What’s your side-gig? All of our Birmingham Bar Association members are so much more than lawyers. Your lives are filled with family, friends, clients and community service, but you also have a variety of hobbies, talents and interests. Many of you could make a living in an alternate career such as restaurant critic, baker, artist, athlete, musician or stock trader. The members featured here have busy, successful legal practices but also find time to pursue other interests that they are passionate about. Ed Berry
MY MUSIC CAREER HAS COMPLIMENTED MY LEGAL CAREER What started as a kid in the basement bathroom squeaking on a sax has turned into a 35-year pursuit of music. I’ve been blessed over the years to play in many bands in the Birmingham area and to study with many great jazz musicians of the late 20th century from Alabama. Through apprenticeships with them, I grew musically to compose and record several albums of my own, including “David and Goliath,” which can be purchased on iTunes under Edward J. Berry and Harmony. I initially thought that law and jazz were polar opposites, but I have found over my career that the improvisational spirit of jazz is a great complement to law. Always be prepared, but, when you don't know what to do, improvise!
Neena Speer
REALIZING A CHILDHOOD GOAL OF STARTING A NONPROFIT TO HELP KIDS Step 1-2-3 Mentor for Life Initiative, a nonprofit mentoring program that I founded and lead, provides business skills, academic resources and extracurricular activities for K-12 students. I drafted the Step 1-2-3 business mentoring plan when I was just 8 years old and launched the program at age 23 as a 3L at the University of Alabama School of Law. The organization started with field trips with NASA to see “Hidden Figures” and board funding. Only five years later, Step 1-2-3 has obtained funding from sponsors like Magic City Bar Association (2020) and AT&T of Alabama (2021) to support the second annual Step 1-2-3 virtual STEM camp, encouraging low-income families and international students from South Africa to attend to learn about STEM, IP Law and Leadership Skills. I am proud to see my childhood plan become a reality and am eager to see how much Step 1-2-3 Mentor for Life can grow and how many more students our programs can impact.
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BIRMINGHAM BAR BULLETIN
