About Sharon
Sharon Barney earned her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law after completing a B.A. in English at the University of Rochester. Her academic record combines humanities training with professional legal education. That background shaped an early interest in public-interest law and services for people facing housing, family, and immigration challenges.
Her practice path has been steady and varied. She served as a staff lawyer at the Centre County Women’s Resource Center in 2011, working directly with clients on matters that often intersected with family and safety issues. In 2013 she worked as a lawyer for the International Institute of New England, a post that exposed her to immigration-related cases and the needs of recent arrivals. In 2014 she opened the Law Office of Sharon Barney and also began offering pro bono help through MidPenn Legal Services. In 2016 she took a counsel role at Leech Tishman. Those roles reflect a mix of nonprofit and private-practice experience.
Barney maintains active ties to professional and community organizations. She has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 2013 and belongs to the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Centre County Bar Association. She is also involved in local groups such as Community Diversity Group and volunteers with Global Connections. For one year she served on the board of the Peaceful Hearts Foundation. Her ongoing pro bono work and community volunteering are consistent with years spent in legal aid and service-oriented practices.
Her caseload has included immigration matters and civil legal assistance for low-income clients, often where immigration issues overlap with family law and survivors’ services. She has handled direct client representation, clinic work, and case management in both nonprofit and private settings. In recent years she has split time between her own practice activities and roles that connect her to a regional law firm. She practices in Pennsylvania and continues to provide both paid representation and pro bono legal services, particularly in immigration and civil legal aid matters.
