WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF LAWYERS

Join the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia for a discussion of the importance of diversity on the bench and the potential impact of the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court. WBA President Bridget Bailey Lipscomb will moderate the discussion. The outstanding panel of speakers, including: The Honorable Bernice Donald, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals The Honorable Vanessa Ruiz, D.C. Court of Appeals Sophia Nelson, CNN Political & Legal Commentator Tiffany Wright, Director, Civil Rights Clinic, Howard University School of Law Michele Goodwin, Chancellor's Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine School of Law This event is free to attend but pre-registration is required. Washington Council of Lawyers is pleased to co-sponsor this important conversation about diversity and representation on the bench and the legal profession.

IN-PERSON LUNCHEON SOLD OUT! Our Summer Pro Bono & Public Interest Forum is an annual tradition that brings together lawyers, summer associates, summer interns, and others interested in using their law degrees to help those in need. It’s also a great way to highlight the importance of pro bono and public-interest work throughout one’s legal career. We’ll kick off the forum with keynote speaker Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. Attorney-General Clarke is a lifelong civil rights lawyer who has spent her entire career in public service. She has a wealth of legal experience including working as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division, working on voting rights and election law with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, serving as head of the Civil Rights Bureau for the New York State Attorney General’s Office, and as president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.  This conversation will take place in person on Wednesday, June 8 from 12:00 – 2:00 pm ET at Arnold & Porter. Doors open at 11:45 am with lunch from 12:00-1:00 pm and AAG Kristen Clarke’s remarks from 1:00-2:00 pm. A live stream is also available. The first virtual practice-area panel discussion will follow on Thursday, June 9 from 12:00 – 1:15 pm ET. There will be networking time before and after the panel. Then, over the following two weeks, you will have the opportunity to attend the remainder of the virtual panel presentations where you can learn more about pro bono and public-interest work in DC and all across the country. Each panel will focus on a different practice area, featuring presentations by national and local experts in that legal specialty. The panel topics will include: June 9 – Non-Litigation Pro Bono – 12:00-1:15 pm ET June 16 – Poverty Law – 12:00-1:15 pm ET June 16 – Criminal Law & Death Penalty – 1:15-2:30 pm ET June 23 – Civil Rights & Civil Liberties – 12:00-1:15 pm ET June 23 – Immigration & Human Rights – 1:15-2:30 pm ET The Summer Forum is open to Washington Council of Lawyers members (join), participants in summer associate and summer intern programs, lawyers in law firms, government and public-interest organizations, law students, and others interested in learning more about incorporating public-interest law into their practice. You can attend from anywhere! A single registration provides access to all four days of Summer Forum sessions, and recordings of each session will be sent to all registered attendees. The cost is just $35 for WCL Members; $45 for Government & Public-Interest Lawyers, Interns, and Individual Law Students; and $65 for Law Firm Lawyers, Summer Associates, Corporate Law Department Lawyers, and Law Department Interns, and the General Public.  Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within the preceding 24 hours is required for in-person attendance. Masks are also required. Summer Program Coordinators: If you’d like your summer associates or interns to attend, but don’t yet know their names, you can register them as guests (First name: Guest 1, Last Name: Organization Name). Please email Christina Jackson (at cjackson@wclawyers.org) if you need any assistance. Look for updates and join the conversation about the Summer Forum using #SumFo22 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn!

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED Whether in person or virtually, trial advocacy skills are critical to a successful case. The good news is they can be learned. Join us for five jam-packed mornings of Trial Advocacy during the week of Monday, May 2 - Friday, May 6. The training will take place from 9:00 - 11:00 am ET on Monday, from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and from 9:00 - 10:30 am on Friday. View the full training schedule here. We will focus on the four fundamental trial skills: Opening Statements, Direct Examinations, Cross-Examinations, and Closing Arguments.  Each topic will begin with a lecture by an expert trainer and a demonstration by skilled litigators showing how to put the lesson into practice. Then, we will move to small group breakout rooms where each attendee will get up and practice the skill of the day. Breakout room facilitators will offer individualized, constructive feedback to each participant. Attendees should plan to spend some time between each session to prepare for the on-your-feet breakout sessions. Although this year's Trial Advocacy training will take place virtually, it offers the same individualized practice and feedback as our in-person training. It is not a passive Zoom webinar; it will be a cameras-on, interactive training experience. Our fact pattern features a Civil Protection Order case, but you need not know anything about substantive domestic violence law to benefit from the training. For Washington Council of Lawyers members, this comprehensive Trial Advocacy training costs just $115. For non-members, the cost is $215. (Join Washington Council of Lawyers to take advantage of the discounted member rates.) Scholarships are available thanks to the generosity of the D.C. Bar Foundation. To apply for a scholarship, please complete this online scholarship form. CLE credit is pending but not guaranteed in CA, NY, and VA. This session always sells out. Save your seat today!

Join us virtually on May 5, 2022, for a Candidate Forum to hear how candidates for D.C. Attorney General will address access to justice issues if elected to serve the District. All candidates on the June 21 primary ballot have confirmed attendance. Our conversation with the candidates will be moderated by Colby King, columnist for the Washington Post and the deputy editor of the Post's editorial page, and Shelley Broderick, Dean Emerita and Joseph L. Rauh, Jr. Chair of Social Justice at UDC David A. Clarke School of Law. All attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions when they register. We will try to incorporate as many audience questions as possible. You can also tweet questions and comments before or during the forum using the hashtag #DCAGForum22 2022 D.C. Attorney General Candidates (in alphabetical order) Ryan Jones, Esq. www.ryanjonesforag.com       Brian Schwalb, Esq. www.brianfordc.com/       Bruce Spiva, Esq. www.spivafordcag.com       Moderators   Shelley Broderick Dean Emerita and Joseph L. Rauh, Jr. Chair of Social Justice University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law       Colbert King Columnist and Deputy Editor of the Editorial Page Washington Post     We are grateful to the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law for hosting our discussion. Thank you to our co-sponsors ACLU-DC, American Constitution Society DC, Council for Court Excellence*, DC Access to Justice Commission, D.C. Bar D.C. Affairs Community, D.C. Bar Antitrust/Consumer Affairs Community, DC Consortium of Legal Service Providers, DC Guaranteed Income Coalition, DC Justice Lab, Greater Washington Area Chapter, Women Lawyers Division, National Bar Association, Inter-American Bar Association and the Inter-American Bar Association DC Chapter, Neighborhood Legal Services Program, Mother's Outreach Network, Tzedek DC, and Washington Bar Association, Inc. *Please note that candidate Brian Schwalb is a member of Council for Court Excellence's Board of Directors, where he serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Nominations Committee. As a long-standing organizational policy, CCE does not make endorsements or issue statements of support in this or any other campaign.  

Presented by: WBADC, Energy and Environmental Law Forum The Biden Administration has strongly focused on mitigating climate change and improving air quality in overburdened communities. What role can enforcement of the Clean Air Act (CAA) play in meeting these twin goals? Mary Greene, the new Director of EPA's powerful Air Enforcement Division, will speak to enforcement priorities, policies, and the role of enforcement in creating clear and enforceable EPA rules. Ms. Greene will be joined by panelists from the Department of Justice, the private sector, and a prominent CAA-focused NGO. Don't miss the opportunity for this discussion of the future of air pollution enforcement. and how new priorities can impact climate change and environmental justice communities. We are pleased to join D.C. Bar EENR Community and the American Bar Association SEER in co-sponsoring this discussion.  As a co-sponsoring organization, Washington Council of Lawyers members can register at the member rate. Please email Christina Jackson at cjackson@wclawyers.org for the registration code.

Impeachment is a critical - but difficult - skill for trial lawyers to master. An effective impeachment can make your case. A botched impeachment can destroy it. Learn both the mechanics and strategies for impeaching witnesses from expert trial lawyers Mary Kennedy and Katherine Oler at this popular Litigation Skills Series CLE training. The course will begin with a lively presentation and top-notch demonstration and end with the opportunity to get on your feet and practice what you have learned. Mary Kennedy is the Training Counsel at Arnold & Porter. She brings decades of experience litigating trials in D.C. Superior Court and numerous hours of teaching Litigation Skills trainings. She was named a Top Lawyer in criminal defense by Washingtonian in 2018. Kate Oler is a Special Master at the Court of Federal Claims. Prior to her appointment to the Court, she served as an Air Force Judge Advocate where she primarily worked in the criminal litigation area. She has held positions as a first-chair felon prosecutor, a defense attorney, and a trial judge. She also brings many years of trial advocacy teaching experience. CLE credit is approved for CA (2.0 General), NJ (2.0 General), and NY (2.0 Skills). VA is pending. Reciprocal credit may be available in other jurisdictions. Scholarships are available due to the generosity of the D.C. Bar Foundation. To apply for a scholarship, please complete this online scholarship form. Space is limited, so register today!