L-R: Laury Schmidt, Hon. Mabel Johnson Mayfield, Mary Spiegel

Most Recent Winner: Hon. Mabel Johnson Mayfield (2018)

This award is given periodically to a member of the Berrien County Bar Association who has demonstrated a commitment to give back through community service. The award is given in memory of the late Francis A. “Mike” Jones, (1935-1995), a St. Joseph attorney who exemplified the ideal of a public-spirited lawyer.

L-R: Nate Harrington, Deb Bennett Berecz, Ellen Moore, Hon. Donna Howard

Most Recent Winner: Specialty Courts Manager Ellen Moore (2025)

The Liberty Bell Award was created by the American Bar Association over 40 years ago to acknowledge outstanding community service. The award is periodically presented by the Berrien County Bar Association to honor outstanding performance by a nonlawyer citizen who has given his or her time and energy to strengthen the effectiveness of the American system of freedom under law in keeping with the spirit of our constitution. The Berrien County Bar Association also considers whether the citizen has promoted a better understanding of the rule of law, encouraged greater respect for the law and the court, stimulated a sense of civic responsibility, or contributed to good government in the community.