Summer Forum Preview: Endless chances to practice poverty law
By Alexis Applegate
Many students go to law school to help people in their communities, and many of those decide to practice poverty law. This year at the Summer Pro Bono & Public Interest Forum, we’ll examine how that passion to help people intersects with issues affecting low-income residents of Washington, DC. (more…)
Summer Forum Preview: Suing the Federal Government
By Karly Satowiak
This year at the Summer Pro Bono & Public Interest Forum, we’re adding a new panel in response to the current political climate. Our panelists will discuss how various sectors have come together to hold the federal government accountable, the diverse ways that they are challenging federal policies, and the role that the private sector plays in this work. (more…)
Summer Forum Preview: Justice for Immigrants
By Emily Batt
At our 2018 Summer Pro Bono and Public Interest Forum, the Immigration and Human Rights panel will discuss the work on the ground done by immigrant-rights organizations both in the District and around the country. During this especially timely panel, we’ll discuss the current state of immigration advocacy under the Trump administration, as well as guidance for law students and new lawyers on breaking into immigration law and the practical realities of working at a nonprofit immigration organization. (more…)
Summer Forum Preview: Criminal Justice and Mental Health
By Nicole Foster
People with mental-health disorders and substance-abuse disorders are overrepresented in the criminal-justice system. A recent study by the Vera Institute shows that 14.5% of incarcerated men and 31% of incarcerated women have a serious mental illness, compared with only 5% of the general population. This data illustrates the need for more lawyers with the skills, training, and resources to effectively represent indigent criminal defendants with mental-health disorders. (more…)
Law students “Walk a Month” to better understand poverty
15 May 2018 Blog
Law students and attorneys gathered to experience the “Walk A Month in My Shoes” Poverty Simulation at American University Washington College of Law on March 9, 2018. The event was organized by the Washington Council of Lawyers in partnership with five of the D.C. area law schools. (more…)
Summer Forum Preview: Pro Bono Is for Non-Litigators, Too
Many people (and many TV shows) think of lawyers as fiery litigators who perform in courtrooms. Most lawyers know that the profession is more diverse, but when it comes to pro bono cases, all too many lawyers still think of litigation first. But there’s plenty of rewarding pro bono work to be done by non-litigators as well. (more…)
Dinner & Discussion with Peter Edelman (2018)
By Anne King
In his latest book, Georgetown Law’s Peter Edelman highlights several ways in which the government treats poverty like a criminal offense. At our recent Dinner and Discussion, Peter joined us to discuss that book, Not a Crime to Be Poor: The Criminalization of Poverty in America, and also offered advice on public-interest lawyering. (more…)
Free to Ride: Transportation as a Civil-Rights Issue
By Alexis Applegate
When someone mentions the Civil Rights Movement, what comes to mind first? For many of us, it’s Rosa Parks’s stand on a bus, which sparked the Montgomery bus boycott and galvanized the broader effort. Yet few of us think about transportation as a civil-rights issue. (more…)
Bread for the City Breaks Ground in Southeast DC
26 February 2018 Blog, East River of the River Profiles, Featured
Exciting news from Bread for the City — the organization has begun construction on a 30,000 square-foot facility on Good Hope Road, more than tripling their footprint in Southeast! The new Southeast Center will provide a variety of new and enhanced services, including primary health care, vision, and dental services; a wellness center; and even a vegetable garden on the roof. The new facility will also feature an expanded jobs center, which will provide job seekers with a new classroom, computer lab, and training space, in addition to offering counseling, mentorship, and long-term support. Bread for the City hopes to open the new and improved Southeast Center in 2020. In the meantime, they plan to continue providing Southeast residents with legal, employment, and social services. Read more about this exciting development in Anacostia here!