Washington Council of Lawyers is powered by our (all-volunteer) Board of Directors. Our working board plans and executes a range of advocacy efforts, education and training programs, social and fundraising events, and communication initiatives. We'd love for you to join us! We're now accepting applications to join our board. Please submit your application by 5:00 pm on Monday, June 2, 2025.
The leadership of the D.C. Bar sets the priorities for the largest unified bar association in the country. The D.C. Bar President, Treasurer, and Board of Governors review and approve D.C. Bar policies, approve the annual budget for the Bar and the Bar Pro Bono Center, decide which committee and task force recommendations to pursue, set governance for the Bar, and much more. Washington Council of Lawyers believes effective Bar leadership will have experience in service to the legal community, have leadership experience with the D.C. Bar, D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, or voluntary bars and be able to provide strategic guidance to contribute to the Bar’s future.
As the pro bono and public-interest bar association of Washington, DC, the Washington Council of Lawyers’ core tenet is that the legal system should treat everyone fairly regardless of money, position, or power. We continue to fight against the challenges to this core principle from the administration, elected officials, and other actors.
Transitioning out of the federal government means leaving your job with a federal agency, which typically involves assessing your transferable skills, updating your resume to highlight those skills, actively networking within your desired industry, and utilizing career transition programs like the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) to find new employment, either within another government agency or in the private sector. Here are some general tips you should consider during your transition:
Challenging times bring opportunities – to support our community and fight for what we know is right. Now more than ever, we are equipped and ready to empower advocates and inspire change!
Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby joined the DC Court of Appeals in 2006 and has served as chief judge since 2017. Prior to her tenure at the DC Court of Appeals, Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby served on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for more than ten years as an associate judge and magistrate judge. During her distinguished career, Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby has been honored for her legal, judicial, and community service. Moreover, she has led the Courts’ access to justice and racial equity work, steadfastly supported pro bono volunteers, and spearheaded innovative improvements to court operations. Further, Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby has been instrumental in the creation of the Court’s Access to Justice Unit. As the public-interest bar association of the District of Columbia, we are delighted to highlight this aspect of her work with the 2024 Justice Impact Awards Presidents Award.
Brilliant, dedicated, collaborator, mentor, leader. These are the words most used to describe Nancy Lopez, retired Executive Director of Washington Council of Lawyers. In her tenure, Nancy formed and shaped Washington Council of Lawyers into what we are today. Her insight, wisdom, experience, flexibility, and skill are just some of the reasons we are thrilled to recognize her with our Justice Impact Awards Legacy Award. Rarely given (it's only been awarded twice before), it is reserved for those individuals who don't just go above and beyond, but make a substantial and exemplar impact on access to justice in DC and pro bono and public interest in our community. Nancy was a stalwart leader of Washington Council of Lawyers with a passion for our mission and an unwavering commitment to access to justice work. We were fortunate to have her hand at the helm through unprecedented growth and once-in-a-lifetime challenges. She continues to support our work as a volunteer, and her vision lives on in the work we do every day. Join us in celebrating Nancy Lopez as our Legacy Award recipient.
Christine Ennis is a trial attorney in the Environmental and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) who has demonstrated a laudable commitment to performing and empowering others to engage in pro bono service. From the major efforts and achievements to the smaller tasks that ensure she and her colleagues can continue to provide innovative pro bono service to her neighbors, Christine has made a tremendous positive impact on her community. For these and many more reasons, we're excited to celebrate Christine Ennis as the 2024 Justice Impact Award Government recipient.
Amy Nelson, Director of Legal Services for Whitman-Walker Health, has spent her career working for justice and improving the lives of low-income people and those impacted by structural barriers. Amy deeply cares about people – her clients, her team, all relationships. She leads with humanity and enthusiasm. She centers everyone’s unique needs and feelings as she works to lead, support her team, reduce structural barriers, and improve access by truly seeing the person. Colleagues use words like kind, brilliant, and persistent. Amy is a deeply respected leader in our community who always seeks ways to increase access to justice for marginalized individuals. She is a mentor, supporter, collaborator and innovator. Most importantly she is tireless in pursuing justice for her clients and building networks to multiply her impact. For these reasons and more, we are pleased to honor Amy Nelson with the 2024 Justice Impact Awards Legal Services award.
Kathi has worked tirelessly to expand opportunities in the legal profession to all, through her active leadership of the Chapter’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and many other initiatives. Kathi is a visionary leader who has shown a remarkable commitment to justice in our legal community. She is a force multiplier, not only providing legal services directly to clients, but encouraging and inspiring others to do so as well. We are thrilled to recognize Kathi Westcott with our 2024 Justice Impact Awards Corporate Legal Department award.
Jessica Hough, Skadden partner and global head of the firm's regulatory practices, is a champion of pro bono work at Skadden, in the DC community, and beyond — leading by example and continually ensuring that pro bono is an integral part of the DC office’s culture. We are thrilled to recognize Jessica Hough as the 2024 Justice Impact Award Law Firm recipient for her unwavering dedication and as a shining example of the vital role volunteers need to play in non-litigation pro bono.
On Wednesday, October 30 we convened for Best Practices in Pro Bono: Pro Bono Partnerships: Strengthening and Innovating Collaboration. Get the recap inside!
DC Pro Bono Week 2024 is a wrap, but the inspiration to make a difference in our community and the celebration of pro bono service continues. We know the need for pro bono lawyers doesn’t stop and as lawyers, we have a duty and obligation to help bridge the access to justice gap. Whether it’s by taking on a pro bono case, volunteering for an advice and referral clinic, contributing to systemic advocacy, or financially supporting a legal services organization, we can all do something for the public good.
That’s a wrap on DC Pro Bono Week 2024! We hope the events, trainings, and more throughout October inspired your to commitment to pro bono service. If you’re looking for creative ways to make pro bono service a part of your career, check out these stories!
The Prison Policy Initiative projects that Maryland incarcerates 475 persons per every 100,000 people in the state. Maryland’s exceptionally high rate of incarceration stands out on an international scale, outpacing several NATO-member nations. See id. As the State’s Attorney General recently acknowledged, Maryland’s prisons are among the worst in the nation for their racially disparate incarceration of Black people. The disparities are particularly extreme among the more than 2,000 people serving life-with-parole sentences: about 77% of Maryland lifers are Black, in a state that is about 31% Black. For those who were children at the time they were first incarcerated, the numbers are even more stark – 84%.
Tim Cordova, an associate in the Health Care Group at Alston & Bird, has built a reputation for his meticulous work in health care legislative and regulatory compliance matters. But beyond his daily practice, Tim's has established a commitment to pro bono work, particularly in helping disabled individuals secure much-needed Social Security disability benefits and health care coverage. Tim has become an advocate for those who need it most, working tirelessly to assist clients through difficult appeals processes and ensuring they receive the support they deserve.
In Washington, D.C., the collaboration between La Clinica Del Pueblo and the Tahirih Justice Center is significantly impacting the lives by—Latiné* immigrant survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). This medical-legal partnership represents a crucial lifeline for communities often excluded from traditional healthcare and legal support, particularly for those within the Latiné immigrant population. By combining the expertise of La Clinica Del Pueblo in providing culturally appropriate health services with the legal advocacy strength of the Tahirih Justice Center, this initiative provides an integrated and holistic approach to the complex challenges faced by these individuals.
Nonprofits play a critical role in serving low-income, historically underserved communities. In Washington, DC, the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project fills these gaps by recruiting, training, and supervising pro bono attorneys who in turn represent clients in family law, child advocacy, and immigration matters. DCVLP and its volunteers focus on serving survivors of domestic violence, survivors of gender-based violence, and vulnerable children. Volunteer attorneys donated 48,000 pro bono hours in 2023 alone. Two of these volunteers are Anne (Annie) Bonfiglio and Sarah Tunney.
In addition to the main DC Pro Bono Week events, a series of affiliated trainings will take place before, during, and after Pro Bono Week. The full list is below: October 9 Introduction to Pro Bono Advocacy for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children 2:00-3:15 pm CT Register October 23 Family Separation Learn about the Ms. L v. ICE settlement agreement and the legal processes it provides for separated families. 12:00 - 1:00 pm ET Register November 7 Understanding Family Law vs. Probate Law 1:00-2:00 pm ET Virtual Register If you are hosting a training between now and the end of November, we would love to feature it on our Affiliated Trainings page! Please email Chris Marin at cmarin@wclawyers.org for more information.
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.
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.”
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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!
On Thursday, June 27 Washington Council of Lawyers hosted the Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Panel, which covered the current work being done in this area and ways to get involved! The panel was moderated by Amandeep Sidu (co-founder of Sikh Coalition), this was a conversation amongst leaders of 4 public interest or nonprofit organizations regarding their backgrounds, their current work, the challenges in the current legal landscape and more. Antonio is currently at the Legal Defense Fund, however he took a nontraditional pathway to his work. He was a Biglaw associate at Morrison & Forrester, law clerk, Fulbright fellow and worked in Africa and then returned to the U.S. as a law clerk. His experiences with micro-aggressions at Yale University as well as race relations in the legal field led him to the Legal Defense Fund. He’s drawn to issues he’s impacted by. Maria Morris is at the National Prisons Project – ACLU. She did prison work at the Southern Poverty Law Center. She had been involved in human rights work prior to law school. Her passion is focusing on prisoners’ rights issues. There are disability and religious rights issues. Rewarding to do work on such gross human rights violations. Alena Sayo is at the National Disability Rights Network. She was previously a special education teacher. She was a Guardian Ad Litem. She believes that public service is who she is. Janson Wu recently joined the Trevor Project after being at GLAD. Challenges Currently Facing in Current Legal/Judicial Landscape: In prisons, challenges include opioid use disorder treatment, addressing mental health care and the administrative burden For the LBTQ community, the Supreme Court is now a risky place and there is a need to revert back to advocacy on the state level instead of litigating in the courts. However, almost half of the states now ban gender affirming care for youth so advocating on the state level is also challenging. The landscape for the Legal Defense Fund (educational equity, criminal justice, political participation, economic justice) has expanded to pro truth work involving attacks in higher education. There is an intersection between race and queer community. The disability rights movement was hand-in-hand with the civil rights movement. She talked about how it’s still legal in many states to be in sheltered workshops. Institutionalization is making a comeback particularly those who are unhoused. Intersectionality amongst identities is a recurring theme. The Victories Organizations are Seeing: People with disabilities scored a victory during Covid with access to services and government such as the right to vote independently and privately from home. The same system used by military and Americans abroad were provided to people with disabilities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts The LQBTQ community saw a victory recently in Rhode Island, which prevents harassment to providers of gender affirming care. In Pennsylvania, young people are now protected from conversion therapy via a recent Executive Order. In the prison reform arena, there was recently a case In Arizona in which it was determined that prisoners under 18 years old could not be in solitary confinement. People in long term solitary confinement dropped by 80%. All of the panelists suggested the following ways for new law school graduates to get involved: Fellowships Development of broad skillsets Policy-related work Be well-versed with outcomes Bar Association committees and getting involved by attending school board meetings. Future of civil rights movement will be in the public narrative.
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.
On Tuesday, July 16, we gathered virtually for Managing Student Debt. Aoife Delargy Lowe, the Vice President of Law School Engagement & Advocacy at Equal Justice Works. We discussed the many resources and opportunities for repayment support and loan forgiveness available to current borrowers. Our conversation highlighted the below resources, review these resources for how you can become more confident about repaying your student loans.
