perspective in order to truly understand
what is being said. This was a valuable
lesson in working with victims of crime
as an assistant prosecutor and assistant
U.S. attorney, and it is a necessary and
invaluable tool in being a judge.”
Throughout her career, Berger has been
a fierce advocate for low-income men,
women and children in West Virginia.
Helping others is what initially drew her
to the legal profession, and her strong
commitment to helping those without
access to basic services led to her being
identified by her colleagues as the ideal
chairperson for the Legal Services for the
Poor Symposium. In this role, Berger led
statewide efforts to provide and enhance
legal services for those in need.
“We recognized the need for low-in-
come people to have access to our courts
and the disadvantage they had in trying
to represent themselves as plaintiffs or
defendants in civil matters without rep-
resentation and the necessary information
regarding substantive and procedural
legal matters,” she says. “The work of
the symposium was important to me
because it was established to grant real
access to courts for those who did not
otherwise have it.”
Despite the many duties and respon-
sibilities of her current position, Berger
has remained actively engaged with her
alma mater. She is a trustee with the WVU
Alumni Association’s Loyalty Permanent
Endowment Fund, where she and two
other trustees review applications and
award scholarships to WVU students.
Currently, she and her husband are in
the process of establishing a scholarship
fund to benefit students in McDowell,
Mercer and Wyoming counties who intend
to pursue a degree in law but lack the
financial means to do so.
The Robert C. Byrd U.S.
Courthouse in Charleston.
Photo by Scott Hoover.
Berger at the bench in her courtroom in the Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse in Charleston.
Photo by Kensie Hamilton Fauber.
Recognized as a valued mentor, she
sees the importance in investing in the
next generation and helping guide them
to success because she would not be where
she is today without the guidance of others.
“I have been very fortunate through-
out my career to have had people take an
interest in my personal and professional
development,” she says. “That has made
challenges, both personal and professional,
easier to overcome. I am not unmindful
of the fact that the odds of someone with
my background being appointed by the
president of the United States were not very
high. I am in my current position because
of the mentoring, guidance, influence and
help from others. I hope younger people
who see my path will walk away with
the confident knowledge that they can
accomplish their goals if they stay focused,
work hard and are willing to ask for and
accept help when it is appropriate.”
Berger’s efforts in paying it forward
have been recognized with several awards
and honors, including the Distinguished
West Virginian Award from Governor
Bob Wise, West Virginia African-Amer-
ican Women of Distinction Award and
Celebrate Women in Government Award
by the West Virginia Women’s Commis-
sion, WVU College of Law Women’s Law
Caucus Distinguished Woman in the
Public Sector of Law Award, Outstanding
Alumna Award by the WVU Alumni As-
sociation, WVU College of Law Justicia
Award, West Virginia’s Finest Award from
the Charleston Police Department, Out-
standing Woman of Achievement Award
from the Charleston YWCA, Mountain
State Bar Association Merit Award,
NAACP Image Award for Leadership,
Departmental Alumni Award from the
Department of Mathematics of the WVU
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and
Community Champion Award by the
Kanawha Institute for Social Research
and Action. She also received an honorary
degree from the University of Charles-
ton and was named a fellow of the West
Virginia State Bar Foundation and the
American Bar Association.
To Berger, no one award means more
than the other. “It is an honor any time
a person or group honors a personal
trait or professional accomplishment,”
she says. “I was mentored by people I
respected and admired personally and
professionally. Their interest in me en-
hanced my confidence, and their help
gave me opportunities I likely would
not have had otherwise. Based on my
experience and understanding of what a
meaningful impact mentoring can have,
I would simply like to pay it forward.”
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