By Jessica Laycock

Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC) is proud to celebrate the dedication and commitment of our Board Chair, Liam Montgomery. Liam, an eleven-year veteran of United States Naval Aviation and a partner at Williams & Connolly LLP, has been a passionate advocate for survivors of crime, veterans, and numerous other pro bono causes. His leadership in pro bono work is an inspiration to others at his firm and throughout our DC community.

In his usual practice at Williams & Connolly, Liam focuses on complex civil trials, principally in matters relating to environmental law, life sciences, and financial and actuarial services. He has managed and led civil and criminal jury trials and arbitrations for Fortune 50 companies, national banks, international consulting firms, and individuals in federal and state courts across the country.

NVRDC is fortunate to have Liam bring this expertise to his pro bono representation and support of survivors of crime. In the 5 years that Liam has served on our Board, he has made a tremendous impact on our services and NVRDC’s overall ability to support survivors with free, holistic and trauma-informed care. Liam helped to make Williams & Connolly a member of NVRDC’s signature Civil Protection Order team, assisting survivors of sexual assault, domestic and interpersonal violence and stalking to obtain protection orders from DC Superior Court. Since being involved with NVRDC, Liam has represented survivors in 7 civil protection order cases, defended a survivor in a defamation lawsuit against them, and advocated for a survivor’s safety in a COVID-19 release motion. This means that in 5 years, Liam has performed 391.2 hours of pro bono work. This doesn’t include Liam’s additional efforts to connect other attorneys at Williams & Connolly with survivors of crime through NVRDC’s Pro Bono Program, which resulted in a total of 202.3 hours of work for the firm in the last fiscal year! Liam has also shared his own extensive litigation expertise with NVRDC staff attorneys by generously hosting a two-part training on cross-examination skills. We are grateful that both our staff and clients have been able to benefit from Liam’s litigation background.

Due to his dedication to pro bono work, in 2022, Liam was recognized as a finalist for Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year by Chambers. The awards celebrate the achievements of firms and individuals furthering the advancement of diversity and inclusion across the USA and Canada. Liam has also been selected to the Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll every year since 2011. In addition to being recognized for his pro bono work with crime victims, Liam’s work with veterans has also been celebrated and recognized for these awards, including his work coordinating the firm’s veterans’ advocacy program, and helping to place and supervise cases with the National Veterans Legal Services Program (“NVLSP”).

NVRDC is incredibly grateful for Liam’s role within our organization and hopes that his passion for pro bono work is an inspiration for others.

Jessica Laycock is the Engagement & Pro Bono Coordinator for the Network for Victim Recovery DC.