No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
Reserve & National Guard

Former soldier leads law team serving military clients across U.S.

Jessica Manfre
by Jessica Manfre
August 10, 2022
Berry Law

John Berry Jr. is the CEO and managing partner of Berry Law. He is a National Guard veteran. Courtesy photo

As the CEO and managing partner of a well-known law firm, veteran Army officer John Berry Jr. brings passion for defending the U.S. Constitution to the courtroom. And he learned from the best.

Berry Law was founded in 1965 by his father, John Berry Sr., who’d been commissioned as an officer in the Army in 1960 and deployed to the Vietnam War not long after. There he earned a Bronze Star and the Vietnamese Medal of Honor First Class (Gold). His name would become infamous as the chief defense counsel in the “Green Beret Affair,” successfully defending the special forces operators charged with the murder of a double agent.

Berry Jr. said his father left big steps to follow.

“My family has served in every war since the American Revolutionary War,” he said. “I served in Bosnia and then again in Iraq. I finished out a 20-year career with five years of active duty in the rest in the Nebraska National Guard. I have a brother who was a doctor in the Air Force and another who was a surface warship officer in the Navy.”

Serving in the military wasn’t always his plan. Berry Jr. had his eye on football while attending William and Mary but quickly realized it wouldn’t work out as a long-term plan. After graduation in 1997, he was commissioned into the Army and graduated from Army Ranger School. Two years later, he deployed to Bosnia.

In 2000, he pursued law school and transitioned into the National Guard, graduating three years later. As a brand-new lawyer, Berry Jr. managed a civilian career and his responsibilities as a company commander. He started to question his ability to do it all, bringing his concerns to his boss. He was told not to worry about doing both, since his company was about to be deployed to Iraq.

RELATED: ‘Stretched too thin’: Guard members have mixed reactions to unionization efforts

“What I loved about the deployment was you show up and the military is going to take care of you. You just make sure you complete your mission and bring everybody back alive,” he said.

After returning home from Iraq, his new mission was to grow the law firm in serving the military community through defense law and benefit appeals. Its military law team now has clients in all 50 states.

So, what does he think about the bad reputation lawyers get?

“I hate lawyers,” Berry Jr. laughed. “I think there are a lot of lawyers that have sullied the profession … but sometimes it’s a tough fight, sometimes we have to do it as lawyers, especially on the criminal defense side. We have to represent unpopular people; people that everybody hates and nobody thinks they should get a lawyer. But by God, if we don’t step up and do it, nobody else will. And that’s why a lot of veterans become lawyers, because they understand you have to be willing to do what needs to be done to protect the Constitution.”

The firm is proud to employ guardsmen, reservists, and veterans. In 2021, it was a finalist for the Secretary of Defense Freedom Award, voted Best Defense Law Team for Nebraska and has been named a U.S. Department of Labor HIRE Vets Platinum award winner multiple times.

“We love having veterans on our team. It’s just there. It’s part of our culture, you either get it or you don’t. We were not going to make you do pushups, although I’ve thought about it,” he said.

Berry Jr. left the National Guard in 2017 as a lieutenant colonel and credits his time in the military for who he’s become as a father, husband, and lawyer.

“It’s important that we have veterans in the legal system because they actually know what it means. And by God, some of them have paid the price for freedom that most lawyers will never pay,” he said. “We’ve tried some innovative things at trial and yeah, I might get yelled at by the judge, I might be ridiculed. But at the end of the day, how could I live with myself if I didn’t just go for it? Don’t be afraid of failing. As long as you’re alive, it’s OK.”

Though you won’t find him rucking for fun or jumping out of airplanes anymore, Berry Jr. is continuing to bring his military values to the courtroom.

“I love going into the courtroom and arguing cases because I’m too old to play sports or do any of the military stuff anymore,” Berry Jr. said. “The body doesn’t last forever for all that but the competitive spirit we learned in the service can.”

For more information about Berry Law, visit the firm’s website.

Read comments
Tags: Berry LawLaw firmmilitary clientsNational Guard
Jessica Manfre

Jessica Manfre

Jessica Manfre, LMSW is an author and freelance writer for multiple publications. She is a licensed social worker, earning her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Central Florida in 2020. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Northwestern State University. Jessica is the co-founder and CFO of Inspire Up, a 501c3 nonprofit promoting global generosity and kindness through education, empowerment, and community building. She is the spouse of an active-duty Coast Guardsman and mother of two. When she isn’t working, you can find her reading a good book and drinking too much coffee.

Related Posts

OPINION: Individual Ready Reserve offers chance to ‘take a knee’

by Emily Solberg
3 weeks ago
0
Individual Ready Reserve

The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is a little-known option that could help with retention, according to one reservist and military...

Read more

New veterans head to Congress, including January 6-er

by Military.com
4 weeks ago
0
New veterans

New veterans will begin roaming the halls of Congress next week, contributing to one of the biggest classes of lawmakers...

Read more

Veteran’s dog-treat company honors fallen K-9s, supports canine causes

by Kari Williams
1 month ago
0
Canine

Jessica Harris began giving back to her canine companions through K9 Salute after she retired from the Washington National Guard.

Read more

Trucking companies give unwavering support to reserve component

by AmeriForce Exclusive
1 month ago
0
Trucking

As volunteers layed wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery, trucking industry representatives signed ESGR Statements of Support.

Read more

The Hooligans’ Way: Air National Guard’s 119th Wing receives Air Force’s ‘outstanding unit’ award 23 times

by Bianca Strzalkowski
1 month ago
0
Hooligan

North Dakota airmen have produced the outstanding unit of the year 23 times. The 119th Wing attributes success to the...

Read more

NCNG’s first Black female pilot says goodbye

by AmeriForce Exclusive
1 month ago
0
NCNG

Capt. Lindsey Jefferies Jones looks back on her 17-year Army career as she bids farewell to the North Carolina National...

Read more

Ads

Let's get social

The RNG Drill

News delivered directly to your inbox

Let's connect!

ABOUT US

  • OUR STORY
  • OUR TEAM
  • OUR WRITERS

MAGAZINE

  • GET PRINT
  • GET DIGITAL
  • GET THE NEWSLETTER

GET RESOURCES

  • VETERANS TOOLKIT

ADVERTISE

  • GET OUR MEDIA KIT
  • PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

SUBMISSIONS

  • PITCH US
  • SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Never miss out on the latest stories.

© 2021 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Privacy Policy | Terms | Site by Swiss Commerce

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • YOUR CAREER
    • UNIT TRAINING
    • DEPLOYMENT
    • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
    • RECRUITING & RETENTION
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • TRANSITION
  • EDUCATION
  • MILITARY LIFE
    • MILITARY SPOUSES
    • MILITARY KIDS
    • PARENTING
  • OFF DUTY
    • ENTERTAINMENT
    • TRAVEL
  • HEALTH
    • FITNESS
    • MEDICINE
    • MENTAL HEALTH
  • OPINION
  • HISTORY
  • MONEY
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • BENEFITS
  • GET THE MAGAZINE
    • PRINT MAGAZINES
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINES
    • GET THE NEWSLETTER
  • RESOURCES
    • VETERANS TOOLKIT
  • ABOUT US
    • MEET OUR TEAM
    • OUR AUTHORS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • SUBMIT YOUR STORY
    • PITCH US
    • CONTACT

© 2022 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Site by SCBW