our professions and our communities. She believes that the best way to lead
is by example.
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