[District of Columbia, Feb. 5, 2016] – The District of Columbia Bar Foundation (DCBF) has selected Jennifer L. Berger, Esquire, as the recipient of the 2016 Jerrold Scoutt Prize. Ms. Berger is a Supervisory Attorney at Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE).
The prize is awarded annually to an attorney who has worked for a significant portion of his or her career at a nonprofit organization providing direct hands-on legal services to the needy in the District of Columbia, has demonstrated compassionate concern for his or her clients, and has exhibited a high degree of skill on their behalf.
In her ten years as Supervising Attorney at LCE, Ms. Berger has worked to advocate for elderly citizens experiencing difficulty in the housing area. In her nomination, Jan May, Executive Director of Legal Counsel for the Elderly, said of Jennifer: “She shows a dogged commitment to enhance the quality of life for low-income D.C. seniors through legal advocacy, social service, and public outreach.” Mr. May also praised Ms. Berger for her passion and determination to provide her clients with the best representation.
From 2004 to 2006, Ms. Berger was the Housing Supervisor at The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia where she had many responsibilities, including mentoring pro bono attorneys on housing cases. Ms. Berger also worked as a General Civil Attorney at Legal Aid Bureau, Inc. of Maryland from 1999 to 2004. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from Bucknell University, her Master of Social Work from State University of New York at Buffalo School of Social Work, and her J.D. from State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law in June of 1998.
The Scoutt Prize, endowed by the Washington, DC firm of Zuckert, Scoutt, & Rasenberger, LLP, is named in honor of Jerrold Scoutt, Jr., a founding partner of the firm, in recognition of Mr. Scoutt’s and the firm’s long-term support of legal services. The DC Bar Foundation’s Scoutt Prize Committee is chaired by DCBF Advisory Committee Member Fred T. Goldberg of Skadden, Arps, Meagher, & Flom, LLP. The DC Bar Foundation will present the 2016 Jerrold Scoutt Prize during the DC Bar’s Judicial Reception on Thursday, April 21, 2016.
The DC Bar Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization established in 1977, is the largest funder of civil legal services in the District. The Bar Foundation’s mission is to fund, support, and improve legal representation of the poor, vulnerable, and otherwise disadvantaged in the District of Columbia, and it is committed to the vision that residents of the District have equal access to justice, regardless of income. The Foundation provides grants, training, and technical assistance to local non-profit legal services organizations and awards loans to DC poverty lawyers to help with their educational debts.
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