Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 34
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
TOM McDONALD
An Ambassador for Humanitarian Work
By Stacy Julien
T
om McDonald figured out early
on that he was a masterful
problem-solver. In his words,
he's skilled at getting to the "yes" and
"win-win" of a case, a talent that has
contributed to many successes over
his 40 years as an attorney. It's not
surprising then that a small group
of concerned activists, parents, and
ministers in Delaware approached
him to resolve a serious civil rights
problem.
The Coalition for Education Reform and
numerous black parents alleged in a 2016
lawsuit that the Indian River School District,
based in Selbyville, Delaware, disproportionately placed upwards of 1,000 African American
male students in a special needs program at
George Washington Carver Academy for more
than a decade because of the color of their skin
and other arbitrary reasons. An amended complaint depicts the academy as having an
"abusive and prison-like environment."
Representatives from the school district denied
the allegations, but McDonald saw the situation
as modern-day segregation happening in an
"invisible and powerless" community, he says.
"When injustice visits, you can either look away
or do something about it. I decided to do
something about it," says McDonald, a partner
at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP in
Washington, D.C.
Patrice Gilbert Photography
McDonald and his legal team spent 52 months
on the case - pro bono - and ultimately
negotiated a settlement with the school district
in November 2019. The U.S. district court
consent order includes measures that should
create a more supportive and fair learning environment for students moving forward, and
appoints a special master to supervise the terms
of the agreement for five years.
As part of the settlement, the special needs
program at Carver will close permanently at the
end of the 2019-2020 school year. Remaining
34 WASHINGTON LAWYER
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MAY 2020
Washington Lawyer - May 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - May 2020
LETTER TO MEMBERS ON COVID-19 CRISIS
FROM OUR PRESIDENT
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
ABA DELEGATE’S CORNER
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
REVOLUTIONIZING THE BUSINESS OF LAW
DIGITAL JUSTICE
ADVANCING THE HUMAN RIGHTS C AUSE ACROSS BORDERS
TAKING THE STAND
ON FURTHER REVIEW
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
WORTH READING
ATTORNEY BRIEFS
SPEAKING OF ETHICS
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARIES
THE PRO BONO EFFECT
SPECIAL SECTION: THE REVOLUTIONARY C RYSTAL EASTMAN
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - Cover1
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - Cover2
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 1
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 2
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 3
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 4
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - LETTER TO MEMBERS ON COVID-19 CRISIS
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 8
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - ABA DELEGATE’S CORNER
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 11
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - REVOLUTIONIZING THE BUSINESS OF LAW
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 13
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 14
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 15
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 16
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 17
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - DIGITAL JUSTICE
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 19
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 20
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 21
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 22
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 23
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - ADVANCING THE HUMAN RIGHTS C AUSE ACROSS BORDERS
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 25
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 26
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 27
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 28
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 29
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - TAKING THE STAND
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 31
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - ON FURTHER REVIEW
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 33
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 35
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 36
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 37
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - WORTH READING
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 39
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 40
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - ATTORNEY BRIEFS
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - SPEAKING OF ETHICS
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 43
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - DISCIPLINARY SUMMARIES
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 45
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - THE PRO BONO EFFECT
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 47
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - SPECIAL SECTION: THE REVOLUTIONARY C RYSTAL EASTMAN
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 49
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 50
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 51
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 52
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - Cover3
Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - Cover4
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