DC Bar Pro Bono Center: Advice and Referral Clinic (May 2025)

Trying to find a way to fit pro bono service into your schedule? Join us for a rewarding day of service, where your skills can make a significant difference in the lives of those seeking legal guidance and support! Volunteer on Saturday, May 18th to gain experience in serving the D.C. community in a variety of matters! At the clinic, you'll provide brief advice (and referrals) to people who otherwise wouldn't have access to legal help. We meet at DC Bar Office, 901 4th St NW, Washington, DC 20001. Street parking is available. Please arrive at 9:00 am, a brief orientation takes place at 9:15 am, and volunteers are asked to stay until the last client is seen, usually at least 3:00 pm. There's no time commitment beyond the clinic itself. As a volunteer attorney, you'll answer questions about consumer law, family law, housing law, public benefits, bankruptcy, and other topics. You don't need to be an expert in these areas of law: D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center staff and expert mentors will be on hand to help. You do need to be a member of the D.C. Bar, or a federal government attorney barred in another state to participate. The deadline to volunteer is Friday, May 9 by 5:00 pm ET. Once you register to attend, our Program Director and volunteer coordinator, Chris Marin, will be in touch with additional details. We are currently looking for volunteers in private practice, including solo practitioners and those at firms. If you are currently in a government position and would like to volunteer please contact Lara Eilhardt at Lara.Eilhardt@usdoj.gov. If you are currently a law student and would like to volunteer please contact Rachel Lawrence at lawrencera@cua.edu. Thank you!

Graphic: Summer Forum

Summer Pro Bono & Public Interest Forum (2025)

Our 2025 Summer Forum features keynote speaker Jamie Raskin, who represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Raskin was sworn into his fourth Term at the start of the 118th Congress on January 6, 2023. Rep. Raskin was chosen by the Democratic Caucus to be the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability in the 118th Congress. This is his fourth term serving on the Oversight Committee. Congressman Raskin will discuss his public-interest career, the importance of the rule of law, and the vital role pro bono volunteers and public-interest lawyers play in equitable access to justice. After the keynote remarks, we’ll offer a tasty lunch and a selection of breakout sessions where you can learn more about pro bono and public-interest work in DC and across the country. In session one, you can choose from Civil Rights & Civil Liberties or Poverty Law. Session two includes Criminal Law & Death Penalty or Immigration & Human Rights. We're also offering two virtual panels on Tuesday, July 15 and Tuesday, July 22 at noon. Separate registration for those panels will be available soon. Registrants for the Summer Forum can attend these sessions for free. The Summer Forum is open to Washington Council of Lawyers members (join), participants in summer-associate and summer-intern programs, and others interested in learning more about practicing law to benefit those in need. This event is a tradition for many summer programs because it highlights the value of incorporating pro bono or public-interest work into future legal careers. Early-bird pricing is available until June 1. There are also discounts for Washington Council of Lawyers members (join) to take advantage of member pricing. Finally, 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); email our Executive Director, Christina Jackson (cjackson@wclawyers.org) if you need assistance or need bulk registration. As we're fully back in person only, we expect this event to sell out. Get your tickets early!

2025 D.C. Bar Candidate Endorsements

The leadership of the D.C. Bar sets the priorities for the largest unified bar association in the country. The D.C. Bar President, Treasurer, and Board of Governors review and approve D.C. Bar policies, approve the annual budget for the Bar and the Bar Pro Bono Center, decide which committee and task force recommendations to pursue, set governance for the Bar, and much more. Washington Council of Lawyers believes effective Bar leadership will have experience in service to the legal community, have leadership experience with the D.C. Bar, D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, or voluntary bars and be able to provide strategic guidance to contribute to the Bar’s future.

Graphic: Access in Action Series: Second Chance Amendment Act in Practice

Access in Action: Second Chance Amendment Act in Practice

The District of Columbia's Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022 simplifies the process for record sealing, expands eligibility, and introduces automatic record-sealing to promote successful reintegration into the community of formerly incarcerated individuals. Although passed in 2022, the Act never received the necessary funding and did not take full effect until recently. The law’s provisions will take effect over time, with the changes to eligibility and simplifications already effective on March 1, 2025. The District has until October 2027 to enact the automatic record-sealing process.    The benefits of the Act are far-reaching. This provision will enable thousands of DC residents to apply for employment, housing, education, and other benefits previously closed to them. Expanded eligibility means thousands more DC residents can seek sealing or expungement of their records. The sealed or expunged records are also not searchable by the public. Join our esteemed panelists for a discussion of the impact of the Act, how it works, and how you can use it to benefit your clients. Jacob Lemon-Strauss, Director, Expungement and Respondent Representation Programs at Rising for Justice Patrice Sulton, Executive Director of the DC Justice Lab Gwen Washington, Pro Bono Attorney for Cleary Gottlieb, will moderate our discussion. This discussion is free to attend, but pre-registration is required. 

Washington Council of Lawyers Statement against attacks on the rule of law.

Washington Council of Lawyers Stands Against Attacks on the Rule of Law

As the pro bono and public-interest bar association of Washington, DC, the Washington Council of Lawyers’ core tenet is that the legal system should treat everyone fairly regardless of money, position, or power. We continue to fight against the challenges to this core principle from the administration, elected officials, and other actors.

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