Judge Thomas Berry Lincoln County Judge of Probate Thomas Berry has announced he will seek re-election in the fall of 2008.

Lincoln County Judge of Probate Thomas Berry announced that he will be a candidate for re-election in the fall of 2008. He has served in that position since 1988.

After graduating from the University of Maine Law School, Judge Berry was appointed as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division with primary responsibility for prosecuting homicides. He was then appointed First Assistant District Attorney for Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox and Waldo counties, until entering private law practice in Boothbay Harbor which he currently maintains.

Judge Berry is a member and past president of the Maine Probate Judges Assembly and serves as Continuing Judicial Education Chair for the Assembly. He is a member and Maine State Representative of the National College of Probate Judges. In 1997, he was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Probate Rules by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and was reappointed to two additional terms on the Committee. During his second term, he was appointed Chair of the Committee. He has attended the residential course in Probate Law sponsored by the National Judicial College.

Locally, Judge Berry has served as a director or trustee of the Boothbay Region YMCA, Booth-bay Harbor Memorial Library, Boothbay Region Big Brothers-Big Sisters, St. Andrews Hospital, Boothbay Region Student Aid Fund, Julia Berry Daycare Fund, St. Andrews Free Bed Fund and St. Andrews Retirement Community. He is an Emeritus Trustee of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science in Boothbay Harbor. In 2007, he was recognized by the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the Maine State Bar Association for contributing the highest number of pro bono hours in Lincoln County through the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project.

In November of 2005, the Department of Health and Human Services was awarded a multi-year grant to study guardianships in Maine from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. The grant is directed through the Muskie School of Public Service, Institute for Health Policy at the University of Southern Maine. Judge Berry serves on the committee that is studying the prevention of the unnecessary use of guardianships and encouraging the use of guardianship alternatives.

"People seek guardianships through the probate courts, often for family members who are no longer able to manage their own affairs," Berry said. "But statistics indicate that between the years 2000 and 2030, our population of people over 65 will double from 181,000 to 397,000. Unfortunately, 10 percent of our population over 65 and 50 percent over 85 have Alzheimer's Disease. This is going to break the system unless we are prepared for it. There are alternatives and the need for some guardianships may be avoided with proper planning. We can also be more specific in the guardianships that are granted and limit them only to those aspects absolutely necessary for the health and safety of the person protected."

The committee's work resulted in a presentation before the Maine Probate Judges Assembly at its September of 2007 annual meeting entitled: Encouraging Maximum Self Reliance and Independence of Alleged Inc a pacitated Persons . "I expect that there will be proposals for new legislation as a result of the committee's work under the grant," said Berry.

Judge Berry, wife Stephanie and son William live on Back River Road in Boothbay.