About Nancy A.
Nancy A. Berté’s career bridges two fields that rarely sit together on a résumé: anthropology and law. She earned a Ph.D. in anthropology from Northwestern University in 1983, later returned to study law at Chicago-Kent College of Law and received her J.D. in 1993. She also holds an M.A. in anthropology from Pennsylvania State University, completed in 1997, and an undergraduate degree in anthropology from Pennsylvania State University earned in the early 1970s. The combination of deep academic study and legal training informs the way she approaches cases and clients.
After law school Berté served as a law clerk in 1993 for Judge R. Pallmeyer at the Federal District Court of Illinois. That clerkship was followed by a position in the State’s Lawyers Office in Chicago, where she worked as an Assistant State’s Lawyer in 1994. The early years of her legal practice gave her courtroom exposure and experience with the procedures of state and federal systems.
In 1995 she joined Kemspter & Lenz Calvo, Ltd as an associate attorney. Two years later she opened her own practice. Since 1997 she has operated the Law Office of Nancy A. Berté. Running a solo practice required shifting from the staff role she held earlier to managing client intake, case strategy and the day-to-day operations of a small firm.
Berté is admitted to practice in Illinois and before the Federal Circuit. She has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 1995, which reflects a sustained interest in immigration issues over the decades of her practice. That membership, together with her federal admissions, means she is positioned to handle matters that cross administrative agencies and federal courts.
Her background in anthropology appears in how she frames problems and prepares testimony. She often emphasizes context and source material in written submissions and hearings. Colleagues and clients have noted that her academic training complements the technical demands of federal filings and appellate work. She has moved between trial-level matters and filings that require an understanding of appellate procedure.
Berté maintains a solo office in Illinois where she represents clients in immigration-related matters and handles filings in federal court when cases require it. She continues to practice through the Law Office of Nancy A. Berté, focusing on immigration cases and federal court filings.
