Washington Lawyer - July/August 2021 - 26

A Year Like No Other
I
t is hard to look back on 2020 and find positive
stories from our months-long social isolation
and physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion.
It was a year of loss, fear, and anxiety that tested
our capacity to handle what seemed like a neverending
crisis.
But if there is anything we have learned from the
pandemic, it is that people are resilient. As life as
we knew it was upended, we pivoted, adapted, and
found ways to push forward. The D.C. Bar, like many
organizations around the country and the world,
had to learn how to operate in the new normal and
rethink the ways we reach and serve our members.
In March 2020, the D.C. Bar shifted to fully
remote operations for the first time in its history,
reimagining how it could continue to assist and
empower its members in a year of uncertainty. For
example, within six months of going virtual, the
D.C. Bar offered more than 60 programs focused
on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on attorneys'
personal and professional lives. The Bar remained
accessible to members by phone and email.
Member Services not only achieved a 97 percent
renewal rate but also seamlessly transitioned to
virtual orientations to welcome new members.
From our CLE Program to our Practice Management
Advisory Service to our Communities, the D.C. Bar
worked to ensure our members have access to
the tools and resources they need to weather the
pandemic, including ethics guidance and mental
health and wellness advice.
Throughout this difficult year, the D.C. Bar
remained committed to promoting access to
justice and enhancing the delivery of legal services
to those in need. The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center
virtually assisted more than 350 customers through
its Consumer Law Resource Center, helped launch
the Family Law Assistance Network that connected
more than 750 clients to attorney volunteers,
and provided legal help to more than 1,700 pro
se tenants and small landlords through its new
Landlord Tenant Legal Assistance Network.
The pandemic certainly derailed many of the
things we set out to do in 2020, but thanks to
our dedicated volunteer leaders and staff, the Bar
withstood the challenges of going completely
virtual with our services and stayed connected with
our members. We also hit a couple of important
milestones. Last summer our Board of Governors
adopted a new strategic plan outlining the Bar's
priorities until 2025. The Bar also took a major step
in clarifying how Communities can issue public
statements and file amicus briefs, striking the right
balance between protecting the First Amendment
interests of our members and encouraging those
who join our voluntary Communities to participate
in the free exchange of ideas.
None of us could have predicted that we would
be facing the worst economic and health crisis of
our lifetimes, but the D.C. Bar prevailed over the
challenges by the strength of our membership
and leadership. Together we confronted multiple
types of grief - the death of loved ones due to
COVID-19, the loneliness of living in a world put on
pause, the isolation from our support networks.
While our lives may have forever been altered by
the pandemic, we also proved that our community
is strong, resilient, and ready to assist our most
vulnerable neighbors. As we plan for a return to
normalcy, we at the D.C. Bar are committed to
doing things even better than before - to serving
and supporting you with the benefit of lessons
learned from this transformative and challenging
year.
Geoffrey M. Klineberg
D.C. Bar President
Robert J. Spagnoletti
D.C. Bar CEO
Washington Lawyer - July/August 2021

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