BLOG
South Carolina Bar Foundation honors Sue Berkowitz with statewide DuRant Distinguished Public Service Award
Date: November 28, 2018
The South Carolina Bar Foundation is proud to announce that Sue Berkowitz, director of South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, has been selected as the 2018 DuRant Distinguished Public Service Award recipient for meritorious service to the law and community.
The DuRant Distinguished Public Service Award was established in 1980 in memory of Charlton DuRant. Mr. DuRant was a well-known Manning attorney who served as state senator and special associate justice of the SC Supreme Court. This award is one of the most prestigious statewide honors that members of the Bar can bestow on a fellow attorney. Recipients are nominated by their professional peers and selected by the South Carolina Bar Foundation Board.
As director of South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, Ms. Berkowitz focuses on health, welfare, children, hunger and consumer issues. She earned her Juris Doctor from Western New England School of Law and her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Carolina.
Ms. Berkowitz has worked on the passage of numerous pieces of legislation, including the Small Loan Act of 1995, the Family Independence Act of 1995, the High Cost and Consumer Home Loan Act of 2003, the eligibility increase for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (2007), SC Identity Theft Act (2008), Payday Lending Act (2009) and Unemployment Modernization (2010). Sue continues to work with a number of state agencies on the policy issues that impact the low-income community.
“Most people, upon accomplishing 10% of what Sue has accomplished so far in life, would be content to call it a great career in helping others. She has made life better for thousands of South Carolinians in the areas of foster care, justice reform, consumer protection, transportation, homelessness and others. She is comfortable working with legislators, business people, advocates and dog lovers. She has set a high standard for future DuRant Award winners to follow,” said George Cauthen, a member of the South Carolina Bar Foundation Board of Directors and previous DuRant Award recipient.
Ms. Berkowitz has previously been awarded the Order of Palmetto, the SC Commission on Women’s Woman of Achievement Award, USC School of Law Order of the Coif and the NAACP President’s Award for her work on predatory lending and poverty issues. Ms. Berkowitz lives in Columbia, South Carolina with her husband, Harrison Palmer and they have two adult sons.
