Steve Berlin, Esq.
“Volunteering for pro bono work is a little bit of time in a busy schedule to give back. It makes a big difference to the people who receive our time and attention. It’s a very worthwhile endeavor.”
With today being Veterans Day, VLJ is mindful of the many volunteers and supporters who help us serve those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. For VLJ’s November 2022 Volunteer of the Month, we honor Steve Berlin, Esq., Managing Senior Counsel Labor and Employment at Panasonic North America, a longtime volunteer with VLJ’s Veterans Legal Wellness Clinic.
Steve attended the University of Maryland, where he majored in journalism, and then attended law school at Brooklyn Law. Steve has been practicing law his entire life and “can’t imagine doing anything else.” Steve goes so far as to say that he “loves” the practice of law, describing it as “a challenging profession but rewarding.” Steve is active with the New Jersey State Bar Association and serves as editor of their publication, New Jersey Labor and Employment Law Quarterly.
Shortly after Steve joined Panasonic, Panasonic’s Legal Department selected VLJ as an organization to volunteer with, and Steve has been volunteering with VLJ since the beginning of the partnership. Of course, VLJ isn’t the only organization to benefit from Steve’s and the Panasonic Legal Department’s generous donation of time and talent; the Legal Department also supports the NJ Law and Education Empowerment Project (NJ LEEP) by hosting NJ LEEP students for a week every summer when Steve introduces them to litigation and dispute resolution, then tests their learning in a mock mediation contest.
For Steve, supporting veterans is personal: his father was a World War II veteran. Throughout his life, Steve’s father didn’t really open up about the war until his grandchildren, Steve’s children, asked him about it. That conversation led the family to learn about some difficult experiences Steve’s father faced, but it also revealed that Steve’s father was a recipient of the bronze star and a purple heart, information that Steve had never known! His father’s military service and war experiences gave Steve an appreciation and understanding of what the veterans who come to VLJ have been through.
Often, volunteers’ interaction with veterans is limited, and after a legal clinic, volunteers rarely see the veterans again. Yet, Steve tries to create an atmosphere of trust and support that encourages veterans to open up, thus giving volunteers an opportunity to identify legal issues and advise the veteran clients accordingly. Their stories stay with Steve and confirm that the time he volunteers with VLJ is worthwhile.
Steve was lucky enough to be able to reconnect with two VLJ clients, brothers who are both veterans, whom he had assisted at a Veterans Legal Wellness Clinic. At a pre-pandemic VLJ Arts & Eats for Justice Gala, the two brothers were speakers and shared with attendees what VLJ had done for them. It was the first time Steve was able to see and hear what his help meant to the brothers. When the gala was over, Steve went to their table to say hello, at which point they immediately recognized him and gave him a big hug. As Steve said, “That was worth all the time I’ve ever spent at VLJ. That was a very touching moment.”
The help provided by Steve and his Panasonic colleagues has not gone unnoticed. In recognition of its work with VLJ, Panasonic’s Legal Department received the “Panasonic Excellence President’s Award” from Panasonic North America’s parent company in Japan for “Contribution to Society.” This award is prestigious within the company as “Contribution to Society” is one of Panasonic’s founding principles.
Steve doesn’t just enjoy practicing law, he sees it as a gift: “We’ve been given the gift of our profession – we’ve worked hard for it but we’ve been given that gift. Most lawyers have a lot of skills and talent, and there’s a great need out there for people who need our assistance but can’t afford what we provide. Volunteering for pro bono work is a little bit of time in a busy schedule to give back. It makes a big difference to the people who receive our time and attention. It’s a very worthwhile endeavor.”
When Steve isn’t volunteering or working, he loves long, thoughtful walks that give him an opportunity to think about what is going on in his life as well as in the world. Spending time with family also means a lot to Steve. He and his wife are theater and opera enthusiasts, but most of his time is devoted to his young granddaughters, whom he called his “passion” and “the light of his life.”
As a volunteer, Steve embodies VLJ’s mission of ensuring access to justice for people experiencing poverty. Indeed, for Steve, ensuring access to justice “means making sure that people who have needs have a voice and someone who is standing up for them to give them a voice.”
We are incredibly grateful to Steve for donating his time and talent to our Veterans Legal Program and for giving a voice to the many veterans in New Jersey with unmet civil legal needs. Thank you, Steve, for providing quality, compassionate pro bono services to those who served!