1987 Lincoln County High School alumni Matthew Mayberry, Ph.D., has devoted a significant part of his career to children’s educational and legal needs. After serving in the military for six years, Mayberry was a teacher in the Georgia public schools and then went to law school. A law student he University of LaVerne College of Law in Ontario, California, Mayberry will graduate in 2007. He says after passing the Georgia bar he will represent clients in the areas of criminal and juvenile defense, domestic relations, wills and administration of estates, bankruptcy, and guardianships.
Dr. Mayberry previously served with the Pomona Self-Help Legal Access Center in Pomona, California, where he assisted litigants in divorce and child custody cases.
He has also worked at the Disability Rights Legal Center in San Bernardino, California, where he represented and advocated for disabled children at educational and administrative hearings. Dr. Mayberry is an expert in child and family relations matters who, in addition to his legal work and having been a teacher in the Georgia public schools, also holds a Ph.D. in elementary and secondary educational administration from Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“A child custody case comes down to what is in the best interests of the child. Having been involved with both children, parents and grandparents in Georgia’s schools, I have a unique perspective on what is in the child’s best interest and am able to advocate strongly from that viewpoint,” Dr. Mayberry said.
During his years at Lincoln County High School, Mayberry was best known for his involvement in the local community and in state-wide political activities. He was the State Community Relations Director for the Young Democrats of Georgia, and was the youngest member of the Georgia Democratic Party state committee (perhaps the youngest person ever to have served in that position, having been elected just three days after reaching the voting age of 18). He was profiled in the Augusta Herald in 1985 (his sophomore year of high school) because of his work with the presidential campaign of Walter Mondale and with the Young Democrats of Georgia.
Dr. Mayberry also holds an Ed.S. in Adult Education from the University of Georgia, Master of Public Administration from Valdosta State University, and B.S. in Consumer Journalism from the University of Georgia. He completed his teacher certification coursework at Paine College in Augusta.
Dr. Mayberry also took post-graduate courses in counselor education from Augusta State University. He served as a counselor intern at Merriwether Elementary School in Edgefield, South Carolina, and counselor intern at the Army Substance Abuse Program at Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon, Georgia. He also completed post-graduate coursework in special education and school psychology at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia.
Dr. Mayberry has been published in prominent national scholarly publications and books on the subjects of child counseling and drug addictions. He has lectured across the country on the subjects of child abuse prevention and the unique needs of minorities in the counseling environment.
“It is hard to really appreciate what is happening behind the scenes of a criminal or domestic relations case without understanding the mental health issues of the parties. My background in this area enables me to be able to take these problems into consideration and argue effectively for my client,” said Dr. Mayberry.
Dr. Mayberry has been named to Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He is a member of the Gamma Beta Phi academic and service honor society, and also a member of the Chi Sigma Iota counseling academic and professional honor society. While in law school, he received the CALI Award for Excellence in Torts (personal injury), having achieved the highest grade in his class. He also received his law school’s pro bono public service award for his work in the law school’s local community.