WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF LAWYERS

By Paul Lee Washington Council of Lawyers is powered by our (all-volunteer) Board of Directors. Our working board plans and executes a range of education and training programs, social and fundraising events, and advocacy and communication initiatives. And we'd love for you to join us: We're now accepting applications to join our board. Serving on our board is both professionally and personally rewarding, and a great way to become more involved with our organization and the DC public-interest community. Here is a peek at what's involved: (more…)

We’re delighted to welcome three new lawyers to our Board of Directors: Kyle Fiet, Tanya Senanayake, and Mia Sussman. (More…)

This fall we're welcoming six new lawyers to our Board of Directors. Learn a little about them below: Allison Holt (@allisonmholt) is a litigation associate at Hogan Lovells, and she currently serves as the firm's full time senior associate for the pro bono practice. Among other cases, Allison represents homeless families seeking access to appropriate emergency shelter during hypothermic conditions, and is currently working with the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project on a criminal case in Virginia. Christina Jackson (@CJacksonPSJD) is Director of Public Interest Initiatives & Fellowships at NALP, where she researches and promotes access-to-justice initiatives. From 2009 to 2013, Christina served as the Public Interest Specialist at American University Washington College of Law. Sara Jackson (no relation to Christina, as far as we know) is the Pro Bono Coordinator at Georgetown University Law Center. Sara previously spent five years as a practicing lawyer specializing in civil rights and racial justice. Marcia Maack is Assistant Director of Pro Bono Activities for Mayer Brown LLP. Her pro-bono work focuses on international human rights, asylum, and refugee cases. Marcia also sits on the board of directors of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice. Jaya Saxena (@thezenlegalmama) is an Assistant Director at George Washington University Law School's Center for Professional Development and Career Strategy. She previously served as a career counselor at George Mason University School of Law and a lawyer at Maryland Legal Aid. Jaya has also held leadership positions on the Board of Directors of the South Asian Bar Association of Washington, DC. V. David Zvenyach (@vdavez) currently serves as the General Counsel to the Council of the District of Columbia. David is also Chair-Elect of the DC Bar's Sections Council. In his spare time, David designs web apps focused on making legal information more widely available; his team recently took third place at the ABA's "Hackcess to Justice" conference, for an app called Due Processor.

Six fine folks joined our Board of Directors this fall, so allow us to introduce them: Nancy Drane (@Ndrane) is Pro Bono Director of the Children's Law Center. She first joined Children's Law Center as a staff attorney in 2003 and has also served as its Training Director. Nancy was co-chair of the DC Bar Family Law Section, and is an Adjunct Professor at American University's Washington College of Law. Before attending law school, Nancy taught junior high in Chicago. Anne King (@annewarrenking) is currently at Georgetown Law's Institute for Public Representation, where she works with clinic students on civil rights cases and other public interest litigation. Anne is a DC native, and her professional background includes employment discrimination litigation, policy advocacy, and teaching elementary school. Robin Murphy practiced in non-profit legal advocacy programs throughout the country before settling with her family in the DC area and joining the Legal Aid Society of DC. Three years ago, Robin entered federal government service to work in civil rights. Robin's two children are now in college and she is enjoying having more time to participate in WCL. Amy Senier is a Supervising Attorney/Teaching Fellow in the International Women's Human Rights Clinic at Georgetown University Law Center, where she supervises test cases and fact-finding missions aimed at redressing discrimination against women in Africa. Amy was previously an associate at Foley Hoag LLP. Amy is an enthusiastic cyclist; she spends her non-working hours exploring DC on two wheels – day or night, in groups big or small. David Steib is Assistant Director for the Office of Public Interest at American University Washington College of Law (the other WCL!). David previously worked as a housing attorney at Legal Aid Society of DC; for the past five years, he has been an active member of the DC Language Access Coalition. During the first year of Capital Bikeshare's existence, David was one of the top five riders (measured by the number of trips taken). Daria Zane is an adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law and a member of the Criminal Justice Act panel for the DC Court of Appeals. Previously, Daria was a Special Master for the Court of Federal Claims, an Assistant US Attorney in DC, and a trial attorney in the DOJ Environment and Natural Resources Division. Not to be outdone by the other athletic members of our board, Daria is an avid soccer player. Please join us in welcoming our new board members. We hope get a chance to meet them soon!  

Please welcome our officers for the 2013–2014 lawyering year. Betsy Howe (President) is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, where she focuses on financial enforcement matters and white collar litigation. Betsy also has an active pro bono practice, including in the areas of immigration, domestic violence, and criminal appeals. Betsy joined the Board in 2011 and last year served as our Treasurer. Jim Rubin (VP) is counsel to the firm Dentons, where he focuses on environmental and natural resource issues. Jim spent 15 years at DOJ's environmental division and a year at the White House, working on climate issues. Jim has also had leadership roles in the ABA and DC Bar, but mainly is bossed around at home by his two teenage boys. Patty Stasco (Treasurer) practiced for five years at Arnold & Porter LLP, especially enjoying her pro bono immigration work. Yearning to get back to full-time public interest work she now works as an attorney for the federal government. On her down time you'll likely find her woodworking, shopping at the farmer's market, or watching school buses go by with her 21-month old son excitedly shouting, "Bus! Bus!" Kelly Voss (Secretary) is pro bono counsel at Covington & Burling LLP. Before joining Covington, Kelly was a staff attorney at the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau, where she provided direct legal services to clients in a broad spectrum of matters, including landlord-tenant, fair housing, consumer, bankruptcy, and education. If she were not a lawyer, Kelly would love to be a beekeeper. Greg Lipper (Communications Director) is Senior Litigation Counsel at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Before that, he did trial and appellate litigation for six years at Covington & Burling. Greg tweets compulsively (at@theglipper) and hopes to one day become a bobblehead doll. As you can see below, our officers are already conspiring to bring you fantastic events and programs. Stay tuned!