Washington Lawyer - May 2017 - 6

FROM OUR PRESIDENT

MOVING ONWARD

to BRING VALUE to YOU

Questions
or comments?
asteward@dcbar.org
to reach
Annamaria

Speaking of our new headquarters, on April 4 we "topped off" our new building by adding what will be our panoramic
rooftop. The concrete skeleton of all eight floors has been completed, and now we move to the next phase of construction. This project, the largest capital investment in the Bar's history, is on time and on budget. Furthermore, current
projections indicate that by the time of our ribbon cutting, the building will have accumulated nearly $20 million in
equity, on top of the more than $25 million the Bar will save in operating costs over the next 30 years.
Outfitted with the latest technology, our new home will enable us to increase our ability to reach our 103,000 members
in all 50 states and 83 countries. We will be able to add significantly to our current library of over 64 on-demand CLE
courses, allow members to participate remotely in Bar programs and events, and facilitate networking opportunities for
all members.
Our goal is not only to lead, but also create leaders. In March, we launched our fifth John Payton Leadership Academy
to "identify, inspire, and educate" future leaders of the Bar. Since 2013 this academy has produced 66 graduates, including
7 currently serving on the Board of Governors, 3 current Section Steering Committee chairs, 2 serving on Section Steering
Committees, and 1 former Sections Council chair. We also proudly cosponsored the 18th Annual Youth Law Fair with the
D.C. Superior Court, which drew numerous volunteer lawyers and judges and over 170 area high school students to the
H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse to learn more about the law and the perils of social media.

ANNAMARIA STEWARD

Watch our timelapse
camera to see how
far we've come on
the construction of our new
home at dcbar.org/newhome.
Read more about
the three resolutions
passed by D.C. Bar
members at the Special
Membership Meeting on
March 29 at dcbar.org.

WASHINGTON LAWYER

After a 10-month extensive nationwide search, which included working with a professional search firm, sifting through
hundreds of résumés of highly qualified candidates from law firms, corporations, nonprofits, and government, and hours of
interviews, the D.C. Bar Board of Governors unanimously selected Robert "Bob" J. Spagnoletti as our new chief executive officer.
Bob, whom many of you know from his distinguished career as the former attorney general for the District of Columbia,
chair of the D.C. Board of Ethics and Accountability, past president of the D.C. Bar (2008-2009), and partner at Schertler &
Onorato, L.L.P., assumed his new position on May 1. Bob brings to the Bar his diverse legal background and broad network,
as well as his experience, which includes moving the Bar to our current location during his presidency. For these, and many
other reasons, we are excited that Bob will lead our organization as we transition into our future home in January 2018.

"Our goal
is not only
to lead,
but also
create
leaders."

The D.C. Bar continues its evolution and I am excited to update you on our progress.

Furthermore, we are pleased to announce that through our technological partnership with the D.C. Court of Appeals
Committee on Admissions (COA), we have improved the user experience for attorneys looking to join the D.C. Bar. The
COA went from a completely paper-dependent process burdened with huge backlogs to an electronic process with zero
backlogs! Applicants now submit their applications and all supporting documents electronically, and can view the status
and stage of their applications. While it used to take as long as 14 months for an attorney to become a member of the D.C.
Bar, today user experience shows that process has been cut down to as little as four months!
Finally, I would like to thank all of the members who came to our Special Membership Meeting on March 29 to vote on
renewing two resolutions allowing the Bar to make public statements concerning funding of the D.C. Courts and civil legal
services, and approving a third resolution authorizing the Bar to make a nonpartisan public statement to Congress about
timely judicial appointments to the D.C. Courts. Although we have had some recent progress in Congress on this issue,
current judicial vacancies - two on the nine-member D.C. Court of Appeals, one of which has been vacant since 2013;
and six (10 percent of the judgeships) on the D.C. Superior Court - have had serious adverse effects on the courts' core
functions and ability to administer justice.
Thank you for your continued support of the D.C. Bar, and I hope to see you at the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center's Advice
and Referral Clinic!

MAY 2017

https://app.oxblue.com/open/dcbar/headquarters https://www.dcbar.org/about-the-bar/news/special-membership-meeting-vote.cfm http://www.dcbar.org

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