WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF LAWYERS

SOLD OUT! Waitlist Available. We are excited to again offer our Mediation Skills Training on Tuesday, October 10, from 12:00-3:00 pm. Mediation is an important skill to learn as it can effectively resolve disputes with minimal costs and significant advantages to both parties in a wide variety of types of cases. The training begins with a presentation focused on mediation and negotiation theory. Stephen Altman,  principal of Altman Dispute Resolution Services, is an accomplished negotiator, mediator, and litigator who has resolved multi-million-dollar government-commercial disputes and diverse civil conflicts.  He is a mediator for the DC Superior Court and the US Court of Appeals for DC and teaches courses in negotiation. Stephen has worked with government agencies, commercial enterprises, and non-profit organizations. He will explore tips for effective client preparation, using leverage in negotiations, and identifying the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA). Then, each participant will have the opportunity to participate in two different mock mediation sessions of a typical landlord/tenant case. In one mediation, participants will play the role of the lawyer representing one of the parties, and in the other, they will play the role of the client. The meditations will be conducted by experienced mediators, including from the Multi-door Dispute Resolution Division of the D.C. Superior Court. This is not a CLE training. Seats at this training are limited, so save your spot today!

This event is co-sponsored by Amara Legal Center and NVRDC. Join us for a two-part series on navigating the invisible barriers to justice that clients experience when seeking to exercise their legal rights. These introductory discussions will give insight into the client experience when they try to navigate the legal system after experiencing a lifetime of trauma or one extremely traumatic event. Being mindful of centering your client takes practice and can be tricky to navigate. Join us for this candid discussion to see examples and ask questions about assisting clients with trauma and experiencing trafficking in a safe environment with experts from the legal field. Part One will cover initial contact with a client, whether that be with a paraprofessional, first-time lawyer, or pro bono volunteer. This panel will kick off with a roleplay exercise that illustrates common examples. Our panel will roleplay the scenario and then move into a discussion on identifying and responding to trauma at the point of first contact. This panel will take place Wednesday, July 19 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. Part Two will focus on identifying human trafficking and sex trafficking as an underlying issue in any practice area. The goal of this training is to familiarize all legal and paraprofessionals with the signs of trafficking and how to respond when navigating the client relationship and supporting their client holistically. This panel will take place Wednesday, August 16 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. Both sessions are appropriate for new and experienced attorneys, pro bono professionals, law students and other legal professionals such as paralegals and legal assistants that participate in the intake and fact collection process of a case. Join our conversation on social media using #LunchLearn.

DC Pro Bono Week always inspires creative ways to get involved! We hope it's inspired you to discover pro bono opportunities like the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center's Advice & Referral Clinic! Volunteer on Saturday, November 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 Bread for the City's Michelle Obama Southeast Center, at 1700 Good Hope Road SE. Parking is available. New for this clinic, we are also meeting at the D.C. Bar Building, at 901 Fourth St NW. 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 Thursday, November 9th 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.

Take a break! Join other public-interest-minded lawyers, summer associates, summer interns, and law students for a well-deserved opportunity to connect. We will discuss expectations for a successful summer and whatever else is on your mind. The Summer Happy Hour will be held at Penn Quarter Sports Tavern. PQST is located at 639 Indiana Ave NW. Across from the Archives-Navy Memorial Metro Stop (Green & Yellow Lines), or just three blocks from the Gallery Place-Chinatown Station (Green, Yellow, & Red line), or just three blocks from the Federal Triangle Station (Blue, Orange, & Silver lines). Metered parking is available on the surrounding streets.

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 1 - Friday, May 5. The training will take place from 9:00 - 11:00 am ET on Monday, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and 9:00 - 10:30 am on Friday. View the 2023 Litigation Skills Series Trial Advocacy Full 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 Landlord Tenant case, but you need not know anything about substantive housing 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 credits are available for 12.25 in CA (general), 13.5 in NJ (general), and 12.5 in NY skills (newly admitted and experienced), VA is pending. This session always sells out. Save your seat today! Registration closes Friday, April 28 at 5:00 pm ET.

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 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. Scholarships are available due to the generosity of the D.C. Bar Foundation. To apply for a scholarship, please complete this online scholarship form. The course has been approved for 2.0 credits in CA (General), NJ (General), and NY (Skills). CLE approval is pending but not guaranteed in VA. Reciprocal credit may be available in other jurisdictions.