Washington Lawyer - July/August 2019 - 29

Reaching New Heights
In fiscal year 2018-2019, the D.C. Bar settled into its permanent
home and quickly adjusted to its new environs, which include
27 spaces wired for recorded and live programming, a fully
operational multimedia studio, and fully leased retail space. At
the same time, the Bar's membership rose to 108,080, making
the organization the largest unified bar in the country.
For the first time in 22 years, the D.C. Bar Board of
Governors voted to keep license fees at current rates,
a decision made possible by strong revenue from a
consistently growing membership and an anticipated
surplus for the Bar for the third year in a row due to
increased operating efficiencies. In keeping with the Bar's
objective to lead within the legal profession, the Board also
approved the creation of the new Global Legal Practice
Committee, tasked to study and monitor developments
in the areas of alternative business structures and
multidisciplinary practices.
The Bar continued to deliver efficient, quality service to
members, receiving a 96 percent satisfaction rating in the
handling of more than 35,000 inquiries by its Member
Services Department's contact center over the past
year. The department also further enhanced service by
developing electronic registration statements for newly
sworn-in members of the Bar.
Demonstrating the Bar's commitment to quality programming,
the Continuing Legal Education Program conducted more
than 211 courses, 70 of which were new offerings. More than
148 of these classes were offered simultaneously as webinars,
and more than 100 courses were archived as on-demand
CLEs. The courses covered timely topics such as employment
law, sexual harassment, immigration enforcement, government
contracting, technology, and ethics.

2018-2019

Annual Report

The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center marked its 40th anniversary
in 2018 by continuing to deliver on its mission to bridge
the justice gap in Washington, D.C., serving as a legal
lifeline to the city's most vulnerable residents. Among
other accomplishments, the Pro Bono Center served
more than 20,000 individuals, safety-net nonprofits, and
small businesses, including 5,324 pro se litigants at D.C.
Superior Court and 1,428 people through its Advice &
Referral Clinic.
The D.C. Bar Broadcast Studio, a full-service outfit
designed to promote clients' missions through excellent
video and audio communications, is officially open. With
this new capability, the Bar has moved into podcasting and
video production, putting Bar members and leaders front
and center in its engagement efforts.
In April, the D.C. Bar and the D.C. Courts successfully
hosted the 2019 District of Columbia Judicial and Bar
Conference, drawing nearly 480 members of the legal
community for full-day programming focused on children
and the law.
In addition to streamlining the Bar's onsite registration
and check-in system for large events, the IT Department
drafted the organization's first technology roadmap and
implemented the first comprehensive IT security training
for D.C. Bar staff.
And finally, for the first time in its history, the D.C.
Bar partnered with an independent vendor to fully
automate voting in its annual elections, eliminating
paper ballots and making it easier for Bar members in
the country and around the world to elect their new set
of leaders.
Washington Lawyer - July/August 2019

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