Washington Lawyer - July 2017 - 33

THE MAKING OF THE
MANDATORY COURSE

SUPPORTING THE D.C.
COURTS

In the mid-1990s there were several discussions by
the Bar's Board of Governors about mandatory
courses, one an introduction for new members on
practicing law in the District of Columbia, and the
other about continuing legal education.

The D.C. Bar also went to bat for the District of
Columbia Courts, lobbying for and securing
adequate funding.

The idea of a mandatory course for new D.C. Bar
members was fueled by concerns that attorneys
admitted to the Bar by motion after passing the
Multistate Bar Exam lacked the knowledge of D.C.
legal rules, practices, and procedures. The Board
tasked the CLE Program to develop a curriculum for a
mandatory course for newly admitted members,
which was adopted as a rule by the D.C. Court of
Appeals. Pursuant to the rule, all members admitted
after July 1, 1994, must complete the Mandatory
Course on the District of Columbia Rules of
Professional Conduct and District of Columbia
Practice.
Responding to early negative feedback about the
course, the CLE Committee convened a subcommittee to examine improvements. Judge Annice
Wagner, then chief judge of the D.C. Court of
Appeals, assigned two judges from her court to
provide feedback on plans for overhauling the
course. Ultimately, the course was welcomed by
members, finding it to be a necessary resource for
new D.C. attorneys.
Also in debate during this time was the idea of implementing mandatory CLE and legal ethics courses, a
divisive issue among members of the Bar. A membership referendum was held in 1995, and the
proposal was defeated.

1997
Pro Bono Center's Advice and Referral
Clinic opens at Bread for the City in
the Shaw neighborhood.

1998
Congress passes the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act.

"One of the big issues of the era was representing the
D.C. Courts in the political system, where judges
couldn't defend themselves," recalls Jamie Gorelick,
D.C. Bar president from 1992 to 1993. "I spent a good
part of my tenure speaking with members of the city
council and the mayor's office on issues of importance to the D.C. Court of Appeals and the Superior
Court."
The Bar also supported Congresswoman Eleanor
Holmes Norton's push to create her Federal Law
Enforcement Nominating Commission in 1993,
granting Norton senatorial courtesy to recommend
to the White House federal district court judges and
other federal law enforcement officials in the District.
"We had a very important relationship with the White
House during the '90s and this contributed to the
benefit of the bench, Bar, and those we serve," says
Tuohey, D.C. Bar president from 1993 to 1994.

D.C. BAR FOUNDATION:
INVESTING IN JUSTICE
In 1998 the D.C. Bar embarked on a study of the D.C.
Bar Foundation to find out what more the nonprofit
could do to benefit the community. It would be the
first in-depth look at the work of the Foundation
since its inception in 1977.
A committee established by the Board of Governors
went to work in September 1998 and delivered its
final report in 2000. Andrew Marks, D.C. Bar president

had a very impor" We
tant relationship with

the White House during
the '90s and this contributed to the benefit of the
bench, Bar, and those we
serve.

MARK H. TUOHEY III
D.C. Bar President, 1993-94

from 1998 to 1999, recalls the study and subsequent
results as a major accomplishment in bolstering the
legal services community in the District.
"The result now, 17 years later, is that the Bar
Foundation is providing dramatically more financial
assistance to legal services organizations and has
much more of a role in the community than it had
before," Marks says.
Today, the D.C. Bar Foundation is the leading funder
of civil legal aid in the District of Columbia, and has
awarded more than $43 million in civil legal services
grants.

President Clinton reacts to his
acquittal of charges of perjury and
obstruction of justice in 1999.

President Bill Clinton's impeachment
trial in the U.S. House of
Representatives begins.

1999

Pro Bono Center launches the
Community Economic Development
Project.

Congress returns management and
personnel authority to the District
with the District of Columbia
Management Restoration Act of 1999.

D.C. Bar establishes a committee to
study the D.C. Bar Foundation.

President Clinton is acquitted of
charges.

WASHINGTON LAWYER

JULY 2017 33

http://www.dcbar.org

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