Washington Lawyer - September 2016 - 7

FROM OUR Questions or comments? asteward@dcbar.org to reach Annamaria PRESIDENT ANNAMARIA STEWARD IN PROMOTING CULTURE OF SERVICE, YOUR HELP IS KEY "I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy." Kahlil Gibran The members of the D.C. Bar serve. Our members in D.C. alone serve in our Bar's 20 sections, in 32 voluntary bar associations, in over 30 legal services providers, and in 6 area law schools that operate 62 legal clinics. Despite this great work, many litigants still appear pro se in D.C. courts each year. The D.C. Bar and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center are laser-focused on this issue. Together with the D.C. Superior Court, the Pro Bono Center works to assist pro se litigants through the Landlord Tenant Resource Center, the Consumer Law Resource Center, and the Probate Resource Center. These court-based centers annually assist more than 5,000 District residents. The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center also operates the Advocacy & Justice Clinic (for housing, family, public benefits, personal injury defense, and consumer law); the Bankruptcy Clinic; the Nonprofit Legal Assistance Program and its clinics; and the Small Business Brief Legal Advice Clinic, all of which are supported by voluntary contributions, the work of a staff of 19, and thousands of you who volunteer each year. For the Center's extraordinary achievements in the work to increase access to civil legal services for those in need, Photo: Patrice Gilbert Photography the D.C. Bar was recently honored with the American Bar Association's prestigious Harrison Tweed Award. However, with growing income disparity, diminishing safe and affordable housing, and the clear need for civil Gideon, there is plenty more work to be done here in the District. The Pro Bono Center needs your help and your financial support. Each month during my year as president, I will be reaching out to various segments of our legal community to introduce or reintroduce the important work that takes place at our Saturday Advice & Referral Clinic, where anyone with a matter governed by District or federal law can meet with a volunteer lawyer to discuss their issue. I have already recruited past presidents of the D.C. Bar who volunteered with me in July. But you don't have to wait to hear from me to volunteer. If you are interested in providing pro bono assistance, please contact Stanley Augustin, training and outreach specialist, at saugustin@dcbar.org. If you have more money than time, please consider making a contribution to the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center. We do not use Bar dues to support the Center, so every donation counts! This month represents a new beginning-a new bar year and a new academic year. It also represents a new beginning for the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center. Our esteemed executive director, Monika Kalra Varma, who has expertly served the Pro Bono Center for five years, will be relocating across the country with her family. We thank her for her commitment and service to the Bar and the residents of the District. We will keep you updated on our progress in finding our new executive director, and we thank you all for helping us promote a culture of service! Annamaria Steward D.C. Bar President Watch D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center Executive VIDEO Director Monika K. Varma talk about the Center's work at dcbar.org. * WASHINGTON LAWYER * SEPTEMBER 2016 7 http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6466154.Kahlil_Gibran http://www.dcbar.org/pro-bono/what-we-do.cfm http://www.dcbar.org http://www.dcbar.org/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - September 2016