Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 23

D.C. Bar Presidents
The new D.C. Bar was an "integrated bar" in more
than the unified practice sense. By 1972, it had only
been a decade or so since the voluntary Bar
Association of the District of Columbia (BADC) had
admitted minorities and women. This new bar -
a mandate from the court to come together under
one disciplinary code - was a diverse organization
during a time in which diversity was new and often
suspect.
The creation of the D.C. Bar intersected with the
nascent self-governance of the District from federal
authority and relatively recent desegregation of
what was a Southern city. Congress first established
judicial courts for the District of Columbia in 1801,
but it wasn't until 1871 that the BADC formed as a
voluntary association to support lawyers practicing
in those courts. Membership was restricted to white
men, so minority lawyers formed the Washington
Bar Association and female lawyers founded the
Women's Bar Association. Membership in those
organizations remained voluntary.

had a reputation for not disbarring lawyers for
misconduct.

1972-73

E. Barrett Prettyman Jr.

Calls to establish a mandatory bar as a means
of curbing unethical lawyering were stalled by
Congress, until the Nixon administration decided
to reorganize the D.C. Courts (ostensibly to reduce
the power of "liberal" judges). Lawyer discipline was
removed from the courts and vested in a mandatory bar association. One of the first acts of the new
bar was to create a Clients' Security Trust Fund to
reimburse clients for losses caused by the unethical
conduct of D.C. Bar members.
Expectations for the new, unified D.C. Bar were
modest in scope - discipline and licensing.
However, many saw the formation of a new bar
as an opportunity for progressive change.

Charles T. Duncan
1974-75

John W. Douglas
1975-76

Daniel A. Rezneck
1976-77

Charles R. Work
1977-78

Louis F. Oberdorfer
1978-79

Robert L. Weinberg

To hear Marna S. Tucker, founding partner at
Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP, tell it, the first
Board of Governors elections of the fledgling Bar
did not go as expected.

Until 1970, the U.S. District Court maintained bar
admissions and discipline through its Committee
on Admissions and Grievances. The committee

1973-74

1979-80

John H. Pickering

of the men on the Board were just
"Some
dumbfounded that women got elected

and that they would have to take women
seriously.

"

FLORENCE ROISMAN
Served on the Bar's First Board of Governors

1976
The Bar begins publication of
its magazine, the District Lawyer.

1975
The D.C. Bar creates a continuing
legal education program on a selfsupporting basis.

The United States celebrates its
bicentennial.
The D.C. Bar establishes the Office
of Public Service Activities.

Bicentennial celebrants at the Johns Hopkins University.
*

WASHINGTON LAWYER

*

JULY 2017 23



http://www.dcbar.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - July 2017

Your Voice
From Our President
Calendar of Events
The Bar at 45
Annual Report 2016-17
1970s: Bar Beginnings
1980s: Reagan Reigns, Women Rise
1990s: Re-Envisioning & Expanding
2000s: Strength in the Face of Adversity
2010s: Solidifying the Bar's Future
The Founding of the D.C. Bar
A Conversation with Robert J. Spagnoletti
Attorney Briefs
Ask the Ethics Experts
Disciplinary Summaries
Last Word
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - Cover1
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - Cover2
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 1
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 2
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 3
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 4
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - Your Voice
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - From Our President
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 7
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - Calendar of Events
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 9
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 10
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 11
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 12
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 13
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - The Bar at 45
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - Annual Report 2016-17
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 16
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 17
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 18
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 19
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 20
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 21
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 1970s: Bar Beginnings
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 23
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 24
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 25
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 1980s: Reagan Reigns, Women Rise
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 27
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 28
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 29
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 1990s: Re-Envisioning & Expanding
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 31
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 32
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 33
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 2000s: Strength in the Face of Adversity
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 35
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 36
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 37
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 2010s: Solidifying the Bar's Future
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 39
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 40
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 41
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - The Founding of the D.C. Bar
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 43
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 44
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 45
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - A Conversation with Robert J. Spagnoletti
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 47
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 48
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 49
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - Attorney Briefs
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 51
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - Ask the Ethics Experts
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 53
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - Disciplinary Summaries
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 55
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - Last Word
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - Cover3
Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - Cover4
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