Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 44

THE PRO BONO EFFECT
To Innovate Pro Bono Help,
Former Clients Show the Way
board member of the center's
newly established Client Advisory
Board (CAB), which aims
to improve pro bono efforts
through feedback from the
communities being served.
A SEAT AT
THE TABLE
There has long been an understanding
that Pro Bono Center
programs could be enhanced
through the introduction of
community voices to guide
their implementation. In 2024
Gabriella Lewis-White, the center's
director of pro bono legal
services, and staff identified
past clients who might be willing
to serve on an advisory
board. Seats on the newly
formed board filled quickly
with individuals like Wimbish
who have been helped by a variety
of Pro Bono Center programs.
By
Jeremy Conrad
Z
achary Wimbish struggled
with addiction for 38 years.
After moving to North
Carolina in 2021 and getting
clean, he sought custody of his two
children, whose mother resided in
the District and struggled with her
own issues.
Wimbish had difficulty securing representation,
which is not unusual for individuals who have a
criminal record, a history of domestic violence
reports, or difficult facts. Wimbish's past experi44
WASHINGTON LAWYER
* MARCH/APRIL 2025
ences with the criminal justice system also left
him skeptical.
" I used to always think that the white man was
trying to take my kids away, " says Wimbish,
who is Black. " If I go to court they may remove
my kids from their mother's house, but they
might not put them in my custody because I've
been to prison. I said, they're not going to give
me no kids. "
Wimbish found his way to the D.C. Bar Pro Bono
Center's Jenadee Nanini, managing attorney of
family law and immigration, who pushed back
against these preconceptions and, over time,
won Wimbish's confidence. Nanini took his
case, and Wimbish's children now live with him
in North Carolina.
Wimbish's relationship with the Pro Bono Center
did not end there, however. He is now a
" The main goal is to hear the voices of the people
we serve, " says Nanini. " We get tunnel vision
sometimes because we are so busy working
on our mission that we rarely have the
space and time to have a truly two-way conversation
where we hear back from our clients -
understanding what works, what doesn't, and
where there are gaps in services. That was at
the center of our efforts on this project ... to
ensure that we listen to the people we serve,
and that we are giving them a voice and a seat
at the table. "
The Pro Bono Center compensates CAB members
for their time and provides a stipend for
ABOVE AND RIGHT: D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center staff
and members of the Client Advisory Board strategized
ways to provide holistic services to the community,
including leveraging their connections
with various entities.

Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025

Digital Extras
From Our President
Calendar
Practice Management
Involuntary Servitude feature
ISDEAA at 50 feature
Rainmaking feature
Multigenerational Law Firms feature
Women Rising in White_Collar Defense feature
True Grit feature
DC Bar ACAB special section
Member Spotlight - Janene Jackson
Newly Minted
Worth Reading
Attorney Briefs
Speaking of Ethics
Disciplinary Summaries
Pro Bono Effect
A Slice of Wry
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Cover1
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Cover2
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 1
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 2
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 3
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Digital Extras
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 5
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - From Our President
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Calendar
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Practice Management
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 9
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Involuntary Servitude feature
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 11
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 12
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 13
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - ISDEAA at 50 feature
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 15
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Rainmaking feature
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 17
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Multigenerational Law Firms feature
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 19
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 20
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 21
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Women Rising in White_Collar Defense feature
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 23
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 24
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 25
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - True Grit feature
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 27
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 28
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 29
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - DC Bar ACAB special section
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 31
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Member Spotlight - Janene Jackson
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 33
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 34
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 35
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Newly Minted
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Worth Reading
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 38
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Attorney Briefs
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Speaking of Ethics
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 41
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Disciplinary Summaries
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 43
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Pro Bono Effect
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 45
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 46
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 47
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - A Slice of Wry
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Cover3
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Cover4
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