Washington Lawyer - April/May 2018 - 13

GOVERNMENT & GAVEL
system and create policies that will not result in them being
frequent flyers. Smart prosecution makes a lot of sense."
In her position as head of the Public Safety Division, Malik
also supervises OAG's drug and mental health court, sobriety
checkpoint program, and mediation program. "We have also
implemented a human trafficking court, which started last
month, as well as the I Belong Here truancy program," she
says. "Improving public safety and promoting progressive
prosecution are two issues I am deeply passionate about."

DID YOU KNOW?
n Attorney General Racine was an accomplished high school and college basketball
player. In 1981 he was named to the McDonald's Capital Classic, where he says he
was fortunate enough to play with such legends as Michael Jordan and Patrick
Ewing, along with other future NBA players. Poking fun at his performance on the
court, Racine says the experience taught him that he "really needed to work harder
on [his] studies."
n Racine and Deputy Attorney General Malik first met almost 30 years ago when
Racine hired the then-law student as a law clerk with his firm.

Erika Winston is a regular contributor to Washington Lawyer.

Read about Eduardo Ferrer, another advocate for
juvenile justice reform, at dcbar.org/news.

n Malik is the proud mother of two exceptional sons. Her oldest is a West Point cadet
who firmly believes in duty and honor. Her younger son is a creative spirit, with a
talent for art, drama, and voice. "They are total opposites . . . two ends of the
spectrum, but they get along amazingly well," she says.
n Malik loves to travel. "I have the travel bug. You can put me on a plane any day."
South Africa, the Philippine Islands, and Pakistan are among her favorite travel
destinations.

Karl A. Racine and Mina Malik, courtesy of the Office of the Attorney General for the
District of Columbia

SAVED
CLIENTS FROM
FORECLOSURES

PRESERVED

OBTAINED
SUSAN SOMMER
Associate Legal Director and Director
of Constitutional Litigation
Lambda Legal

TAX CREDITS
AND
SO MUCH
MORE.

I joined the LGBT rights movement 17 years ago.
I was a young parent at the time, and I went to a
party with my children where there were identical
twin boys. One of the twins was playing with Barbie
dolls, the other with a sword and helmet. I told the
parents how terrific it was that the kids were such
individuals. The parents said they were worried
ffisffiffinffi
ffiffiffiffi-
ffiffiffiffithat
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
about their son playing with LCEffi
Barbie
dolls
he ffi
would grow up to be gay and that the world would
be hard on him. The injustice of that struck home
for me, and I knew then that what we must do is
change the world around that child.

The generosity of D.C. pro bono attorneys changed lives
in 2017. They handled nearly 900 LCE cases on behalf
of D.C.'s most at-risk elders. We thank you. Our clients
thank you. Interested in joining our cause? Please visit
aarp.org/LCE or email us at vlp@aarp.org.

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WASHINGTON LAWYER

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APRIL/MAY 2018

13
https://www.dcbar.org/about-the-bar/news/juvenile-justice.cfm http://www.dcbar.org/news http://www.aarp.org/LCE http://www.dcbar.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - April/May 2018
