Justice Impact Awards

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. That is why we are pleased to announce our annual Awards Ceremony will now be known as the Justice Impact Awards – a time for us to come together, recharge our collective batteries, celebrate our accomplishments, commiserate on our challenges, and be inspired. It will continue to be our annual pro bono and public interest celebration.

Further, each year there are a few exceptional individuals who go above and beyond and deserve special recognition. As we have for many years, we will recognize the outstanding advocates who make exceptional contributions to the pro bono and public-interest community while bringing our larger community together.

We are thrilled to recognize the first recipients of our Justice Impact Awards:

Presidents Award for Public Service
Nancy Drane
D.C. Access to Justice Commission

Legal Services
Wes Heppler
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless

Government
Chris Jennison
Federal Aviation Administration

Law Firm
Ted Howard
Wiley Rein LLP

Corporate Legal Department
Pat McGlone
Ullico, Inc.

Our Justice Impact Awards celebration will take place on Wednesday, December 6 at 6:30 pm at Arnold & Porter (601 Massachusetts Avenue, NW). Tickets are on sale now!

Spread the word on social media using #JusticeImpactAwards23 and invite friends and colleagues. We are looking forward to an inspiring evening.

Virtual Auction!

Support our mission in a fun and unique way through our annual Virtual Auction. From swanky dinners to unique experiences, this auction is your gateway to a treasure trove of delights. Bid to win exclusive getaways, one-of-a-kind items, and unforgettable adventures.

The best part is every dime you spend goes toward supercharging our advocacy, providing top-notch training, offering invaluable mentorship, and nurturing our vibrant public-interest community.

BID NOW. Bidding closes at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, December 7.

Thank you to our 2023 annual Justice Impact Awards Sponsors!

Your support means we can continue our mission of ensuring that our legal system treats everyone fairly, regardless of money, position, or power.

Champion

Arnold & Porter
Compass Lexecon
Kirkland & Ellis

Trailblazer

Latham & Watkins

Defender

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Covington & Burling
DLA Piper
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
Hogan Lovells
Sidley Austin
Steptoe Foundation
TM Financial Forensics

Pioneer

AlixPartners
ArentFox Schiff
Cleary Gottlieb
Crowell & Moring
Dechert

Sponsors help make our work possible. If you would like to become a sponsor for our 2023 Justice Impact Awards and Pro Bono & Public Interest Celebration, please contact our Executive Director, Christina Jackson, at cjackson@wclawyers.org or 202.451.8129.

If you weren’t able to attend our 2022 celebration, check out the inspiring remarks from our award recipients on our Instagram Reels @wash_lawyers.