Photo Album: Advancing Social Justice Through Pro Bono & Advocacy Work
Advancing Social Justice Through Pro Bono & Advocacy Work (October 26, 2015)
Apply for a Legal Job East of the River
We know you are passionate about improving the lives of DC residents, and in particular ensuring that East of the River residents have access to quality legal service and help defending their rights. Here's a chance to put that passion to work! The Neighborhood Legal Services Program is currently accepting applications for a Staff Attorney to work on housing and community development in the Deanwood neighborhood of Northeast DC. The Staff Attorney will focus primarily on implementing a project to prevent loss of home ownership in Deanwood, including organizing and conducting outreach to residents, particularly those living in deteriorating properties, on common threats to home ownership and protections against loss of equity or ownership; developing strategies to address deteriorating, abandoned, or blighted housing; and developing responses to predatory lending and fraudulent renovation practices that threaten home ownership. Information about the position, including application instructions, can be found here.
We’re Hiring! (Administrative Director, part time)
We are seeking a permanent, part-time Administrative Director to help us further expand our membership and programming. (More…)
Celebrate Pro Bono Week East of the River
DC Pro Bono Week is here! Among the events taking place from October 25 to 31 is an opportunity to learn more about the Healthy Together program, a medical-legal partnership between the Children's Law Center and health care facilities in the District. On Thursday, October 29, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., visit Unity Health Care's Minnesota Ave NE health center to meet with an attorney from Healthy Together and learn about the ways in which attorneys and health providers are coming together to help families gain access to the legal services they need to improve their children's health outcomes. More information about this site visit, including registration information, is available here.
Meet Our New Board Members! (2015 Edition)
We’re delighted to welcome three new lawyers to our Board of Directors: Kyle Fiet, Tanya Senanayake, and Mia Sussman. (More…)
Member Profile: Caroline Fleming
1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Caroline Fleming, and I’ve lived in DC for the better part of the last decade, most of which I’ve spent at the Department of Veterans Affairs as an attorney for the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. Before landing at the Board, I worked straight out of law school as an editor for a legal publication and then—very briefly—as a family lawyer practicing mainly in divorce and custody law. As it turns out, litigation is not my cup of tea! But I do have a knack for research and writing, and fortunately my current position plays to these strengths; I spend my days reviewing claims and drafting decisions for Veterans who are seeking benefits from VA. (More…)
Ward 8 Councilmember LaRuby May
By Alex Kurtz After an election so close that it almost automatically generated a recount, in April LaRuby May won the Ward 8 seat on the DC City Council. Although she won by a narrow margin, Councilmember May has continued to garner support even after being sworn in; she encourages constituents’ participation in their community with the goal to “see Ward 8 rise.” Her newsletter, The Rise, first published just a month into her term, keeps Ward 8 informed about her work, providing residents with necessary information to actively participate in their community through community meetings and “pop-up” offices. It also helps them meet their own families’ needs, providing public safety contact information and agency response timeframes. It was her work with children, in part, that led May to law school and to her current position. While working for a nonprofit that served children, and teaching them about the importance of giving back to their communities, May was urged by the children to become a lawyer. Their enthusiasm played an important role in her decision to attend law school at the University of the District of Columbia, where her legal education was influenced by a strong commitment to public service. Since then, she has dedicated herself to serving others. Councilmember May assured the children and families that she serves that her actions would be consistent with her words, and she has strived to honor this commitment since entering office. As an ambassador for Ward 8, she and her colleagues at organizations such as the Neighborhood Legal Services Program have worked closely to ensure that constituents are connected with the legal services they need. When May finds a particular legal need that isn’t covered by the available services in the District, she seeks help from law firms. She also recently co-introduced legislation with Councilmember Brandon Todd that, if approved by her colleagues on the Council, would provide seniors with access to legal clinics. May is also the first Councilmember to introduce Pop-Up Office Hours in Ward 8. Her goal is to connect residents with resources from various government agencies in DC, such as onsite emergency benefits and immunizations so that students can start school on time. May believes that the government shouldn’t always expect people to come to them, and that it should bring services to the people who need them most. Alex Kurtz is a student at Washington College and a former intern at Washington Council of Lawyers.
Know Your Rights! Housing Discrimination Workshop Sept. 22
The DC Office of Human Rights is sponsoring a Know Your Rights Workshop at the Anacostia Neighborhood Library on Tuesday, September 22, at 7:00 p.m. The workshop will cover fair housing issues, focusing on discrimination against people with vouchers or other subsidies, discrimination against people of color, people with disabilities, and other protected communities. The Anacostia Neighborhood Library is located at 1800 Good Hope Road SE, and can be reached by Metrobus routes 92, V5, W6, and W8. To request a reasonable accommodation or interpretation for the workshop, please contact Teresa Rainey at (202) 727-5343 / teresa.rainey@dc.gov by September 11.
Breaking Barriers to Employment: Jobseeker Legal Clinics at the DC Public Library
By Daniel Choi In a small room at the Francis Gregory library in Ward 7, a staff attorney from the Neighborhood Legal Services Program is ready for a different kind of legal clinic—one targeting the needs of people trying to get jobs. The librarian makes an announcement over the speaker, and in the course of two short hours, seven people stop by for free one-on-one legal consultations about their criminal records, discrimination, wage theft, credit reports, suspended drivers licenses, and other barriers to employment. NLSP launched Jobseeker Legal Clinics in October 2014 as part of its larger Breaking Barriers to Employment project. An NLSP attorney visits DC Public Library branches across the District, including those, like Francis Gregory, located East of the River. NLSP is hoping to reach low-income and homeless library patrons who are seeking work but whose legal barriers are preventing them from obtaining and keeping stable employment. Since the project began, NLSP has held nearly 60 Jobseeker Legal Clinics and 10 know-your-rights presentations, and has performed over 165 individual legal consultations at various branches of the DC Public Library. Jobseeker Clinics will resume in fall 2015. Why hold clinics at the Library? While the overall economy is improving, this is not true for all residents of Washington, DC. According to December 2014 numbers, Wards 6, 7, and 8 had respective unemployment rates of 6.2 percent, 13 percent, and 16.3 percent; the national unemployment rate was 5.6 percent during the same period. With the transition from paper to electronic job applications, and the high cost of computer and internet access, more and more unemployed DC residents are turning to the Library as a resource for their job application needs. In fact, according to the American Library Association, nearly two-thirds of libraries provide the only free computer and internet access in their communities. Fortunately, DC Public Library is leading a national trend in transforming library spaces from passive information repositories to active social-service centers. With 25 branches around the city, including seven locations East of the River, the DC Public Library is already in communities where help is needed. The Library recently hired a full-time social worker, and many librarians are already systematically assisting patrons with computer skills, cover letters, and resumes. From the legal end, NLSP provides assistance and resources to librarians and patrons alike. With an official partnership in place, NLSP is trying to connect low-income library patrons with legal and social-service organizations throughout the city. NLSP is interested in expanding our partnerships and involving more pro bono attorneys in the library. Ultimately, the goal is to break down barriers to employment—both systemically and one barrier at a time. For more information about NLSP, the Breaking Barriers to Employment Project, or Jobseeker Legal Clinics, please visit www.nlsp.org. For specific questions, please contact Heather Hodges, Pro Bono Counsel, at hhodges@nlsp.org or (202) 269-5119.
Calling All Mentors!
By Alexis Applegate & Giovanni Di Maggio
Last year, we had the chance to participate as mentees in the Washington Council of Lawyers Mentoring Program. We both benefitted tremendously from the experience: our mentors helped answer many of our questions and gave us useful advice about legal practice and public interest work in Washington, DC. In addition, the program's events provided even more tips and perspectives that will help us throughout our legal careers.
We enjoyed the mentoring program so much that we agreed to coordinate it this year. And our first job is to recruit a great class of mentors for the 2015–2016 mentoring year. (More…)
2015 Awards Ceremony: Calling All Nominations
Our annual Awards Ceremony gives us a chance to recognize the outstanding contributions of lawyers who perform exceptional pro bono and public-interest work. Our 2015 Awards Ceremony will take place on the evening of Thursday, December 10.
Looking Into Low Bono: Additional Resources
Our Looking into Low Bono series addressed an often-overlooked question: how do we provide legal services to people who are above the poverty line, but who would struggle to pay for legal services at the market rate. According to the ABA, in 2012 nearly a million people had their legal needs unmet due to “insufficient resources.” In 2013 –2014, the D.C. Bar convened a group to examine models for addressing these unmet legal needs. And in August of 2014, the American Bar Association urged its House of Delegates to adopt a resolution exhorting bar associations, courts, law schools, legal services organizations, and law firms to advance initiatives that encourage and equip newly-admitted lawyers to meet the legal needs of “underserved populations.” Looking into Low Bono promoted a community-wide discussion about various approaches to increasing the provision of “low bono” legal services aimed at clients who are ineligible for free legal assistance. If you weren’t able to make it for these events, or if you were but still want more information, we’ve collected some of the key resources that were identified or discussed at our Looking Into Low Bono series. And if you’d like to find out even more, or join our Google Group, please email our Executive Director, Nancy Lopez. Intro to Low Bono/The Justice Gap American Bar Association, Be the Change (video) Modest Means Programs (October 2014) Further Reading (October 2014) Supporting Reduced-Fee Lawyers D.C. Bar Practice Management Advisory Service: A free and confidential service of the D.C. Bar to provide practice management information and resources to members. It offers a variety of services, including telephone consultations for practice guidance and ethical questions. All consultations are confidential. It also offers trainings, such as Basic Training and Beyond, Successful Small Firm Practice, Lunch & Learn opportunities, confidential counseling services for stress and substance abuse, and an attorney-client arbitration board to aid in settling fee disputes. Civil Justice, Inc: A nonprofit organization that offers a lawyer referral service. Attorneys who participate in the Civil Justice Network are solo and small firm Maryland attorneys who receive referrals, mentoring, and networking opportunities that allow them to expand their own practices while increasing access to legal assistance for traditionally underserved members of the public. Reduced-Fee Lawyer Referral Services Washington State Bar Association’s Moderate Means referral program: Washington State Bar Association partners with the law schools of Gonzaga University, Seattle University, and the University of Washington to operate this referral program. Access to Justice Lawyer Referral Service (coming soon): This service will be launched by attorney Steven Krieger and will connect reduced-fee lawyers with modest means clients in Virginia. Montgomery County Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service D.C. Bar, Courts, Lawyers, and Administration of Justice Section, 2011 Report on the Proposed Code of Judicial Conduct Incubators Incubator and post-graduate residency models developed by law schools, bar associations, and private firms help low-bono lawyers develop the skills necessary to represent individuals, families, and businesses: The Affordable Law Firm of DC: A partnership between Georgetown Law, DLA Piper and Arent Fox to create a non-profit law firm, staffed by new Georgetown graduates, to provide affordable legal services to modest-means clients American Lawyer, Georgetown Pairs Up With DLA Piper, Arent Fox to Open Low Bono Firm Chicago Bar Foundation, Justice Entrepreneurs Project: Trains lawyers interested in running reduced-fee law practices Arizona State University Alumni Law Group incubator program Using Technology Technology can help reduced-fee practitioners (and even pro se litigants) get valuable information and do legal work more efficiently. Presentation by Billie Jo Kaufman, American University Washington College of Law Presentation by Briane Cornish, Responsive Law Presentation by Tanina Rostain, Georgetown Law on using apps to help litigants find information Debt & Eviction Navigator: An app that supports social workers serving home-bound elderly; built by Georgetown Law and Jewish Association Serving the Aging New York City Earned Sick Time Advisor: A self-help app to determine user’s entitlement to paid sick leave under NYC law; built by Georgetown Law and A Better Balance *** We’ll continue to look into Low Bono in the coming months. Our next event takes place on September 21, and it's free and open to all. If you’d like to find out even more or join our Google Group, please email our Executive Director, Nancy Lopez. Finally, if you'd like an even more detailed summary of our low bono series and these resources, our low bono working group has put together a longer Compendium of Resources.
Housing Victories in Congress Heights
By Domonique Williams and Gavette Richardson On a hot day in late August 2014, a group of law students from Howard and Catholic Universities, along with supervisory attorneys from the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, converged east of the river to meet our new clients—a group of tenants in a Congress Heights neighborhood who reported serious health and safety violations in their apartments. These residents had come together as a tenants association and had engaged with the WLCH to stand up for their rights and bring about change. Along with our colleagues at Catholic’s clinic, we were asked to represent seven tenants facing numerous housing code violations. Although we had been given a brief overview of the situation in our clinic classes, nothing quite prepared us for the breadth of violations we encountered, or the stories that the tenants told us about their fight to improve their living conditions. We inspected each unit and found multiple violations— including infestations of mice and bedbugs, hanging and exposed electrical wires, lack of exterior lighting, broken locks on exterior doors, leaks, floods, and more. As the late afternoon turned into evening, our group of students and lawyers stood outside to do a final assessment of the building’s conditions. We found standing water and sewage in a common hallway, rust in tubs, mold on walls, and a building-wide water heater that stopped working every time it rained (the basement flooded, extinguishing the pilot light). We also took note of the rats playing in large trash piles of old couches and dilapidated furniture outside the building, and the lack of proper safety lighting in the back. We were left asking why any property owner would allow residents to live in such conditions. Considering that the communities surrounding Metro stations are some of the most coveted residences in the city, why would any owner allow buildings to fall into such disrepair? The WLCH lawyers suggested a horrifying answer: the worse the living conditions in the buildings, the higher the number of tenants who leave on their own, ultimately making it easier to redevelop the apartment buildings. After notifying the housing provider of the numerous violations and receiving no response, we filed a Housing Conditions suit in Superior Court. At our initial hearing, the housing provider's lawyer admitted that the buildings were unlivable but suggested that, because the buildings were slated for redevelopment, the housing provider should be responsible for making only the most basic repairs—even though the redevelopment could be years away. We objected to the idea that when housing providers hope to raze or sell a building they somehow become exempt from the housing code. Many of our clients spoke up to describe the horrible conditions in their building, and it was their voices that seemed to persuade the judge that enforcement of the housing code should not turn on the housing provider’s redevelopment plans. In the months after our initial hearing, we worked tirelessly for our clients. We sent letters to property managers, participated in court-appointed housing inspections, worked with opposing counsel to organize repair efforts, and represented our clients in court. Ultimately, all of the conditions were abated, but the redevelopment of the area is still pending. In light of this experience, we have also tried to amplify our clients’ voices in the redevelopment process; we recently testified at a Zoning Commission hearing related to the redevelopment. Our experience representing these clients was invaluable. It not only gave us courtroom experience but also opened our eyes to the severity and ubiquity of housing problems faced by DC residents, particularly those in disadvantaged neighborhoods east of the river. We still think about these tenants and wish them the best in their ongoing efforts to protect and enforce their right to safe housing. Domonique Williams and Gavette Richardson are rising third-year law students at the Howard University School of Law. They represented tenants from the Congress Heights neighborhood in housing litigation as part of their work with Howard’s Fair Housing Clinic.
A Marathon Hearing on Language Access … And Next Steps
On July 1, 2015, the DC Council held a joint public hearing on the Language Access for Education Amendment Act of 2015. The 75 public witnesses on the witness list included:
Attorneys who have helped clients to bring language access complaints after being denied language access under the law;
Law professors who supervise student attorneys who have written reports on the state of language access in the District, and who have worked with clients whose language access rights were violated;
Community members who have brought language access complaints and received favorable determinations through the process at the DC Office of Human Rights, only to continue to have their rights violated afterward;
and
Students at DC schools who have had to interpret for their parents at parent-teacher conferences, despite the schools’ legal obligation to provide interpretation.
Book Vending Machines Provide Free Summer Reads for EOTR Kids
A heartwarming, summer-reading true story about free books being put into the hands and homes of children in Anacostia. Book vending machines in three locations East of the River are providing kids with their choice of books to enjoy over the break, with the goal of handing out 100,000 books by summer's end.
East of the River Casehandlers Meeting: July 29!
Practicing Public Interest Law East of the Anacostia River: 5th Annual Summer Panel Discussion with the East of the River Casehandlers Wednesday, July 29, 2015 12:30 pm - 2 pm Deanwood Neighborhood Library 1350 49th Street, NE Washington DC, 20019 Metro: Deanwood (Orange Line) The Program The East of the River Casehandlers group invites all legal interns, summer associates, law students and pro bono attorneys to come find out more about practicing public interest law east of the Anacostia River. This informal panel discussion will feature attorneys from DC legal services providers that serve the low-income residents of these diverse and vibrant neighborhoods. Imoni Washington from the DC Bar Foundation will join us after the provider panel to discuss the Loan Repayment Assistance Program for public interest lawyers working in the District and the recent grants the DCBF has made to legal services providers east of the river. We will also have information available on fall student internship and pro bono opportunities with EOTR legal services providers. Panelists We anticipate having panelists this year from Whitman Walker Health, NLSP, Bread for the City, the Public Defender Service, Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, Washington Lawyers' Committee, Childrens Law Center, Covington & Burling LLP, and more. Registration To register, contact Heather Hodges at (202) 269-5100 or hhodges@nlsp.org. This program is intended to be highly interactive and driven by your questions. We encourage you to submit any questions you have with your registration request. About Us The East of the River Casehandlers meet every three months at the Anacostia Library to share program information and discuss strategies for dealing with issues of common concern to our low-income clients in Wards 7 and 8. We also conduct legal information programs for community members and legal services attorneys. If you would like to join our listserv, please send an email to EastoftheRiverLawyers-subscribe@mail.lawhelp.org.
Bread for the City Plans East of the River Expansion
Exciting long-term news! Bread for the City plans to double the size of its Southeast Center, on Good Hope Road in Anacostia, to provide more medical, legal, and social services to people living East of the River. Read more about the plans to expand East of the River services at Blog for the City.
Meet Our Summer Intern!
Hello! My name is Alex Kurtz, and I am excited to be interning this summer with Washington Council of Lawyers.
I am an undergraduate at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, and I am pursuing a degree in Political Science with minors in Economics and Spanish. In my free time, I am active in my student government association; I currently serve both as a senator and my class Vice President. I am also the Vice Delegation Chairperson of my college’s delegation to the Maryland Student Legislature, which is a model of the Maryland state legislature. I love helping other students, so I have also become a Peer Consultant in the Writing Center and a Peer Mentor, where I assist incoming freshmen.
East of the River Casehandlers Meeting – June 26
The East of the River Casehandlers is a group of legal services providers, law professors/students, and pro bono lawyers who meet every three months at the Anacostia Library to share program information and discuss strategies for dealing with issues of common concern to our low-income clients in Wards 7 and 8. We also conduct legal information programs for community members and legal services attorneys. The group welcomes guest speakers who would like to provide information or training on programs and services that you provide to low-income residents of Wards 7 and 8. Please email or call Heather Hodges if you would like to attend or be added to the agenda. Date: Friday, June 26, 2015 Time: 10 am to 11 am Place: Anacostia Neighborhood Library (1800 Good Hope Road, SE) Contact: Heather L. Hodges Neighborhood Legal Services Program of the District of Columbia 680 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 269-5100
Making a Difference at DC Employment Justice Center’s Workers’ Rights Clinic
By Caroline Fleming Other than a few projects in school, Carla Chambers didn’t have much experience volunteering when she contacted the DC Employment Justice Center. A trained paralegal, Carla sought to volunteer with the DCEJC as a way to expand her experience and knowledge while simultaneously helping others. It ended up becoming one of the most rewarding experiences of her professional life. Carla has served as a DCEJC intake volunteer since June 2014, and she is the primary point of contact with clients seeking help with employment problems. She meets with clients, learns about their workplace issues, and consults with DCEJC’s volunteer attorneys to provide the best advice for each client’s situation. Carla has helped workers with their employment problems but has also noticed that these issues are “very personal in terms of the pride people have in working and wanting to continue to work.” Apart from the professional experience she’s gained in employment law, Carla has been moved by what she calls the “huge responsibility to thoroughly tell my clients’ stories.” Carla has been struck most by the dignity and work ethic of the individuals who seek help from DCEJC. Although her clients have a wide range of employment issues, Carla has noticed a trend: they are all “determined to resolve their issues and move on with their working lives.” Carla encourages everyone to take time to volunteer. In addition to learning new skills and growing professionally, she has discovered the rewards of helping workers solve their employment problems and move forward. Wherever her career takes her, Carla plans to continue volunteering to help people who “just need a little advice and help through the process, whatever the process is.” To learn more, or to volunteer for the Workers’ Rights Clinics sponsored by the DCEJC, email the Clinic Coordinator or visit the Volunteer Page.
Low Bono, Hi-Tech
At the most recent installment in our Looking Into Low Bono series, we looked at ways that technology can expand access to justice. Our panelists had lots of great information to share, and their presentations are worth checking out: Presentation by Billie-Jo Kaufman (Associate Dean, American University Washington College of Law) Presentation by Briane Cornish Knight (Responsive Law) Presentation by Tanina Rostain (Georgetown Law) You may also be interested in these apps built by Georgetown Law students. Debt & Eviction Navigator: An app that supports social workers serving home bound elderly (built with Jewish Association Serving the Aging) New York City Earned Sick Time Advisor: A self-help app to determine user’s entitlement to paid sick leave under NYC law (built with A Better Balance) Over the summer, we’ll be putting together a compendium of the topics and resources highlighted during our Looking into Low Bono series, and providing opportunities to continue to expand our low bono community. Finally, our Low Bono Google Group continues to grow! If you’d like to join, please email our Executive Director, Nancy Lopez. We’re excited to be looking into low bono, and we look forward to the next steps!
Member Profile: Jaya Saxena
1. Tell us a bit about yourself. I am an Assistant Director at The George Washington University Law School's Center for Professional Development and Career Strategy (Career Center). In that role, I advise JD students on a variety of career-related issues, including self-assessment, resume and cover letter reviews, networking and informational interviewing, and job search strategies. I also advise students specifically interested in public sector opportunities in the government and nonprofit sectors and state court judicial clerkships. In addition to counseling students, I help to coordinate a variety of programs in these areas throughout the year. Before joining GW Law's Career Center, I was a Career Counselor at the George Mason University School of Law. The work that I do now is a wonderful bridge between my coaching background and prior legal experience. Other prior experiences include working at a national healthcare advocacy organization where I primarily assisted in the management of funding to state-based health care advocacy organizations and practicing law as a legal services attorney at Maryland Legal Aid. In the five years that I was at Legal Aid, my practice focused on public benefits and elder law. I also worked on issues related to Limited English Proficient individuals and health care reform and co-chaired the Elder Law Task Force, which comprised elder law practitioners throughout the community who regularly met to discuss legal issues relevant to an elder law practice. Immediately after graduating law school in 2005, I clerked for the Honorable John M. Mott of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. 2. What are you working on right now? Most of our students have either started their summer internships or are getting ready to graduate so the summer is the perfect time to reflect, re-energize, and start planning for the next school year. In terms of advising, I am mostly counseling students who are still seeking summer or post-graduate employment. I’m also starting to respond to inquiries about our Fall Recruitment Program. Many of my colleagues and I recently returned from the 2015 Annual Education Conference in Chicago that was hosted by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and I’m also working to put together proposals for public sector programming at next year’s conference. 3. How long have you been a Washington Council of Lawyers member, why did you join, and what are some things you've done as a member? I have been a member for about two years. I had identified Washington Council of Lawyers as an organization that I wanted to get involved with given my commitment to public interest law, and I thought that serving as a mentor in the mentoring program would be a great way to get more active. This is my second year participating in that program;. I firmly believe that a mentor is really just anyone you can learn from and I have tremendously enjoyed my participation in that program. Through my participation in the mentoring program, I became more familiar with the organization and very quickly realized it is an incredible community of public-interest minded individuals. That insight, along with my increased familiarity with Washington Council of Lawyers programming, prompted me to get even more involved as a member of its Board of Directors. This is my first year serving on the Board of Directors and I am currently co-chair of our Membership Committee. 4. What has been most valuable about membership and participation in Washington Council of Lawyers? There have been many valuable aspects about membership and participation in Washington Council of Lawyers. First and foremost is the opportunity to meet and interact with public interest minded law students and lawyers in the community. Whenever I attend an event—be it a happy hour or a substantive program—I walk away feeling reenergized and eager to support law students and recent graduates interested in public interest and pro bono work in my day-to-day job counseling GW Law students. Another tremendous benefit is the extensive programming that takes place throughout the year, including practical skills trainings, post-graduate public interest fellowship programs, and the upcoming Summer Forum that draws law students from throughout the country who are working in DC for the summer. 5. How has legal practice/the DC legal scene changed since you’ve started practicing? I think it’s a tough legal market and it’s definitely more competitive than when I graduated from law school in 2005. Disadvantaged communities continue to remain in dire need of legal services, so the work is out there, but employers and organizations don’t necessarily have the resources to hire people. Meanwhile, DC has 7 area law schools with many graduates interested in establishing their legal careers in the area. If you’re a law student or recent graduate seeking public interest employment, it is critical to demonstrate a commitment to the issues and to build relationships with practitioners in the field, and Washington Council of Lawyers provides the space to do both. 6. Any advice for law students/new lawyers? I will preface my response by stating that much of my perspective stems from my health and wellness coaching background and a blog series I’m currently writing. Generally, I think it’s critically important for law students and lawyers to engage in an ongoing process of self-reflection and discovery in order to identify their values and strengths, areas in need of improvement, what they enjoy doing, the kind of work environment suited to their personalities,…
DC Employment Justice Center Expands Resources for East of the River Workers
By Caroline Fleming Recognizing that workers living East of the River needed greater access to their services, last September the DC Employment Justice Center launched an expanded monthly clinic in Fairlawn. The clinic, which had previously been open every other Friday morning, is now open to clients on one Saturday each month. The clinic offers help with a full range of issues addressed by the DCEJC, including Family and Medical Leave Act violations, unpaid wages and overtime, unemployment compensation, workers’ compensation, unlawful discrimination and harassment, and wrongful termination. As the DCEJC's Executive Director Barbra Kavanaugh explained, clients East of the River were finding the weekday-only clinic difficult to fit into their busy schedules. The DCEJC moved the clinic to Saturdays as a way to provide greater access for residents. Because the need for workplace justice continues to grow, the DCEJC has also introduced a second clinic with a new partner, the Neighborhood Legal Services Program. This clinic takes place during the week, allowing workers whose schedules don’t permit Saturday visits to receive employment law assistance as well. The schedule changes were spurred by the DCEJC’s interest in community lawyering. The expanded access shows that the DCEJC is committed to helping the East of the River community ensure that workplace justice is fully available. To learn more, or to volunteer for the workers’ rights clinics sponsored by the DCEJC, email the Clinic Coordinator or visit their volunteering page. The DCEJC weekend clinic takes place on the last Saturday of each month, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the Fairlawn office of long-time DCEJC partner Bread for the City (1640 Good Hope Road, SE). The DCEJC/NLSP clinic takes place on the first and third Friday afternoons of each month, from noon to 3:00 p.m., at 2811 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.
Member Profile: David Steib
From time to time, we'll be sharing interviews with our members, so we can learn more about their legal careers and the role that Washington Council of Lawyers has played in their professional development. Today we spoke with our Membership Co-Chair, David Steib. 1. Tell us a bit about yourself. I am the Language Access Director at Ayuda, a nonprofit in DC that helps immigrants overcome obstacles in order to succeed and thrive in the United States. In my role, I work to eradicate discrimination based on national origin or disability by advocating for the use of interpreters and translators to ensure that language barriers never impede a person from receiving the services to which he or she is entitled. I have been a lawyer since 2008, when I graduated from law school. In that time, I have spent four years as a litigator in the housing unit at the Legal Aid Society of DC and two years heading the Office of Public Interest at American University Washington College of Law. 2. What are you working on right now? One exciting initiative that I am working on right now is getting legislation passed to add a private right of action to the DC Language Access Act of 2004, so that people whose rights have been violated will be able to sue to enforce their rights. 3. How long have you been a Washington Council of Lawyer member, why did you join, and what are some things you've done as a member? I have been a member since 2008. I joined because I was a new public interest attorney (I graduated from law school in 2008) and one of my colleagues at Legal Aid (Jodi Feldman) encouraged me to become a mentee in the mentoring program. I was accepted into the program, and Dena Bauman, the public interest advisor at UDC Law, was my mentor. Now I work with her as a fellow board member and on our membership committee. I have loved being a member of Washington Council of Lawyers. As a member, I have been both a mentee and mentor in the mentoring program and have attended many related events. I have also been to many of the organization's happy hours and awards functions. I have volunteered with Gifts for the Homeless. I have also participated in the litigation skills training. And I have served on the Board for the last two years. 4. What have you found most valuable about your membership in Washington Council of Lawyers? Membership has exposed me to great lawyers doing great work. That exposure has resulted in new friendships, new professional ties, and continued inspiration. In law school, my friends and I created a new student group: Students for Public Interest Community Enhancement (SPICE). The group was meant to ensure that public interest law students (as well as law students committed to pro bono) had the moral support, access to information, and camaraderie they needed in order to devote themselves to the hard row that they were hoeing. Washington Council of Lawyers is like SPICE for practicing attorneys. 5. How has legal practice/DC legal scene changed since you’ve started practicing? Since I started practicing, there has been a great increase in the number of postgraduate fellowships sponsored by law schools. These fellowships are meant to help graduating students who do not yet have employment by giving them the opportunity to practice and get experience while conducting a job search and while waiting for their bar results. On the one hand, they are a great way to get your foot in the door as a new attorney. On the other hand, they don’t always give you enough money to pay the bills. Big law firms in DC are also hiring fewer people than they were when I graduated from law school. In general, the job market seems tougher. 6. Any advice for law students/new lawyers? Don’t hesitate to ask folks for informational interviews. You can learn a lot by talking to people about their career paths and about the resources that they rely on to keep abreast of the field and of new opportunities. Thanks to David for answering our questions. And if you'd like to join David and the other wonderful members of Washington Council of Lawyers, you can do so here.
Community Policing East of the River
With the killings of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Freddie Gray, police-community relations have come under increasing scrutiny, particularly in disadvantaged neighborhoods such as those East of the River where trust has disintegrated between officers and residents. The Post recently profiled Lieutenant Teresa Brown, a District native and long-time D.C. police officer who's working to bring back community policing in Ward Seven. Brown is focusing on reaching out to community members to get to know her neighborhood and rebuild some of that trust. "We gotta build that trust on the front end. Treat everyone like humans, like they could be your mamma or your brother.” Our recent three-part Racial Justice Series addressed many of these same issues, focusing on how the deaths of African Americans at the hands of police has highlighted a growing need for lawyers to help eradicate discrimination and violence against people of color and build an inclusive society that enables everyone to succeed.
Our 2015 D.C. Bar Officer Endorsements
Update: The results are in. Congratulations to this year's winners! -------- The leadership of the D.C. Bar focuses the priorities and sets the tone for one of the largest bar associations in the country. can have a huge impact on its focus and priorities. Since Washington Council of Lawyers is devoted to promoting pro bono and public interest law, we think it's essential that D.C. Bar leaders understand firsthand the importance of increasing access to justice in our community. With this in mind, we are pleased to endorse the following candidates for D.C. Bar office. If you are an active member of the D.C. Bar in good standing, you can vote online until May 22. President-Elect Annamaria Steward Secretary Shara M. Chang Treasurer Christopher P. Zubowicz Board of Governors G. Brian Busey Moses A. Cook Ann K. Ford Arian M. June Leah M. Quadrino ABA House of Delegates Paul M. Smith D. Jean Veta ABA House of Delegates – Under 36 Carter T. Coker We base our endorsements on the candidates' resumes and answers to a questionnaire, prepared by our D.C. Bar Affairs Committee. For the office of President, we also hold a question-and-answer session with the candidates. Lists of multiple candidates appear alphabetically, and not in order of preference. If you have questions or would like to review the survey responses, please email one of our DC Bar Affairs Co-Chairs, Susan Hoffman and Barbara Kagan. Oh, and don't forget to vote!
Member Profile: Taryn Wilgus Null
From time to time, we'll be sharing interviews with our members, so we can learn more about their legal careers and the role that Washington Council of Lawyers has played in their professional development. For our inaugural installment, we spoke with longtime member Taryn Wilgus Null. Tell us a bit about yourself. Currently, I’m an associate at Mehri & Skalet, a small, public spirited law firm that represents plaintiffs in employment, fair housing, and consumer protection cases. In June, I’ll be joining the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Employment Litigation Section as a Trial Attorney. I have been out of law school for nearly eight years and have previously clerked for a judge on the D.C. Court of Appeals and completed fellowships at the National Women’s Law Center, where I worked on education and employment issues, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, where I litigated First Amendment religion issues. What are you working on right now? I am drafting a complaint in a Title VII class action involving race discrimination, working on an opposition to a motion for summary judgment in an individual Title VII case, and working on a post-hearing brief in a Fair Labor Standards Act arbitration involving unpaid pre- and post-shift work at a federal prison. How long have you been a Washington Council of Lawyers member, why did you join, and what are some things you've done as a member? I joined Washington Council of Lawyers in 2007 when I was working at my first job out of law school. One of my colleagues at the National Women’s Law Center sent me an email about the mentoring program and told me that WCL was a great organization. I joined the the mentoring program as a mentee. The year after I was a mentee in the mentoring program, I joined the Board and co-chaired the mentoring program. I have since served as the Board President and Secretary and have served as a mentor in the mentoring program. What have you found most valuable about your membership in Washington Council of Lawyers? The connections that the organization provides have been invaluable. The community of lawyers has profoundly affected the enthusiasm that I have for practicing public interest law in DC. How has legal practice/DC legal scene changed since you’ve started practicing? The legal job market has unfortunately become much, much more difficult since I started practicing. The silver lining for nonprofits is that in recent years they have had assistance from volunteer attorneys, as well as lawyers with fellowships funded by big law firms or law schools. Any advice for law students/new lawyers? In your first few years of practice, look for as many opportunities as you can to engage in work and activities that will expose you to new practice areas and new people. There are many dramatically different jobs that a lawyer can have, and it can take some time to find the right fit for you. Thanks to Taryn for answering our questions. And if you'd like to join Taryn and the other wonderful members of Washington Council of Lawyers, you can do so here.
Ward 8 Votes Tomorrow to Fill Council Seat
Tomorrow, April 28, is the special election to fill the Ward 8 Council seat vacated by the death of Marion Barry. WUSA has a handy guide to polling hours (7am to 6pm), locations, and candidates. Meanwhile, the Post's early coverage focuses on the possibility that Barry's legacy will be carried on by his son, Marion Christopher Barry, who is one of the 13 candidates standing for election.
The 2015 Racial Justice Series
From the beginning of the civil rights movement to recent events in Ferguson and elsewhere, advocates have fought discrimination, social exclusion, and violence affecting people of color. In our three-part Racial Justice Series, we’ll explore these problems and ways to solve them. Each part of the series featured both a presentation and an active discussion. Part 1 – Looking at Ferguson and Beyond: Race, Racism and Justice Wednesday, February 11 6:30 – 8:30 pm Hogan Lovells (555 13th Street NW) This discussion of racism and the legal system featured panelists with significant experience and expertise in the areas of civil rights, racial justice, and structural inequality. The Honorable Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, D.C. Court of Appeals Professor Anthony Cook, Georgetown Law Nicole Austin-Hillery, Brennan Center for Justice The event was moderated by Camille D. Holmes, Director of Leadership and Racial Equity at the National Legal Aid and Defender Association. If you missed the event, check out this Storify, featuring tweets, photos, and links from the event. We've also collected links to articles about the DOJ Ferguson report, which came out shortly after this event. Part 2 – Below the Surface: Exploring Implicit Bias in Ourselves and The Legal System Thursday, March 12 6:30 – 8:30 pm Hogan Lovells (555 13th Street NW) In this workshop we discussed implicit bias – how it impacts our practice and the administration of justice – and what we can do to correct them. The event was facilitated by Camille D. Holmes, Director of Leadership and Racial Equity at the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, and Sara Jackson, Pro Bono Coordinator at Georgetown Law. If you missed the event, check out this Storify, featuring tweets, photos, and links from the event. We've also collected a variety of additional resources on implicit bias. Part 3 – Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity (Film & Discussion) Tuesday, April 21 6:30 – 8:30 pm Hogan Lovells (555 13th Street NW) This event began with a screening of Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity, a film directed by Shakti Butler. We then used parts of the movie to facilitate discussions about racism, identity, and inequity. The discussion was facilitated by Camille Holmes, Director of Leadership and Racial Equity at the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.
Economic Inequality Concentrated East of the River
A new report from the Urban Institute shows an increasing concentration of "economically challenged" communities East of the Anacostia River. Washington City Paper notes that while many areas in Northwest have grown more affluent in the past twenty years, "the challenged areas became increasingly consolidated east of the river, with new patches in Congress Heights, Washington Highlands, and along Pennsylvania Avenue SE and Southern Avenue SE in Ward 7." The Urban Institute proposes a variety of steps the city and the new Mayor can take to ease economic inequality, focusing on "inclusive housing, DC schools, open data, economic development, social and economic mobility, and public safety." Providing pro bono legal services to East of the River residents is another important element in ensuring that all DC citizens have equal access to justice, regardless of income.