BERNEY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- SENIOR PARTNER
- Senior Partner With Berney & Sang
David is a senior partner with Berney & Sang. He is a trial lawyer who concentrates his practice in education law, employment discrimination, and civil rights. His dedication to excellence has helped to achieve numerous verdicts and settlements for clients that have exceeded one million dollars. He has litigated hundreds of special education cases, and he has worked on cases that have been argued before the United States and Pennsylvania Supreme Courts. Several of his cases have been written up by the New York Times and other nationally syndicated newspapers, and he has appeared on C-Span as a result of his professional activities.
From 2008 to 2020, Philadelphia Magazine named David a Philadelphia Super Lawyer. From 2005 to 2007, Philadelphia Magazine named him as one of the best attorneys under the age of 40 in Pennsylvania. In 2007, Philadelphia Magazine featured him on the cover and with an article about him. In his spare time, David enjoys running, biking, story-writing, and cooking with his children.
David (he/him/his) can be reached at djberney@berneylaw.com.
Job Titles:
- School of Government / Master of Public Policy, 2014
Heather is of counsel at Berney & Sang. She assists the firm in special education matters.
After several years as a social worker, Heather earned her Juris Doctor at Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2012. During law school, she worked as a paralegal at Community Legal Services, where she helped defend low-income Philadelphians against eviction. After graduating from Temple, Heather joined the Philadelphia Defender Association as a Child Advocate Attorney, representing youth in dependency proceedings. She first joined Berney & Sang in 2019 as an Associate before moving to her present position as Legal Director at Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia, where she focuses on providing pro bono legal assistance to to low-income individuals through community legal clinics, community education, direct representation, and referrals.
Heather (she/her/hers) can be reached at hjhulit@berneylaw.com
Job Titles:
- PARTNER
- Partner at Berney & Sang
Jennifer is a partner at Berney & Sang. She focuses her practice in the areas of education law, civil rights, and employment discrimination. Jennifer earned her Juris Doctor from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2008, where she served as a Notes & Comments Editor of the Temple Journal of Science, Technology & Environmental Law.
Prior to joining the Law Offices of David J. Berney, P.C., Jennifer served as a fellow for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA where she participated in constitutional litigation.
Megan is of counsel to Berney & Sang. where she assists the firm in the areas of education law and civil rights. Megan earned her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law in 2002 where she graduated cum laude.
Megan has over ten years of experience as a civil legal services attorney, practicing in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and Massachusetts. She has worked primarily in the areas of education, civil rights, family, housing, and public benefits law.
Job Titles:
- ASSOCIATE
- & Sang As an Associate
Michael joined Berney & Sang as an associate in 2020. He assists the firm in education and employment matters.
Michael earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2019. During his time in law school, Michael served as an editor for the Journal of Law and Social Change and a law clerk for various public defender offices. After graduating, he served as a legal fellow with Juvenile Law Center as a member of its Economic Justice Team. Michael's work focused primarily on challenging the imposition of court fees and fines on youth and parents in the juvenile legal system.
Michael (he/him/his) can be reached at mljoseph@berneylaw.com
Rachel is of counsel with Berney & Sang, where she focuses on education law matters. She also teaches at Villanova University Law School as an adjunct professor in trial advocacy. Rachel has over ten years of experience practicing criminal law and is licensed in Pennsylvania and New York. Before joining Berney & Sang, Rachel worked as an attorney in the Criminal Defense Division of The Legal Aid Society in New York City. Prior to that, she worked at a leading litigation firm in Manhattan, specializing in white collar criminal defense and appellate matters. Rachel received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College, and her Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.
Job Titles:
- ASSOCIATE
- & Sang As an Associate
Robin joined Berney & Sang as an associate in 2019. He focuses on appeals, education law, and employment law.
Robin joined Berney & Sang as an associate in 2019. He focuses on federal appeals, education law, and employment law.
Robin earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and his Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2014. During his time in law school, Robin served as an Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. After graduating, he practiced as a legal fellow at the Vera Institute of Justice, before working for two years at the Laura and John Arnold Foundation as a Manager for Results-Driven Government. Robin served as a law clerk to the Honorable Cathy Bissoon of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 2017 to 2019.
In his free time, Robin engages with local politics in Philadelphia, supporting candidates who seek to build a just and equitable society. He has published an article in the Harvard Law and Policy Review on policing protests and plans to continue writing on topics at the intersection of law and public policy.
Robin (he/him/his) can be reached at rdlipp@berneylaw.com.
Vanita is of counsel with Berney & Sang. She assists the firm in education and appellate matters. Vanita earned her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2006, where she served as Student Director for the Representing Children Worldwide project and the Advocacy for Children and Youth clinic, was Case Studies Editor and Articles Editor the Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics, and served as Co-Chair for the Workers' Rights Project.
In addition to advocacy for children and youth, Vanita has been active in international human rights work. She has been involved in prosecuting senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, worked on transitional justice, post-genocide reconciliation, and land conflict in Burundi, Rwanda, and DR Congo, provided legislative design assistance to Congressional members of the Philippines, and assisted in the prosecution of Filipino Supreme Court Chief Justice Corona. She also has worked on developing affordable housing, providing financial access to low-income and minority families, and stabilizing communities in the wake of the foreclosure crisis in the United States.
Vanita (she/her/hers) can be reached at vrkalra@berneylaw.com
Vanita is of counsel with Berney & Sang. where she assists the firm in the areas of education law, civil rights, and employment discrimination. Vanita earned her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2006, where she served as Student Director for the Representing Children Worldwide project and the Advocacy for Children and Youth clinic, was Case Studies Editor and Articles Editor the Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics, and served as Co-Chair for the Workers' Rights Project.