Celebrating Chapter Award Winners
- Sarah Fix
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
By Sarah Fix*
The FBA celebrates our amazing Chapter Award winners: Erin Dimbleby, the Criminal Justice Act Panel, and the Hon. Michael S. Berg. Read on to learn more about these formidable members of our community.
Outstanding Advocate Award: Erin Dimbleby
The Outstanding Advocate Award recognizes an attorney in any practice area, public or private, who has demonstrated outstanding advocacy and legal expertise while maintaining professionalism and civility over the course of their career. Eligibility for the award is based on the attorney’s legal work and contributions to the legal profession or the justice system.
Erin Dimbleby is an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and currently serves as a Senior Litigation Counsel for the Southern District of California. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2023, Erin was the law clerk to Chief Administrative Law Judge John J. Mulrooney, II, in the Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice, from 2020 to 2023. Erin also served for two years as a judicial law clerk for the San Diego Immigration Court, Executive Office for Immigration Review, Department of Justice. She is a graduate of the University of California, Riverside (B.S. anthropology), and graduated summa cum laude from California Western School of Law.
Erin’s work in the Civil Division has included a significant focus on immigration-related habeas litigation. In the Southern District of California, habeas filings rose sharply over the past year, rising from a handful filed in previous years to over 100 filed routinely in a single week. During this period of increased volume, Erin has led the charge on the office’s immigration habeas matters.
Despite the unprecedented surge in filings, Erin has consistently emphasized the importance of individualized review in each case, noting that “behind every petition is a human being, and every case is important.” To manage the increased workload, Erin has worked endlessly to maintain a good relationship with members of the private immigration bar, agencies, and the Court. When asked how she deals with the demands of a caseload that is unprecedented in both substance and volume, Erin credited the collaborative efforts of attorneys and staff across the Civil Division who have stepped outside their comfort zones to meet the need. And even amid this surge, Erin continues to manage a wide range of other significant civil matters on behalf of the United States.
Through her advocacy, professionalism, and leadership in a rapidly expanding and demanding area of practice, Erin Dimbleby exemplifies the qualities recognized by the Outstanding Advocate Award. The San Diego Federal Bar Association is pleased to recognize her with this year’s Outstanding Advocate Award for her outstanding advocacy, legal skill, and commitment to the fair and effective administration of justice.
Distinguished Service Award: Criminal Justice Act Panel
The Distinguished Service Award recognizes distinguished service to the San Diego
and Imperial County communities by an attorney, law firm, or organization. The award recognizes service to the legal profession, service to the local community, and service advancing education, equality, diversity, inclusion, and access to justice.
The Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel for the Southern District of California provides essential indigent defense representation in federal criminal proceedings throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties. Panel attorneys are appointed by the Court based on experience, skill, and a demonstrated commitment to high-quality criminal defense work. The Panel is composed largely of solo practitioners who maintain their own practices while accepting appointed cases at rates significantly lower than those available through privately retained clients.
During 2025, CJA Panel attorneys faced an unprecedented funding disruption when
Judiciary voucher payments ceased due to a lapse in appropriated funding. Although attorneys were initially informed that funding would be exhausted on July 15, payments instead stopped on July 3. What followed was a more than four-month lapse in payment, with funds not resuming until mid-November.
As CJA Panel Chair Adam Doyle noted, this disruption had an especially heavy impact in the Southern District of California, where, unlike many other districts, appointed work often constitutes a majority of a panel attorney’s caseload and primary source of income. Many panel attorneys were forced to take on debt or seek additional work to meet basic obligations. A mid-crisis survey found that nearly eighty percent of panelists reported relying on savings or retirement funds to pay bills and sustain their practice.
Despite these challenges, CJA Panel attorneys continued to provide zealous and effective representation to indigent defendants in complex federal cases. Even as criminal filings in 2025 increased nearly 40 percent over the prior year, the overwhelming majority of panel members continued to accept new appointments, and every panel member continued working on existing cases. Many also participated in outreach efforts to advocate for restoration of funding.
Longtime panel member Jeremy Warren, who has served for 25 years, described the work as a “very pure practice of law,” noting that panel attorneys are motivated less by compensation than by the opportunity to appear in court and assist clients through some of the most difficult moments of their lives. He emphasized that CJA
representation brings an important perspective to indigent defense, as private attorneys often approach cases with different backgrounds and experiences that strengthen the quality of representation in the district.
Reflecting on the core value of the work, Jeremy noted that many clients are good
people who have made mistakes due to difficult life circumstances, and described the most rewarding aspect of CJA service as seeing clients’ appreciation in knowing that someone had fought for them. On a broader level, he underscored the constitutional importance of the work, emphasizing that “everyone deserves constitutional protections regardless of what country you’re from or how much money you have.”
Through a period of sustained financial hardship and uncertainty, the CJA Defense Panel demonstrated unwavering commitment to the principles underlying the right to counsel and the fair administration of justice. The San Diego Federal Bar Association is honored to recognize the Criminal Justice Act Defense Panel for the Southern District of California with this year’s Distinguished Service Award for its outstanding service to the legal profession and the community.
Judicial Service Award: The Honorable Michael S. Berg
The Judicial Service Award recognizes an exemplary federal jurist who has provided outstanding service to the bench, the Federal Bar Association, and the federal community at large while promoting professionalism and civility. The recipient of the Judicial Service Award is further committed to improving access to the federal courts and upholding the rule of law.
Magistrate Judge Michael S. Berg serves as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of California. Judge Berg grew up in a small town in South Dakota and attended college there before making the decision to move to San Diego for law school. After graduating, he devoted his career to criminal defense, ultimately representing clients in some of the most significant and high-profile criminal cases in the Southern District of California, including the first-ever death penalty case filed in the district. Throughout his nearly 4 decades in practice, Judge Berg was driven by a desire to help people facing difficult circumstances and to make a meaningful difference in their lives.
Judge Berg did not originally set out to become a judge. However, following the passing of his close friend and fellow Magistrate Judge David Bartick, he was inspired to apply for the position on the federal bench. Since his appointment in 2018, Judge Berg has become widely recognized for his distinctive presence in the courtroom and his deep commitment to treating all individuals who appear before him with dignity and humanity. Known for his approachable style, he often plays music in his courtroom and maintains a consistently positive and grounded demeanor that puts counsel and litigants at ease while preserving the seriousness of the proceedings. Judge Berg is also known for his extraordinary ability to connect with people, frequently remembering names and taking the time to engage with those who appear before him.
Now approaching the end of his eight-year term, Judge Berg is regarded throughout the Southern District of California as a beloved and respected member of the bench whose presence has left a lasting impact on the legal community. Judge Berg serves as a reminder to legal practitioners not to take themselves too seriously while never losing sight of the importance of their work.
Through his judicial service, humanity, and unwavering commitment to the fair administration of justice, Magistrate Judge Michael S. Berg has embodied the values of the Judicial Service Award. The San Diego Federal Bar Association is proud to recognize him with this year’s Judicial Service Award for his outstanding service to the bench, the Federal Bar Association, and the federal legal community.
