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Photo: Susie Cambria

Blogging for Ward 7: Community Activist Susie Cambria

By Peter Nye Ward 7 blogger and community activist Susie Cambria has worked on District policy and public-interest initiatives for more than two decades, partnering with local nonprofits and the DC city government before launching Susie's Budget and Policy Corner in 2009. But she first got involved in community issues early in her childhood. Her parents led her in that direction: “Being an activist was just something that we did.” When she was seven, her father, a Shriner, took her to the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts. She was influenced by the patients’ problems, especially those of a seven-year-old amputee who pushed himself around in a cart. Susie promptly hosted a neighborhood fair to raise money for the patients. She raised seven dollars; impressed by her dedication, the Shriners donated twice as much. (more…)
Photo: NLSP Attorneys Heather & Adrian

Protecting the Veterans Who Protected Us

By Ryan C. Wilson For veterans, applying for government benefits and housing can feel like David fighting Goliath. A confusing array of deadlines and eligibility requirements often choke veterans' efforts to get the benefits to which they are entitled. And when veterans attempt to find housing, post-service disabilities can expose them to slumlords who bypass the legal process and force them out onto the streets. The Washington Post recently highlighted two veterans who were forced to live in their Southeast apartment for months during the winter without heat and then locked out without their possessions. [more…]

Expungement Clinic in Anacostia

By Caroline Fleming On May 17, DC Ward 8 Councilmember LaRuby May will host a record-sealing and expungement fair in Anacostia. At the fair, volunteer lawyers will help DC residents with the complicated process of sealing or expunge criminal records. If you're a DC lawyer or legal professional interested in pro bono work, it's a great way to volunteer for a discrete period of time. The fair supports the broader movement in DC to make it easier for people with criminal records to get jobs. In particular, the 2014 Ban the Box law prohibits certain DC employers from asking about criminal history on their initial application forms, and allows them to ask about criminal convictions only after making a conditional offer of employment. [...]
Graphic: Join Our Board

Join Our Board!

By Paul Lee Washington Council of Lawyers is powered by our (all-volunteer) Board of Directors. Our working board plans and executes a range of education and training programs, social and fundraising events, and advocacy and communication initiatives. And we'd love for you to join us: We're now accepting applications to join our board. Serving on our board is both professionally and personally rewarding, and a great way to become more involved with our organization and the DC public-interest community. Here is a peek at what's involved: (more…)

Preserving Homeownership in Deanwood

By Amy Gellatly At Neighborhood Legal Services Program, we want to make sure that longtime Deanwood residents are able to preserve their homes and pass them down to future generations. That’s why we are launching a new Homeownership Preservation program out of our Deanwood office. With this program, we will advocate on behalf of homeowners and make sure that they have access to the District’s services for homeowners in distress. (More…)
Photo: Moose The Dog

The Dogs of Public Interest Law: Moose

New at The Dogs of Public Interest Law: Moose! She’s a mixed-breed pup who hangs out with Dena Sher, Assistant Legislative Director at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. (more…)
Graphic: 2016 D.C. Bar Endorsements

Our 2016 D.C. Bar Endorsements

The D.C. Bar is one of the largest bar organizations in the country, and it sets the tone for lawyers in D.C. and elsewhere. With this in mind, each year we endorse candidates for D.C. Bar office who share our commitment to advancing pro bono, public-interest law, and access to justice more generally. This year, we endorse the following candidates. (Lists of multiple candidates appear alphabetically, and not in order of preference). (more…)
Image: Community Listening Project

Poverty and Participation, East of the River

By David Steib Exclusion begets poverty begets exclusion begets poverty begets exclusion begets poverty. “When the participation of people living in poverty is not actively sought and facilitated, they are not able to participate in decision-making and their needs and interests are not taken into account when policy is designed and implemented,“ said a March 2013 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. ”Lack of participation in decision-making and in civil, social, and cultural life,“ the report added, is ”a defining feature and cause of poverty, rather than just its consequence.” (More…)

Job Seeker Workshop at Anacostia Library

Upcoming programs at DC Public Library East of the River will help District residents with criminal records search for a job. "Ban the Box," a DC law passed in 2014, says that certain employers are not allowed to inquire about criminal background on initial job application forms, and can ask about criminal convictions only after making a conditional offer of employment. A series of interactive workshops, facilitated by lawyers from Bread for the City and Neighborhood Legal Services Program, will teach residents about the new law and will walk participants through the process of filing a complaint if their rights are violated. The next workshop in the series takes place Wednesday, March 18, at 11:00 a.m. at the Anacostia Library on 1800 Good Hope Road SE. Additional Ban the Box workshops, along with more East of the River programming, is planned in the coming months as well.

Photo: Deanwood Library

Education News, East of the River

February has already brought two innovations to DC education, with particular benefits for residents East of the River and in other disadvantaged local communities. First, the DC City Council has teamed up with DC Public Libraries for an exciting new program, called Books from Birth, which provides DC kids with a free book each month from birth until they turn five. The goal is to get children reading as early and often as possible in order to close the "achievement gap" that many disadvantaged children face when starting school. Parents or caregivers can register their children here; books are mailed monthly and the kids can keep the books (and read them as often as they want). Second, and in another effort to address the achievement gap—as well as the "summer learning loss" that many kids experience over summer vacation—DC will implement an extended school year for ten schools starting this fall. The Post reports that the ten elementary and middle schools, nine of which are in Wards 7 and 8, will have 20 extra days added to their school years. The goal is to replace a summer-break model with a year-round model. On extra added days, kids will have opportunities for extra learning both in core subjects and in "specials" such as arts, languages, and physical education. Mayor Bowser praised the initiative, pointing out that by the time the students reach eighth grade, they will have received an extra year's worth of instruction. DC officials hope that the added learning time will help level the playing field, giving children in disadvantaged neighborhoods more opportunities to learn and thrive.

Photo: Timothy Farrell

Street Sense Columnist Connects At-Risk Residents with Legal Resources

By Sierra Blanchard-Hodge Timothy Farrell, volunteer writer for the DC newspaper Street Sense, is not your average urban columnist. His youthful exploits may appear to be … unusual—he recalls, for example, being hustled into the back of a military truck by army personnel during an evacuation in Rhodesia. But despite these experiences, Tim had a fairly privileged upbringing, and he now seeks to use his education and legal expertise to give back to the community. (More…)
Photo: Mark Kennedy And Sean Hennessy

Arnold & Porter Wins a Pair of Pro Bono Criminal Cases

Attorneys from Arnold & Porter, along with their investigators and staff, recently won acquittals for clients in two separate, pro-bono cases. These terrific results ensured that two clients were able to celebrate the holidays at home with their families. In one of the cases, Counsel Mary Kennedy and Associate Sean Hennessy (on the right in the photo) represented a man who was indicted (along with two other codefendants) for aggravated assault while armed. After a two-day trial, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all charges—after deliberating for less than an hour. In the other matter, Mary and Associate Alex Berrang (on the left in the photo) represented a young man charged with first-degree murder while armed (as well as other firearm offenses). After a four-day trial, the jury acquitted their client on all counts. In each case, the jurors praised the defense team and cited the attorneys’ passion for their clients as a factor in the verdicts. (More…)
Photo: Leandra Carrasco

Our New Administrative Director, Leandra Carrasco

Leandra Carrasco joined us in December as Administrative Director. We’re delighted that Leandra will be using her considerable skill and enthusiasm to support pro-bono and public-interest lawyers in their work. With a background in community outreach and development, Leandra has always wanted to use her law degree to promote social justice. She received an Advocate for Justice scholarship to attend the University of the District of Columbia’s David A. Clarke School of Law and graduated magna cum laude. For Leandra, law school had two highlights: The first was completing over 750 hours of pro bono legal work at the Community Development and HIV/AIDS Family Law clinics. The second was working for the school’s founder, Edgar Cahn, as a teaching assistant and service coordinator for the mandatory Law & Justice class—which requires all 1Ls to complete 40 hours of law-related community service. (More…)

Surviving the Blizzard with No Heat

Low-income residents, including many East of the River, spent Snowzilla hunkered down under blankets or huddled around small space heaters. The Post describes the plight of many poor D.C. residents during the recent blizzard. For instance, a woman in Washington Highlands had to leave her oven running, with the door open, because the heat in her apartment has been broken all winter. Lack of heat can result from several circumstances facing low-income residents. D.C.'s Office of People's Counsel reports that low-income residents are often afraid to complain about their heating problems because they are worried that other social services will be discontinued if the city learns of their poor housing conditions. As explained by a housing lawyer with the Legal Aid Society for the District of Columbia, many low-income residents don't complain to their landlords for fear of eviction. And some landlords just don't properly maintain their properties—as we have previously discussed. As a result, many of D.C.'s poorest residents who went without heat during this week's historic snowstorm will continue to face similar unsafe conditions throughout the winter, even after the snow has melted.

DC Attorney General Sues Congress Heights Landlord

The Post continues to follow the story of Congress Heights residents pushing to remediate their unsafe housing conditions. The DC Attorney General's office has stepped in to sue the landlords of four buildings in the Ward 8 neighborhood, where low-income residents have long complained of housing problems ranging from rats to mold to lack of heat and hot water.
Graphic: Pro Bono Pun - NYE Ball Drop

2015 in Review (and a Request for your Support)

As we count down to the end of 2015, we've prepared a list of ten highlights of our work in 2015. love to share a top ten list that highlights our work. We are proud of the ways that we support the pro bono and public interest community, and hope you will make a tax-deductible donation to Washington Council of Lawyers so that we can do even more great work next year! (More…)
Unity Health Lawyers

Medical-Legal Partnership Helps Children East of the River

By Arooj Sami After eight-year-old Marie (name changed to protect her confidentiality) mentioned her fear of the cockroaches in her home, a doctor realized that there may be another way to help the young patient avoid more emergency room visits to treat her severe asthma. In the District, where 20 percent of children under age 18 have asthma, there are increasing efforts to go beyond clinical interventions and address the roots of this disease. Children’s Law Center, a nonprofit that provides free legal services to children and their families, has partnered with six health facilities around the District, including Unity Health Care’s Minnesota Avenue Clinic in Ward 7, to form Healthy Together. Lawyers from Healthy Together are on site at the partner facilities to train medical staff and answer questions about patients’ non-medical needs. The partnership reflects a holistic approach to children’s health. Although pediatricians advise parents on prescriptions or how to control allergens in the home, in many cases parents have little ability to manage their children's asthma. Some schools have poor air quality and may be unable or unwilling to take steps to reduce asthma triggers. In addition, low-income parents facing housing challenges often cannot prevent a child’s exposure to problematic mold in the home. More generally, management of asthma is affected to economic and social disparities, and low-income families face many barriers to effective management of chronic respiratory conditions. These families often experience instability in employment, housing, and family structure, and have fewer resources to fight for safe and sanitary housing conditions. Low-income working parents tend to lack paid leave or flexible work schedules, and are often unable to take children to doctor’s appointments scheduled during business hours. Areas in the District with the highest prevalence of asthma also have fewer primary care providers—for instance, children in Southeast DC visit the emergency room at a rate ten times greater than in Northwest DC. In light of these circumstances, health practitioners collaborating with Healthy Together attorneys are encouraged to ask about social and economic factors affecting patients’ health and make referrals to address those problems. Practitioners can also consult the Advocacy Code Card, which contains screening questions and resources for mental health services, housing, special education, and public benefits. This type of multi-pronged, collaborative approach is proving to be effective in tackling childhood asthma in the District. In addition to its partnership with Healthy Together, Children’s Law Center has worked with the DC Council to address mold in housing. Prior to 2014, the DC housing code did not cover mold; as long as there was no visible dampness, landlords were able to pass inspection by simply painting over mold.  But thanks to the advocacy of Children’s Law Center, the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, and other groups, the City Council passed a new law requiring landlords to remediate mold once tenants report it. As for Marie: she was referred to Children’s Law Center by Impact DC, an asthma research and treatment unit at the Children’s National Health System, after an emergency room visit. Children's Law Center arranged for a housing inspection through the DC Department of Environment’s Partnership for Healthy Homes. The inspection showed signs of cockroaches, excrement, decomposing cockroach bodies, and mice in the HVAC system—all triggers for asthma. After legal action was threatened, the landlord agreed to move Marie and her family to sanitary housing. Marie's health improved drastically after her family moved into better housing conditions. She had fewer acute episodes and did not have to be rushed to the emergency room. When her asthma was poorly controlled, Marie was missing school, or she was tired and unable to concentrate in class. Her mother, who was losing sleep staying up nights to care for Marie when she was wheezing, found it difficult to maintain steady employment because her daughter’s health required urgent attention. The family has since regained a sense of calm and an improved quality of life—all thanks to help from Healthy Together.

East Of The River Map

East of the River Profiles: Meeting the Community’s Legal Needs

East of the River Profiles highlight the work of lawyers,  law professors, and law students who serve low-income residents in Wards 7 and 8.  Poverty in the District of Columbia is concentrated in certain communities east of the Anacostia River. Lawyers are critical to helping low-income residents in these communities navigate challenges such as finding housing, stabilizing families, and finding jobs. Providing the necessary legal services to those who live East of the River requires minimizing geographic barriers to accessing legal aid, motivating pro bono lawyers and law students to travel across the river to assist clients, and ensuring that legal aid lawyers are visible and accessible in the community. With East of the River Profiles, we hope to encourage these changes by highlighting the needs of those who live East of the River and the work done by the lawyers serving these communities. In addition to telling these important stories, we've collected some East of the River resources. We also invite you to participate in the East of the River Casehandlers group. Finally, we’d love to hear from you! If you have stories, successes, or resources that you’d like us to share, please contact Caroline Fleming.

Humanitini, East of the River

The Humanities Council of Washington DC, an organization dedicated to sharing local history and culture of neighborhoods throughout the District, is hosting its December Humanitini event East of the River. Humanitini—"where happy hour meets the humanities"—is a monthly event bringing together local experts and residents for discussion, education, and debate. December's event features panelists from the Anacostia Coordinating Council, the DC Federation of Civic Associations, and the Eastland Gardens Civic Association, as well as a local scholar of DC anthropology. They'll be discussing the complex and varied histories of neighborhoods East of the River with an eye towards the future of this vital part of the District. The December Humanitini event will take place on December 27, 2015, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Uniontown Bar and Grill in Anacostia. Admission is free.

2015 Award Winners

Profiles of Our 2015 Award Winners

Presidents’ Award for Public Service: Roderic V. O. Boggs (Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs) Government Pro Bono Award: Kathryn Legomsky (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) Legal Services Award: Rebecca Lindhurst (Bread for the City) Above & Beyond Award: Jennifer Tschirch (Catholic University, Columbus School of Law) Law Firm Award: Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Rod Boggs Photo

2015 Presidents Awards for Public Service: Rod Boggs

By Sierra Blanchard-Hodge For Roderic V.O. Boggs, recipient of our Presidents' Award for Public Service, 1971 was a big year. That was the year when Rod became Executive Director of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. And it was also the year that he helped to launch our own organization, Washington Council of Lawyers. In the decades since then, our legal community has enjoyed the fruits of Rod's labor. (More…)
Photo: Kirkland Lawyers

2015 Law Firm Award: Kirkland & Ellis

By Sierra Blanchard-Hodge Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a leader not only in litigation and advocacy, but also in pro bono and public interest work. Every year the firm contributes at least 3% of its attorney time to pro bono work, and it encourages all of its lawyers to work on pro bono cases. Kirkland pro bono work comprises a wide range of issues—including immigration, disability rights, civil rights, prisoner rights, death penalty cases and criminal appeals, guardianship, veterans’ benefits, and more. (More…)

Law Firm Partnership with Legal Aid Expands East of the River

DC law firm Kirkland & Ellis has recently expanded its partnership with the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, providing increased access to legal assistance for East of the River residents. As part of the growing partnership, Kirkland attorneys are now helping to staff the Anacostia office of Legal Aid. Located at the Anacostia Professional Building at the "Big Chair," the East of the River office now offers general intake on Mondays and Thursdays between 10:00 am and 1:30 pm. It's just one of the reasons we're honoring Kirkland at our 2015 Awards Ceremony!

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