Berks County Bar Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231489314
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Reading, PA, USA
Phone
6103754591
Rating confidence
Limited

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$977,772
Expenses
$901,871
Assets
$4,420,090
Liabilities
$137,899

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KAREN H COOK ESQ (PRESIDENT)
  • DANIEL C NEVINS ESQ (PRESIDENT - ELECT)
  • PETER F SCHUCHMAN JR ESQ (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • GABRIELA G RAFUL ESQ (IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT)
  • GREGORY E SCOTT ESQ (PRESIDENT OF YLS)
  • KORI WALTER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KORI WALTER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $147,151 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of the berks county bar association is to support the legal profession by promoting professional excellence, encouraging collegiality and exercising advocacy on its behalf. The association also strives to support the community by publishing the berks county law journal, providing educational programs for the public, assuring access to justice and protecting the integrity of the legal system in berks county.

What it reported doing in 2024

Programs offered to the members included in person and remote continuing legal education seminars at no or reduced cost, lawyer referral service, client dispute resolution, a bench-bar conference allowing for dialogue between judges and attorneys, berks county law journal, social events to encourage collegiality and networking, pro bono service opportunities, providing pertinent information to members via the association's website, on tap weekly e-mail blast, twitter, facebook, instagram and the berks barrister magazine, advocacy with public officials and with the general, public through local media and paid media.see additional information on schedule o. Programs for the public include, coordinating the county mock trial competition and law day luncheon program including a multimedia competition for 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders. In addition, the bar association offered a court interpreter training program to increase the number of certified and qualified interpreters available to the berks county court of common pleas and magisterial district courts. The bar association also has encouraged members to provide pro bono service assistance with individuals seeking pardons from the Pennsylvania board of pardons and expungements of minor criminal convictions to improve opportunities for employment and housing; a wills for heroes program offering free estate planning services to veterans, firefighters, police and other first responders; an eviction prevention program administered by midpenn legal services; and a citizenship clinic where attorneys assist individuals seeking to become naturalized citizens. In addition, attorneys are encouraged to volunteer to assist seniors with estate planning documents through berks encore and to volunteer as bankruptcy conciliators and for the berks county mortgage foreclosure diversion program aimed at allowing homeowners to avoid foreclosures. Pro bono representation is available for those individuals who qualify. For those whose income is less than 200% of federal poverty guidelines, but greater than 125%, modest means representation is available in several practice areas of law, expanding access to justice for lower income individuals. We served more than 500 active members and hundreds of berks county residents received legal assistance because of our efforts.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 91% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 61
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.8%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.9; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.3%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: -4.1% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $902K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $147K · 14 people listed
  • Consistency: 15 of 15 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 57/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.