When we say pro bono, many think of assisting litigants through navigating the many ins and out of the court system, but that’s not the only place our legal system asks non-lawyers to have an understanding of the law. There are many opportunities for pro bono representation in transactional matters. From setting up businesses to providing tax advice, knowing the right forms and how to fill them out can make all the difference. Trained lawyers can draft wills for veterans, navigate uncontested divorce proceedings, research novel issues, and much more. If you want to support your community but hope to stay out of the courtroom, this is the panel for you!

Learn more about the impactful opportunities to get involved at our first substantive panel discussion on Wednesday, June 26 from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm ET. Register here to join the virtual conversation.

Susie Hoffman will moderate the Non-Litigation Pro Bono panel. Susie is the Public Service Partner at Crowell & Moring, where she promotes, supervises, and participates in the pro bono work performed by the firm’s attorneys. Susie is also a past D.C. Bar President and has spent a lifetime building great familiarity with transactional pro bono opportunities and decades of experience in guiding partners and associates to connect with all kinds of meaningful pro bono work.

And here’s a little more about our panelists:

Antonia Fasanelli became the Executive Director of the National Homelessness Law Center in April 2021.  Previously, she was Executive Director of the Homeless Persons Representation Project, Inc. (HPRP), a Maryland-based civil legal aid organization committed to changing the systems that contribute to poverty and homelessness.  Prior to joining HPRP, Ms. Fasanelli was an attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless where she led the Affordable Housing Initiative (AHI).

From 2011-2014, Ms. Fasanelli was Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Homelessness & Poverty, of which she had been a Commissioner since July 2009.  She is currently co-Chair of the Economic Justice Committee of the ABA Section on Civil Rights and Social Justice and was previously Chair of the Legal Services Committee for the ABA Commission on Veterans Legal Services.  From November 2010 to June 2014, she was a member of the Maryland Court of Appeals Standing Committee on Pro Bono and in 2014, was appointed a member of the Journey Home Board, which oversaw Baltimore City’s 10-year Plan to End Homelessness.

In 2013, Ms. Fasanelli was chosen as a Leading Woman by The Daily Record and in 2011, Ms. Fasanelli was a recipient of the Leadership in Law Award from The Daily Record.  In 2016, Ms. Fasanelli received the Benjamin L. Cardin Distinguished Service Award from the Maryland Legal Services Corporation.

Ms. Fasanelli received her J.D. magna cum laude from the Washington College of Law, American University in 2001 and her B.A. cum laude from Barnard College, Columbia University in 1996.  From 2001 to 2002, Ms. Fasanelli was a law clerk to The Honorable Barefoot Sanders of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.  Prior to law school, Ms. Fasanelli was an Americorps*VISTA Outreach Coordinator at the Law Center.

James P. Joseph is a partner at Arnold & Porter where he co-chairs the firm’s Tax practice and represents clients on tax planning and litigation matters. Mr. Joseph represents tax-exempt organizations (including public charities, private foundations, and international nongovernmental organizations) in structuring and implementing complex charitable programs and business ventures. He also works with corporate and tax-exempt clients on governance, executive compensation, employment tax, and other general tax matters.

Mr. Joseph is the Co-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the former Co-Chair of its Voting Rights Project Support Committee and Investment Committee. He served on the IRS’s Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT) from 2009-2012. Appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury, ACT members advise the IRS on operational policies and procedures. Mr. Joseph also was Chair of the Tax Section of the District of Columbia Bar and is currently Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Taxation, Exempt Organizations Committee, Subcommittee on Unrelated Business Income Tax. Since 2013, he has been named a Washington, DC Super Lawyer for nonprofit organizations and tax law. In 2003, Mr. Joseph was a recipient of the Ally of Justice Award for his work for the Human Rights Campaign.

Darryl Maxwell is the Director of Nonprofit & Small Business Legal Assistance Programs for the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center. His work is focused on providing pro bono legal support, education, and counsel to community-based nonprofits and disadvantaged small businesses. Prior to joining the Pro Bono Center, Darryl worked in private practice. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the George Washington University Law School.

Darryl currently serves as Board Chair of the Latino Economic Development Center, an organization that assists Latinos and other D.C.-area residents with small business development, microlending, affordable housing preservation, and pathways to homeownership. He also serves at his law school alma mater as a Professorial Lecturer in Law.

Dariely Rodriguez is a deputy chief counsel for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law where she works closely with the President and Executive Director, the Chief Counsel, managers and staff to provide strategic guidance for litigation and advocacy projects that advance racial justice. Dariely serves on the organization’s Senior Leadership team and plays a key role in supporting synergy and integration across the organization’s practice areas, and overseeing the professional development of the organization’s legal staff.

Dariely most recently served as a political appointee Chief of Staff in the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs at the U.S. Department of Labor under the Biden Administration. She previously spent four years at the Lawyers’ Committee as the Director of the organization’s Economic Justice Project, which focuses on combatting discrimination in employment, healthcare, and economic opportunities on behalf of communities of color. In this capacity, she served as plaintiff-side counsel in various impact litigation matters. Dariely has co-authored or otherwise significantly contributed to amicus briefs before the Supreme Court and other federal courts. Earlier in her career, Rodriguez served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau in the Office of the Attorney General of New York and worked in private practice focusing on labor and employment issues.

Dariely received her J.D. from Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University where she was the recipient of the Dwight L. Greene full tuition scholarship. She received her B.A. from New York University

We look forward to seeing you at this panel! Register here to get your ticket to the keynote and all 6 substantive panels. Join the conversation using #SumFo24!