Washington Lawyer - July/August 2020 - 6

FROM OUR PRESIDENT

Tracey Salazar Photography

ADAPTING TO OUR
NEW REALITY

his is not the opening column
I thought I would be writing.

Indeed, I was expecting to use this occasion
to celebrate the D.C. Bar's three-day conference
marking the centennial of the 19th Amend-
ment that had been planned for more than a
year. The event promised to be a fascinating
exploration of both the history of the suffragists' triumph in the 20th century and the future
of voting rights in the 21st century. But like
most things over the past several months, the
conference has been postponed. While we
expect to make good use of the programming
that had been developed, there is no replacement for the actual event.
So, I am taking this opportunity instead to
highlight how the Bar has responded to the
COVID-19 pandemic that has upended our
lives. In mid-March, the Bar moved to fully
remote operations, adjusting its programming
to a virtual environment. Although the past few
months have been anything but business as
usual, the Bar continues to serve its members in
nontraditional ways while addressing the
unique challenges facing them. For example,
shortly after the lockdown began, the Bar
hosted a virtual Youth Law Fair, which typically
takes place at D.C. Superior Court. On March 10,
the Bar turned the program into a virtual one,
bringing together more than 80 participants
to learn about becoming a lawyer and the
different areas of the law.
Recognizing the unique stresses imposed by
this pandemic, the Bar's Lawyer Assistance
Program, which assists lawyers with mental
health and substance abuse issues, also transitioned remotely and provided members with
resources such as "Coping During COVID-19:
You Are Not Alone," "COVID-19 and Well-Being,"
and "Well-Being Tips for Working at Home." The
Legal Ethics Program has remained accessible
to members, providing confidential advice over
the phone and by email as well as targeted

WASHINGTON LAWYER

JULY/AUGUST 2020

guidance about members' ethical duties during
this pandemic and beyond. And the Practice
Management Advisory Service, which offers
practical information to lawyers about running
and managing a business, has increased
its services by offer--ing more educational
programs, authoring guidance such as
"Working Remotely During the Pandemic:
A Guide to Bar Member Benefits," and significantly ramping up its remote programming.
The Attorney/Client Arbitration Board continues to resolve fee disputes between lawyers
and their former clients, holding arbitration
hearings and mediation sessions via video conferencing. The trustees of the Clients' Security
Fund also have been meeting remotely to
process claims from clients who have been the
victims of unscrupulous attorneys. Although
some CLE programs have been rescheduled,
many classes are being held online, including
new offerings such as "Understanding Paid Sick
Time & Emergency Paid Sick Time Laws in the
Wake of COVID-19."
Particularly noteworthy are the ongoing efforts
of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center. Not only
has the center maintained its client services
during the crisis, but it also continues to offer
training to interested volunteers. Such training
is critically important because we need to be
ready: The pandemic - which may be the
greatest challenge to public health and our
economy since World War II - has hit our most
vulnerable neighbors particularly hard. As soon
as the courts reopen to hear the legal disputes
that have been on hold, the demand for pro
bono legal services in the District will likely
surge to unprecedented levels. While the Pro
Bono Center has had to suspend its monthly
Advice and Referral Clinics, it has established a
dedicated phone line to answer requests for
assistance, referring clients to pro bono lawyers
by video conference. The center's Small
Business and Nonprofit Legal Assistance
Programs have also been answering client

questions, assisting them in applying for government assistance, and pairing them with pro
bono lawyers remotely.
The fact that we have transformed the D.C. Bar
into a fully virtual organization in record time
is a testament to planning and foresight by its
professional staff. The Bar had already made
enormous progress in improving members'
online experience by, for example, creating an
on-demand version of the Mandatory Course
on the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct and
D.C. Practice; allowing members to request
Certificates of Good Standing online; streamlining the process for law students and
non-D.C. Bar members to join Communities;
creating a portal for firm administrators to
update their roster of attorneys, pay their
license fees, and request Certificates of Good
Standing; and transitioning to an online-only
election and license renewal process. We are
also about to launch a complete redesign of
our website, which should provide members
and the public with a modern, useful, and
mobile-friendly gateway to the Bar's services
and activities.
As I begin my year as president, I want to assure
you that the Bar remains committed to providing the member services you have come to
expect from your bar and to enhance and adapt
those services that have now become particularly vital. There will be time enough in the year
ahead to talk about specific goals and longerterm aspirations. For now, I wish you and your
families good health and much success as we
navigate our recoveries, reconstitute our practices, and rebuild our community.

Connect with Geoffrey at gklineberg@dcbar.org.

Washington Lawyer - July/August 2020

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