In an effort to continue to expand its mortgage foreclosure legal services and help meet the growing needs in the community, Attorney Gale D. Berg of Port Washington has been named the Director of Pro Bono Attorney Activities at the Nassau County Bar Association, the largest suburban bar association in the country.

In this new part-time position, which was funded by a grant from the Office of Court Administration, Berg will focus on NCBA's extraordinary pro bono, or free, efforts to help residents facing mortgage foreclosure issues. She will oversee the NCBA's award-winning Mortgage Foreclosure Legal Consultation Clinics, which provide free one-on-one legal guidance to Nassau residents caught in the growing mortgage foreclosure crisis. She will also work closely with the Courts to provide pro bono legal representation for homeowners at court mandated mortgage foreclosure settlement conferences.

"This exciting development will allow the Courts and the Bar Association to work together more closely on issues relating to mortgage foreclosure, as well as credit counseling and housing/landlord and tenant issues," NCBA President Emily F. Franchina said. "We anticipate that Gale will further develop and maintain relationships with our other community pro bono organizations, such as Nassau/Suffolk Law Services, strengthening services to unrepresented litigants in Nassau County."

Mortgage Foreclosure Pro Bono Project Chair Martha Krisel noted, "We have an incredible amount of support from the legal community to help residents in this unprecedented, and unfortunately, growing crisis. To date, more than 175 attorneys have stepped forward to receive training, provide guidance and represent homeowners in court, providing a valuable and much-needed service."

A practicing attorney for more than 30 years in public and private sectors, Berg's law practice focuses on real estate and litigation. She most recently served as the chief prosecutor and general counsel to the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency. Previously, she was the assistant counsel to the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, and an Assistant Attorney General in the NYS Attorney General's Office, Department of Law Litigation Division. She received her J.D. degree from Vermont Law School, and her BS degree from American University.

Berg is actively involved in the Nassau County Bar Association. She recently stepped down from her position as a Director on the NCBA Board of Directors to accept this position. She still serves as the chair of the Community Relations and Public Education Committee, is on the board of the Nassau Academy of Law, the educational arm of the Bar, and serves as a judge for NCBA's Moot Court and Mock Trial programs. In addition, she is the corresponding secretary for the Women's Bar Association, a member of the Theodore Roosevelt Inns of Courts and is an adjunct professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at C.W. Post.