Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 7

FROM OUR PRESIDENT
The D.C. Bar has one of the strongest pro bono
commitments of any bar in the country. Last year,
attorneys provided almost one million hours
of service to pro bono clients. Even with these
efforts, however, we are falling short and need to
do more. During the past few years, a significant
amount of pro bono resources has been devoted
to larger impact cases - immigration issues and
other national problems - with a result that
some of our neighbors close to home have gone
without representation. While this impact work is
important, It's a Wonderful Life reminds us about
the value and importance of individual representation, about the power of one.
After George's guardian angel walks him
through what people's lives would have been
like without him, George sees that his life had
a ripple effect that went well beyond what he
could have imagined. Like George, attorneys
often wonder how much of an impact we can
have representing one person. Sometimes the
answer comes in strange ways. For example,
a former client who was a domestic violence

survivor told me that after several years of
healing, she had summoned the courage
to start a support group for survivors at her
church. Another client who received asylum
now works as a doctor at Johns Hopkins. Finally,
several years ago our firm's corporate group
took on an assignment at the Tax Sale Resource
Center to counsel individuals who were about
to lose their homes due to unpaid property
taxes. That individual representation evolved
into a citywide effort involving the Legal
Counsel for the Elderly and other legal services
providers that resulted in legislation addressing
flaws in the system, thereby keeping more lowincome families in their homes.
As we close out the year, I encourage you to
take on pro bono work for an individual lowincome client as part of your New Year's resolutions, and enlist a colleague to do so as well.
You can volunteer with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono
Center, which serves more than 20,000 individuals, nonprofits, and small businesses each
year, or take a referral from one of the more

than 30 organizations listed at ProBono.Center/
ConsortiumMembers that provide direct legal
services to low-income residents. Remember
that if you don't have the time to represent
a client or attend a pro bono clinic right now,
you can still join your fellow D.C. Bar members
in supporting the Pro Bono Center by making
a tax-deductible contribution to the Center
before the end of the year.
In closing, I urge you to become an unsung hero,
discover the power of one, and revel in the many
lessons of It's a Wonderful Life this season.

To make a year-end donation to the
D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, visit dcbar.
org/pro-bono and click on "Donate."

SAVED
CLIENTS FROM
FORECLOSURES

PRESERVED

OBTAINED
TAX CREDITS
AND
SO MUCH
MORE.

The generosity of D.C. pro bono attorneys changes lives.
In 2018, we placed more than 800 pro bono cases.
Interested in joining our mission to protect, defend
and empower D.C. seniors most in need? Please visit
aarp.org/LCE or email us at vlp@aarp.org.

*

*

LCEffiffisffiffinffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

*

WASHINGTON LAWYER

7


http://dcbar.org/pro-bono http://dcbar.org/pro-bono http://www.aarp.org/LCE

Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019

Digital Extras
Your Voice
From Our President
Practice Management
Calendar of Events
Going Above and Beyond feature
On Safer Ground feature
Casa Ruby Profile
Pro Bono Effect
Member Spotlight
Worth Reading
Media Bytes
Attorney Briefs
Ask the Ethics Experts
Disciplinary Summaries
Community & Connections
Last Word
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Cover1
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Cover2
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 1
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 2
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 3
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Digital Extras
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Your Voice
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - From Our President
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 7
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Practice Management
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 9
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Calendar of Events
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 11
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Going Above and Beyond feature
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 13
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 14
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 15
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 16
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 17
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - On Safer Ground feature
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 19
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 20
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 21
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 22
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 23
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 24
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 25
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Casa Ruby Profile
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 27
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 28
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 29
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 30
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 31
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Pro Bono Effect
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 33
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 34
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 35
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 36
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Member Spotlight
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 38
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 39
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Worth Reading
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 41
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Media Bytes
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Attorney Briefs
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Disciplinary Summaries
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Community & Connections
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 46
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 47
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Last Word
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Cover3
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - Cover4
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/marchapril2024
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/januaryfebruary2024
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/novemberdecember2022
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/novemberdecember2022
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/novemberdecember2022
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/novemberdecember2022
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/novemberdecember2022
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/novemberdecember2022
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/novemberdecember2022
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/januaryfebruary2022
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/januaryfebruary2022
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/januaryfebruary2022
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/januaryfebruary2022
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/januaryfebruary2022
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/novemberdecember2021
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/julyaugust2021
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/julyaugust2021
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/marchapril2021
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/marchapril2021
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/novemberdecember2020
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/novemberdecember2020
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/septemberoctober2020
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/julyaugust2020
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/june2020
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/may2020
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/march2020
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/january2020
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/november2019
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/october2019
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/september2019
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/julyaugust2019
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/june2019
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/may2019
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/april2019
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/march2019
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/january2019
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/november2018
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/november2018
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/november2018
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/august2018
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/august2018
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/June/July2018
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/april2018
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/March2018
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/February2018
https://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/january2018
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/december2017
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/November2017
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/september 2017
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/september 2017
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/august2017
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/july2017
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/June2017
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/may2017
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/april2017
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/march2017
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/february2017
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/january2017
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/december2016
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/november2016/
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/october2016
http://washingtonlawyer.dcbar.org/september2016
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com