DC Pro Bono Week Profiles: DLA Piper’s Knowledge Management Team Supporting DC Access to Justice Commission
03 October 2024 Blog, DC Pro Bono Week, Featured
Pro Bono Week profiles frequently highlight traditional client work done by lawyers, but law firms and their professional staff can also be a resource for advancing access to justice in systemic ways. For over a decade, DLA Piper has provided a range of support to the D.C. Access to Justice Commission to further its efforts to examine and address the access to justice crisis in the District.
DC Pro Bono Week Profiles: Barb Burr, Passionate Family Law Advocate
03 October 2024 Blog, DC Pro Bono Week, Featured
Barb Burr always wanted to help people. A certified CPA, she decided to pivot into a legal career because she missed the opportunity to engage with “people in a deep and meaningful way.” After graduating from Harvard Law School, Barb started her legal career as a civil rights lawyer, eventually falling in love with family law. Her background in civil rights and her commitment to low bono and pro bono work reflect her original mission: “I find it really rewarding when I can help people,” Barb shares, “including people of modest means through DC Refers.”
DC Pro Bono Week Profiles: Pro Bono Partnership that Increase Capacity for Advocacy
27 September 2024 Blog, DC Pro Bono Week, Featured
As sponsors of one of Tzedek DC’s prior Equal Justice Works Fellows, PayPal and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP expressed interest in pro bono opportunities at Tzedek DC. Together, the organizations decided that having PayPal and Orrick employees conduct intakes would be the most helpful to Tzedek DC and provide an easy and rewarding opportunity to volunteers. When volunteers conduct intakes, Tzedek DC staff attorneys can devote more time to their other cases, increasing the capacity of Tzedek DC to assist DC residents.
DC Pro Bono Week Profiles: Shaun Boedicker and Gammon Fain
19 September 2024 Blog, DC Pro Bono Week, Featured
DCALF and Steptoe LLP are thrilled to profile a recent, tremendous pro bono collaboration. One of DCALF’s long-standing clients had been awaiting an asylum interview for nearly 7 years when we had the opportunity to collaborate with the Steptoe team. Shaun Boedicker and Gammon Fain, with the support of Pro Bono Partner, Paul Lee. The team quickly rallied to file a mandamus brief in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia demanding that USCIS hear our client’s long-pending asylum case. Our client is a gay man who suffered persecution in his home country in west Africa where being gay is illegal. With Steptoe’s filing, within weeks, the 7-year wait was over – USCIS quickly scheduled him for an asylum interview and was granted asylum. Our client’s fears and anxieties are now lifted and he is able to plan for his future and continue his small business.
DC Pro Bono Week 2024: Schedule of Events
05 September 2024 Blog, DC Pro Bono Week, Featured
DC Pro Bono Week 2024 takes place from October 20–26 and offers lots of opportunities to do pro bono work, learn new pro bono skills, meet other pro bono lawyers, and expand your pro bono horizons.
The Full Schedule of Events is below. There are also many Affiliated Trainings taking place before, during, and after Pro Bono Week.
Welcome Our New Board Members!
02 September 2024 Blog, Featured
Join us in welcoming Laurie Ball Cooper, Bryan Concepcion, Danielle Rowan, Stephanie Troyer! We are thrilled to have these incredible leaders join our Board. You can meet our new board members at the 2024 Fall Kickoff on September 25 at 6:00 pm at Goodwin Procter.
Nominate a Pro Bono Champion for our Justice Impact Awards!
20 August 2024 Blog
Annually, Washington Council of Lawyers is thrilled to celebrate us! – the hundreds of public-interest and pro bono professionals who dedicate time, expertise, finances, and compassion to helping their neighbors. Our Justice Impact Awards is a time for us to come together, recharge our collective batteries, celebrate our accomplishments, commiserate on our challenges, and be inspired. Each year, we also honor exceptional individuals who go above and beyond and deserve special recognition. Help us recognize the outstanding advocates who make exceptional contributions to the pro bono and public-interest community while bringing our larger community together by nominating a pro bono superstar.
DC Pro Bono Week 2024 – Preparing Programming, Profiles & More!
It’s time to start preparing for DC Pro Bono Week 2024 by planning our programs and profiles! Each year, we publish pro bono profiles in the weeks leading up to Pro Bono Week. We are also preparing events for the annual National Celebration of Pro Bono takes place from October 20th to 26th, 2024!
Best Practices in Pro Bono: Using AI to Further Access to Justice – Where Do We Start? Recap
On July 17th, we hosted a follow-up panel to our previous session on Best Practices in Pro Bono. The last event sparked many questions about leveraging AI to enhance access to justice and the considerations for its responsible use. How can we ensure equity and quality service delivery to clients? This follow-up expert panel delved into these questions and more, providing valuable insights into the ever-changing field of AI.