Judge Carol Scott Berry

The Honorable Carol Scott Berry

CLEO 1982

“I am so sincerely grateful that I had the opportunity to attend CLEO prior to law school. My first day of law school was not as frightening and unfamiliar as it would have been without my attendance in CLEO because it gave me some familiarity with reading, analyzing cases, and the Socratic Method. I also received a scholarship every year of law school which was extremely necessary and beneficial. I am thankful for the CLEO opportunity which added tremendously to my success.”



The Honorable Carol Scott Berry is a Judge of the Phoenix Municipal Court where she has served full time since April of 2001. A native of Los Angeles, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California in 1982 and a juris doctorate from Arizona State University in 1985. Upon graduation she began her public service career serving in the Arizona State Senate, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office. Prior to her full time judicial appointment, she operated Berry Law Offices with a focus on probate and trust law and served as Judge Pro Tem in both Phoenix Municipal Court and Chandler Municipal Court.

Judge Berry is very active in the legal community and the community at large. She currently serves on the Arizona Supreme Court Committee on the Impact of Domestic Violence and the Courts and the Phoenix Municipal Court Judicial Policies and Procedures Committee. She is an active member of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, the Alumni Associations of both the University of Southern California and Arizona State University. She has served on the Executive Boards of the State Bar Public Lawyer Committee, Black Bar Association (formerly H.B. Daniels Bar Association), Phoenix Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, State Bar Young Lawyers Committee, Black Women’s Task Force, and Community Legal Services. Judge Berry was the recipient of the annual Alpha Phi Alpha Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund Award in 2005 for her community service activities.

Judge Berry is a member of numerous civic and professional organizations including the American Judges Association, Arizona Women Lawyers Association, Arizona Black Bar Association and Substitute Teaching Leader in Bible Study Fellowship International. She participates in various community activities speaking to elementary school, high school, college and law students, judging mock trials, seminar speaking, and other activities to motivate and encourage young adults to enter the legal profession.

Judge Berry is married to Virgil (Jackie) Berry, Jr. They are the proud parents of two children; Jacquelyn Grace Berry and Virgil J. Berry, III (L.J.)