Washington Lawyer - May 2017 - 38

MEET THE
CANDIDATES

FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT

ESTHER H. LIM
Esther H. Lim is a partner at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner,
LLP with over 20 years of experience in complex patent litigation and counseling. She has been an adjunct professor at Howard University School of Law
since 2003 and chairs its annual Intellectual Property Law and Social Justice CLE
Seminar. She is a member of the Outbound Lawyers Subgroup of the D.C. Bar's
Global Legal Practice Task Force, and was on the Bar's Board of Governors from
2005 to 2008. She also served on the Bar's Nominations Committee in 2002.
If elected, Lim would seek to enhance membership value by ensuring that
the Bar stays relevant in the legal sphere. She would like to continue building
and fostering connections with the community and serving the underserved
through pro bono representation, as well as increasing diversity in the legal
profession through mentoring and outreach.
Outreach is a key component, Lim says, and it is important that the Bar
hears from members from across all practice settings, experience levels,
and geographic locations. Connecting and listening to these groups can
best ensure the Bar stays relevant and attuned to its members' needs.
Lim points to the Bar's new building as a catalyst to help achieve these goals.
She would like to utilize technology to the fullest in the Bar's future home to
offer enhanced programs and events that focus on professional development,
pro bono services, and mentoring, and would allow members to connect with
each other and obtain the resources they need. "The Bar's new building speaks
volumes as to how far it has come and holds lots of possibilities for how far the
Bar can go in the future," says Lim.
Lim cites her experiences in leading organizations through periods of change
as a key asset to assist the Bar during this transitional time. At Finnegan, she
served as the founding managing partner of the firm's Shanghai office. She
has overseen executive staff transitions while serving as a board member
for a national bar association, and has worked on membership initiatives as
a voluntary bar president. She is passionate about the values of community,
38 WASHINGTON LAWYER

MAY 2017

service, and activism, citing her father as an inspirational figure, and believes
that these passions, paired with her experience and the Bar's "incredible
community of lawyers," can make an impact.
Lim believes that one of the most pressing issues in the legal community is
the justice gap, and that the Bar must help to ensure access to justice and legal
services for low-income individuals, small businesses, and nonprofits. She says
the Bar can play a critical role by engaging members to volunteer with the D.C.
Bar Pro Bono Center and supporting efforts to secure greater funding for the
Center's activities.
"The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center is doing an incredible job delivering top quality
legal representation to underserved communities," she says, "and with our
robust community, the D.C. Bar can and should do more to support the Center's
tremendous work by volunteering and giving."
Noting that the practice of law is changing and becoming increasingly global,
Lim says the Bar should continue to work to understand the evolving needs of
existing and new members. "The D.C. Bar is in the nation's capital and has a
unique opportunity to expand locally, nationally, and internationally," she says.
Lim has held presidential appointment in the American Bar Association and
served as a board member of the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil
Rights and Urban Affairs. She is currently on the board of directors of the
Historical Society of the District of Columbia Circuit. She is a graduate of the
University of Maryland School of Law.

Photo courtesy of Finnegan

http://www.dcbar.org

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