RBG at #sumfo17
Our 2017 Summer Forum is in the books. Thanks to Justice Ginsburg, everyone who helped plan the event, and all the students who attended! More photos to come soon… (more…)
Summer Forum 2017: Facts about Justice Ginsburg
The keynote speaker at our 2017 Summer Forum, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, has had a landmark career both on and off the bench. Here are a few tidbits that you may not have known about her: (more…)
Meet Jackie Rogers, Our New Summer Intern
We are delighted to introduce our 2017 summer intern, Jackie Rogers. Jackie is a rising senior in the Honors College at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. She is majoring in Political Science and Economics; serves as VP of the Young Democrats Club; and represented the state of Oregon in College Debate 2016. Last summer, Jackie interned at the U.S. Senate for Senator Ron Wyden. She's also interested in the legal system and how it can improve. At a recent conference, Jackie presented on inclusivity in Supreme Court decisions, focusing on cases that changed social, legal, and political status quo. And this fall she'll take the LSAT and apply to law school. Interning with us is another outgrowth of her interests in activism and the law. "Washington Council of Lawyers provides everything I wanted in a summer internship," said Jackie. "The organization works to ensure everyone, regardless of income, has access to our justice system. I look forward to learning about the legal profession and public-interest law." We're thrilled to welcome Jackie back to Washington, DC and to work with her this summer. And we can't wait to see what she does with her legal career!
Our New Deputy Director: Christina Jackson
Today we welcome Christina Jackson as our new Deputy Director. Christina has spent her career helping lawyers and law students do public-interest work, and we're proud to welcome her to our staff. Before joining us, Christina served as the Director of Public Service Initiatives & Fellowships at NALP; before that, she was the Public Interest Specialist in the Office of Career & Professional Development at American University Washington College of Law. Christina has also practiced civil-rights employment-law for eight years in Georgia and Alabama, is a member of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, and is a former member of the Equal Justice Works National Advisory Committee. (more…)
Fellowships 101: Video + Resources
If you missed last week's Fellowships 101, we've got some resources for you: Delisa Moris's presentation slides about PSJD online resources and Malik's Walker's slides slides about resources available from the Partnership for Public Service. (more…)
The Experience of Immigrants in D.C. Courts [Video]
On June 16, 2017 we hosted The Experience of Immigrants in D.C. Courts featuring Katie D’Adamo Guevara (Immigration Attorney, DC Public Defender Service) and Susannah Volpe (Associate Director, Ayuda). These immigration experts highlighted the relevant laws, provided a flowchart of legal processes, and identified the ways that clients involved in civil and criminal cases may come into contact with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. (more…)
DC Bar Foundation Awards Access to Justice Grants to Legal Services Providers East of the River
The DC Bar Foundation recently announced the 2017 recipients of the Access to Justice Grants Program, which awards grants to DC-based organizations that provide free legal help to low-income DC residents. This year, over $4.5 million was awarded to more than thirty DC-based legal services providers, including more than $3 million in grant funding for providers assisting residents of underserved areas. In 2016, Access to Justice grantees served nearly 23,000 DC residents, 52 percent of whom live in Wards 7 and 8. In addition to the multiple legal services providers receiving grants to assist low-income and vulnerable citizens across DC, several grants will benefit East of the River residents directly. One new grantee for 2017, Tzedek DC, received funding to assist low-income DC residents in debt-related legal matters, including providing community outreach by partnering with the United Planning Organization in Ward 7. Bread for the City received continued funding for its community lawyering work at its offices on Good Hope Road SE. The project’s attorneys work directly with the community to help identify options to tackle issues affecting its residents and, when needed, provide substantial direct representation to the residents. The project focuses on affordable housing, housing conditions, and hiring practices. The grant awarded to Whitman-Walker Health will provide legal representation, counseling, and outreach to people living with HIV/AIDS and other low-income residents East of the River, through lawyers based at its Max Robinson Center in Southeast DC. Whitman-Walker offers free legal aid to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals in DC, regardless of HIV status, and to health care patients regardless of sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity. Children’s Law Center received continued funding for its Healthy Together Medical-Legal Partnerships with Unity Healthcare’s Minnesota Avenue clinic in Northeast DC, and with clinics in Southeast DC. In this medical-legal collaboration, the lawyers provide services through the Unity Healthcare clinic and two Southeast clinics of the Children’s National Medical Center, working with families of CNMC patients to identify and resolve non-medical solutions to children’s health issues. Neighborhood Legal Services Program received continued funding to provide neighborhood-based legal aid in the areas of housing, family law, and public benefits through NLSP’s office Ward 7 on Polk Street NE, which will provide low-income residents of this underserved community with free and accessible legal assistance. And the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia received continued public funding to support their Southeast Neighborhood Access Project, which provides clients with access to lawyers who work in two neighborhood offices in Wards 7 and 8.
D.C. Bar Candidate Endorsements (2017)
By Susan Hoffman & Barbara Kagan The D.C. Bar has over 100,000 members, and its leaders can influence the legal profession significantly. With this in mind, each year we endorse candidates for D.C. Bar leadership candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to pro bono service, the public-interest community, and access to justice. This year, we hope that you'll vote for the following candidates (listed alphabetically, and not in order of preference) between now and May 19th: (more…)
More Join Fight to Preserve LSC Funding
The White House’s $1.15 trillion budget calls for the defunding or eliminating a variety of programs and agencies, including the Legal Services Corporation. We previously reported on responses from LSC and its supporters. Other groups are joining chorus calling on Congress to fully fund LSC. Some recent highlights:
Trump Budget Would Eliminate Funding for Legal Services Corp.
This week the White House released its $1.15 trillion budget—which, among other things, that targets domestic programs and calls for eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts, low-income heating assistance, and the AmeriCorps national-service program; it would also reduce funding for, among other things, Environmental Protection Agency, medical research, help for homeless veterans, and community-development grants. Another agency on the chopping block is the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). In FY16, Congress gave LSC $385 million—less than one-ten-thousandth of the federal budget. Our court systems are not designed for people to go it alone; cutting or eliminating LSC funding would especially harm the elderly, victims of domestic violence, veterans, tenants, and those in rural areas. And in many places, LSC-funded legal-aid organizations are the only sources of civil-legal services.
Beth Harrison and the Future of Legal Aid
By Craig Welkener As DC's affordable housing crisis deepens, Beth Harrison and other advocates have created an innovative program for people on the brink of eviction, pushing the boundaries of what has been possible in legal aid. By identifying at-risk tenants even before their eviction notices arrive, the Housing Right to Counsel Pilot Project is making real help more available than ever before. Although housing laws in the District are complex, the vast majority of individuals facing eviction are too poor to pay for an attorney. Legal services have historically been limited to those with the time to track down a nonprofit lawyer ahead of time, or those who take advantage of last minute, on-the-spot help provided by the Landlord Tenant Court-Based Legal Services Project. That project, which provides housing attorneys on a same-day basis, was funded by the city in 2007. However, that paradigm has begun to change, with the start of the Housing Right to Counsel Pilot Project. Beth Harrison, the director of the project, has worked in the trenches from the beginning. After earning her law degree from Harvard, Harrison arrived at the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia in 2005 as an entry-level housing attorney. At that time, Legal Aid's housing law program consisted of only three full-time staff attorneys, one fellow, and two loaned attorneys from law firms. The work received a boost in 2007, when the DC Council appropriated funds to subsidize legal counsel for the poor. Legal Aid's housing work has grown since then to twelve permanent lawyers and three loaned associates. As Harrison explains, these changes have meant that advocates can serve more clients, and "a big piece of that has been the city's choice to appropriate that funding." But vast gaps remain. The DC Bar Pro Bono Center reports that currently 95% of tenants remain unrepresented, while 90% to 95% of landlords pay for an attorney. Systemic problems call for sustainable solutions. And the Housing Right to Counsel Pilot Project—run by Legal Aid, Bread for the City, Legal Counsel for the Elderly, and the DC Bar Pro Bono Center—is futuristic in its design. "We are reviewing all eviction cases as they are filed with the court," Harrison explains. For approximately one out of every seven cases involving subsidized housing, "we send a letter saying we want to represent you." If the tenant accepts the help, a lawyer begins working on their case pro bono—even before the tenant receives an eviction notice. The program began in 2015, and relies on a smorgasbord of local nonprofits and law firm pro bono work to accomplish the mission. By providing help exactly when people can use it the most, the Housing Right to Counsel Pilot Project has the potential to truly change the norm of the unrepresented tenant. Perhaps this is the wave of the future. Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie recently introduced the Expanding Access to Justice Act of 2016, which would increase funding for similar housing projects. Guaranteeing a broad “right to counsel … in civil cases involving fundamental human needs" is McDuffie’s long-term goal. Harrison is certainly inspired. "The legal work that we do here is incredibly challenging and rich. And the interaction with the clients of course is an ongoing benefit. It's an ongoing inspiration to keep doing the work." Craig Welkener is a volunteer with the Washington Council of Lawyers, a Ward 8 resident, and a Georgetown graduate clerking at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
Jobseeker Clinics East of the River
By Caroline Fleming This January, Neighborhood Legal Services Program is partnering with DC Public Library to launch Unlocking Employment, a new series of free, community-based legal clinics. The clinics, which will be staffed by dedicated NLSP personnel, are supported by a grant from the LSC Pro Bono Innovation Fund; the grant will enable half-day pro bono legal clinics several times a month at two library branches: Bellevue/William O. Lockridge in Ward 8, and Benning/Dorothy I. Height Library in Ward 7. Volunteer lawyers will help low-income job-seekers address barriers to employment, including background checks, driver's-license revocation, and discrimination.
2016 Legacy Award: Marsha Tucker
By Nancy Lopez This year is our 45th anniversary. When we got started back in 1971, we were run entirely by volunteers. Arnold & Porter's Marsha Tucker, winner of our 2016 Legacy Award, was one of those volunteers, and she soon assumed many of the responsibilities for running the organization. Indeed, for many years our mailing address was Marsha's office at Arnold & Porter. Marsha has made sustained, significant contributions to Washington Council of Lawyers, improving the organization by leaps and bounds along the way. As one of our board members observes, "it is hard to think of Washington Council of Lawyers without seeing Marsha Tucker in the background quietly figuring out what needs to be done and making sure it happens." (more…)
2016 Presidents Award for Public Service: Kathryn Doan
By Tanya Senanayake With immigrants and vulnerable communities facing unique threats, it's as important as ever to stay focused on equality and access to justice. And at times like these we need more people like CAIR Coalition's Kathryn Doan—winner of our 2016 Presidents Award for Public Service. Kathy has served immigrants for more than twenty years, and has fought hard to get justice for members of underrepresented communities. (more…)
2016 Government Pro Bono Award: Katrina Rouse
By Amy Senier Katrina Rouse, is a Trial Attorney at the Department of Justice Antitrust Division and the winner of our 2016 Government Pro Bono Award. It's easy to see why: She has an uncommon commitment to pro bono work. Since she learned about DOJ’s Pro Bono Program when joining the government in 2011, she has handled six pro bono cases from the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center’s Advocacy & Justice Clinic, drafted two wills through the D.C. Bar-Bread for the City Pro Bono Wills Clinic, and volunteered several times at the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center's Advice & Referral Clinic. Katrina makes a point of taking on at least one pro bono case per year. And “if that case gets dismissed quickly, I take another. It is my personal commitment to being a good resident of the city.” (more…)
2016 Legal Services Award: Thomas “Skip” Mark
By Jim Rubin Thomas “Skip” Mark, winner of our 2016 Legal Services Award, has served many and achieved much as a managing attorney at the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center. Indeed, he's spent his entire career helping others and expanding access to justice. (more…)
2016 Law Firm Award: Dechert
Dechert, winner of our 2016 Law Firm Award, encourages all of its lawyers to do public-interest work. The firm maintains 26 offices around the world, and each office follows the passions of its lawyers and pursues pro bono work that is vital to their communities. (more…)
Crossing the Border: Global Pro Bono
By Cheryl Polydor "Think globally, act locally." The two increasingly have become one in this age of the global village and the global economy. Local lawyers and judges interested in promoting justice beyond U.S. borders now can do so without leaving home. They also can work directly in the field—whether that means traveling to rural Mexico or North Darfur, Sudan. (more…)
Pro Bono Week Recap: Serving on Nonprofit Boards
By Erin Mee Serving on nonprofit boards can help expand access to justice and give back to the community, while at the same time providing board members an opportunity to expand their networks and build meaningful skills. So explained the speakers at Washington Council of Lawyers's DC Pro Bono Week panel discussing service on nonprofit boards. (more…)
Pro Bono Week Recap: Landlord-Tenant Branch Site Visit
A dozen lawyers and law students gathered at Judiciary Square on Tuesday morning, October 25 for The Housing Crisis from the Inside: A Guided Tour of D.C. Superior Court’s Landlord and Tenant Branch. This Pro Bono Week event was co-sponsored by Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia and Neighborhood Legal Services Program; the tour, led by Legal Aid's Beth Mellen Harrison, sought to educate participants about the lack of safe, affordable housing in the District and the experience of low-income tenants forced to defend themselves in eviction cases in a fast-paced, high-volume court. (more…)
Our 2016 Award Winners
Every year we give out awards to recognize lawyers and firms who provided exceptional pro bono and public-interest service. This year's Awards Ceremony will take place on December 1, and we're pleased to announce this year's winners: (more…)
Storify: Serving on Nonprofit Boards
A Storify of our Pro Bono Week event on Nonprofit Boards. (more…)
2016 Pro Bono Week Profiles: The Complete Set
For DC Pro Bono Week 2016, we whipped up five profiles of lawyers who've done fantastic pro bono work despite extremely busy schedules: (more…)
Halloween Pro Bono Puns
When DC Pro Bono Week meets Halloween…
Pro Bono Week Profile: Gerald Richman
By Children's Law Center When you ask Gerald Richman why he volunteers as a pro bono lawyer for Children’s Law Center, he is quick to talk about vulnerable children who need someone in their corner. “A lot of these families are walking on a tightrope,” he says. “But when you take a case, you can see immediate benefits for someone who needs help, who doesn’t have a lot of advantages in life.” (more…)
Pro Bono Week Profile: Katrina Rouse
By Lise Adams For Katrina Rouse, public service transcends her day job. Despite her challenging career as a trial lawyer with DOJ's Antitrust Division, Katrina regularly makes time to volunteer with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, working with the Center's Advocacy & Justice Clinic to provide extended representation for low-income clients. This volunteer service is central to Katrina’s professional life: “I have a goal of taking on at least one case per year. If that case gets dismissed quickly, I take another. It is my personal commitment to being a good resident of the city.” Katrina first became aware of the Pro Bono Center when she started working at the Antitrust Division. Her orientation packet included a flier about pro bono opportunities for federal government lawyers. Katrina immediately contacted Laura Klein, manager of the Federal Government Pro Bono Program, and Laura encouraged Katrina to take a Pro Bono Center case. (continued…)
Pro Bono Week Profile: Will Ashworth & Shauna Kramer
By Michael Lukens It takes a special and dedicated pro bono team to fight for a noncitizen facing deportation and exile from his family. Cases like these often combine immigration law and criminal issues and require lawyers willing and able to articulate why their client, despite past mistakes, deserves to stay in the United States. This year, Williams & Connolly's Will Ashworth and Shauna Kramer successfully made that case—and did so with poise, strength, and compassion. (more…)
Pro Bono Week Profile: Joseph Patry
By Jodi Feldman Just a few weeks ago, the Legal Aid Society recognized Joseph J. Patry, an associate at Blank Rome, with the first Making Justice Real Pro Bono Award. The award came at a special celebration recognizing Legal Aid’s Generous Associates Campaign and pro bono volunteers. (more…)
Pro Bono Week Recap: Hacky Hour
We started off DC Pro Bono Week with a Hacky Hour, looking at how technology can improve access to justice. (More…)
Pro Bono Week Profile: Angela Buckner
By Amy Nelson “Public service is a privilege,” says Angela Buckner, a volunteer lawyer at Whitman-Walker’s Name and Gender Change Clinic. Angela has sought out public service throughout her career, and is one of the clinic's many proud volunteers. (more…)