Sara Berry, a Holland & Hart associate in the firm’s Boise office, has been selected by the Idaho State Bar as a 2017 recipient of the Denise O’Donnell-Day Pro Bono Award. The Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioners selects recipients from each of the judicial districts who have donated extraordinary time and effort to provide pro bono services to clients in the community.
Sara’s practice focuses on appeals and commercial litigation. She is an active member of the Idaho State Bar Appellate Section and Litigation Section, Idaho Women Lawyers, Idaho Association of Defense Counsel, DRI, and Vice-President of the board for the Idaho Botanical Garden.
“Pro bono cases are some of the most rewarding work I do. I enjoy my regular work, but my pro bono work is the icing on the cupcake for me,” said Sara Berry. “It gives me the chance to follow my passion. I am privileged to work at a supportive firm that is itself dedicated to pro bono work and encourages my pursuit of pro bono activities.”
Some of Sara’s recent pro bono cases include representation through the federal court pro bono program of two Iraqi refugees (mother and daughter) who had obtained green cards but then experienced prolonged delays in their citizenship applications because of an off-the-record program subjecting Muslim applicants to unlawful scrutiny. In another case, Sara was a member of the team that appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court representing victims of an unlawful use of police force involving a shooting.
Sara will receive the Denise O’Donnell-Day Pro Bono Award for her notable pro bono contributions at the Fourth Judicial District Resolution Meeting this fall. All of the Denise O’Donnell-Day recipients were announced recently at the Idaho State Bar Annual Meeting.