Barry Berke PPS’86: Never Liked Sitting on the Sidelines

At Sanford, Barry Berke PPS’86 found several early paths into public life. His time at Duke helped shape how he would serve his country through public service and also enabled him to help create one of Sanford’s most enduring and impactful endeavors: The Hart Leadership Program.

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As an undergraduate, Berke helped plan and prepare for the program’s launch alongside other Sanford students. Forty years later, as Hart celebrates its anniversary, Berke remains connected to Sanford as a member of the Board of Visitors. He returned to campus in 2024 as the Wilson Distinguished Lecture speaker, where he discussed elections, public trust and the fight to preserve the republic.

Berke is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s Litigation Practice Group. His career has included representing clients in high-profile trials and investigations, serving as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during the first impeachment of President Donald Trump and serving as chief impeachment counsel during the 2021 Senate impeachment trial. He is also chair of the board of directors of the Coalition for the Homeless.

Here, Berke reflects on the experiences that shaped him at Sanford, the continuing impact of the Hart Leadership Program and the principles that continue to guide his work.

What impact has Sanford had on your professional and/or personal journey?

During my undergraduate days at Duke, I had a political awakening that helped shape my view of the world and my role in it. I attribute so much of that personal growth and development to my experiences as a public policy major at Sanford. In the classroom, my professors and fellow students helped me appreciate the importance of engaging with the issues of the day and advocating for my beliefs. In addition to what happened in the classroom, through Sanford I also had the opportunity to become involved in political campaigns in the broader community, as well as efforts to affect change in the Duke community.

I recall an instance where a university official had made a controversial comment about a school policy that was viewed as offensive by many. I joined with other Sanford students to rally the student body to change this policy. I recall how quickly t-shirts, buttons and signs with a catchy slogan spread throughout the campus because of our collective actions and how those efforts caused the university leadership to take decisive actions to condemn the comments and change the policy.

In other words, Sanford taught me to not stay on the sidelines, but rather to try to make a difference in my local and broader communities.

What does the Hart Leadership Program mean to you? How have you stayed engaged through the years?

One of the experiences that was so meaningful to me during my time at Sanford was being asked by Professor Bruce Payne to spend a semester of my junior year helping plan and prepare for the launch of the Hart Leadership Program, along with other Sanford undergraduate and graduate students. It was a tremendous experience working intensely with great professors and students to focus on the meaning of “leadership” and how the program could inspire students to become effective and successful leaders.

I now serve on the Sanford Board of Visitors and at a recent board meeting I had the opportunity to hear current students in the Hart Leadership Program describe the incredibly meaningful work they are doing in a variety of areas, and the leadership they are exhibiting through those efforts. It was thrilling to hear such amazing stories of the success of the Hart Leadership Program 40 years after participating in its launch.

Why does public policy matter in 2026 and beyond?

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Our country is in the midst of contentious debates about the most important public policy issues of our day from the environment, our electoral system, national and domestic security, criminal justice, personal freedom, AI, competition and so many other critical questions. Our future public policy leaders will help shape the direction of our country in all these areas at a time when there is a lack of consensus on most of them and a need for ideas that help bring people together to best serve our country and the world.

What is the most interesting highlight so far in your career?

I have been very fortunate in my career to get to do things that were so important and rewarding for me - from beginning as a Federal Public Defender to representing clients in high profile trials and cases, including states in contentious elections like in 2020. The experience I get asked about most is my time serving in Washington as counsel for two presidential impeachments. In 2021, I served as Chief Impeachment Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives in the presidential impeachment and trial related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 during the certification of the presidential election results. And in 2019-2020, I served as Special Counsel to the House Judiciary Committee in connection with the investigation, impeachment, and trial of the president. It was a great honor to work with so many extraordinary public servants in service of our country, democracy, and the highest ideals of our founding fathers in creating our system of government.

Terry Sanford implored students to 'stand for something.' What do you stand for?

Since my days at Sanford, I have tried to help bring about change or preserve principles important to me, even if my efforts have not always been successful. Most recently, that has involved standing for the importance of preserving our democratic ideals, the sanctity of our elections, and the independence of our government institutions.

What seeds of change are you planting in your community?

As a long-time New Yorker, I have been honored to serve as the chair of the board of directors for the Coalition for the Homeless for close to 20 years. The organization is committed to reducing homelessness among families, children and individuals in New York City and improving the quality of living for the least fortunate in our community through direct services, advocacy, and litigation. Through these efforts, we try to change people’s perception of the homeless population, highlight how many families and children are among those living in shelters, and encourage greater support for those facing these dire circumstances.