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Letter of Recommendation for Julie Becker

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February 13, 2015

Via Email and US Mail
dc.jnc@dc.gov
The Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan
Chair, Judicial Nomination Commission
515 5th Street NW, Suite 235
Washington, DC 20001

RE: Letter of Recommendation for Julie Becker, Candidate, Associate Judge, D.C. Superior Court

Dear Judge Sullivan and Members of the Commission:

Washington Council of Lawyers (“WCL”) writes to express its strong support for Julie Becker, Supervising Attorney at the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, for the position of Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Ms. Becker is widely known among her colleagues for her intelligence, integrity, dedication, experience, and fairness—traits that would all serve her well as a trial judge. Moreover, as a long-time legal services attorney, Ms. Becker would also bring a unique and much-needed perspective to the bench, as well as a deep understanding of the practice of law in the District’s high-volume courts.

WCL is a voluntary bar association located in the District of Columbia. Our mission is to promote the practice of pro bono and public interest law in the District; and our membership includes lawyers, legal professionals, law students, and others committed to advancing issues important to the public interest community. WCL offers its support for a judicial candidate, such as Ms. Becker, when that candidate has a long personal history of serving the underserved and promoting equal access to justice.

Ms. Becker has a long track record of demonstrated commitment to WCL’s goals. Over the past fifteen years, Ms. Becker has become an indispensable leader of the anti-poverty housing bar in the District. She has done extraordinary work on behalf of families, individuals, and communities living in poverty to prevent homelessness, increase the availability of affordable housing, and improve the quality of the low-income housing stock in the District.

Among her peers, the bench, and the bar, Ms. Becker is recognized for her expertise and policy advocacy. She currently serves on the Landlord-Tenant Branch Rules Advisory Committee for D.C. Superior Court and the D.C. Bar Judicial Evaluation Committee. She is also a former member of the Steering Committee of the Courts, Lawyers, and the Administration of Justice Section of the D.C. Bar. In 2006, she was honored with the National Housing Law Project’s Housing Justice Award, given nationally to an advocate for success in “tackling the systemic and often hostile obstacles that stand in the way of safe, decent and affordable housing for low-income and marginalized people.” In 2009, she was named one of Washington’s “Rising Stars” by the *National Law Journal* in its article captioned “40 Under 40.”

We know Ms. Becker to be an excellent trial and appellate lawyer with exceptional analytical and writing skills. Ms. Becker’s advocacy has contributed to dozens of published decisions in the lower and appellate courts, and positively impacted the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals. While Ms. Becker’s experience has been focused in the areas housing law, her many years of practice, her superior legal skills, and her deep experience before DC courts generally reveal broad-based talents that position her well for being a judge. She also possesses a temperament and demeanor that well befits a judicial officer in a high volume court. We support Ms. Becker’s application without reservation.

Respectfully submitted,

Paul S. Lee
President

cc:
Ronald Flagg, Esq. (via email, rflagg@lsc.gov)
William Lucy (via email, Williamlucy1@comcast.net)
Natalie O. Ludaway, Esq. (via email, NOLudawa@leftwichlaw.com)
Woody N. Peterson, Esq. (via email, wpetersonjnc@dicksteinshapiro.com)
Rev. Morris L. Shearin, Sr. (via email, revshearin2jnc@yahoo.com)
Grace E. Speights, Esq. (via email, gspeights@morganlewis.com)

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