WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF LAWYERS

Co-sponsored by DC Consortium of Legal Services Providers Join us for a special fireside chat…

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%.