Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 5

A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Colleagues,
I submitted my column for this issue of Washington Lawyer back in
February before the coronavirus hijacked the headlines and our daily lives.
By the time the May issue went to press in late March, dramatic change
had already come - in the span of less than two weeks. Offices, courthouses, and businesses closed. Meetings, conferences, judicial investitures, the annual D.C. Bar Youth Law Fair, and those bellwether spring
fundraising dinners were canceled. We began working remotely, connecting by phone, Zoom, and Skype and getting to "meet" our colleagues' pets and children in the process.
As I write this letter on March 23, 2020, nothing is certain. Like you,
I wonder:

Whether I will know someone personally who has COVID-19, and how
* high
the illness and death rate will rise in our region and in the country.
What will happen to those in our community who are living on the
* margins
- the homeless and increasing number of unemployed. Will
our governmental and nonprofit structures be able to provide the
necessary support?

What impact the crisis will have on the legal profession, whether
* downtown
D.C. will continue to be a ghost town in May and beyond,
and whether working remotely and virtual meetings will be the "new
normal."

Whether the courts will have reopened and whether we will be
* prepared
to meet our clients' needs if they have.

I could go on. I am sure we all wish we had a crystal ball to allow us to see
what lies ahead and prepare for that future. But we don't, and all that we
can be certain of is the uncertainty. Despite all this, I retain a sense of
calm. There are some things I am sure of. I believe:
- will find the inner strength to cope with someone close
* toI -uswecontracting
the illness. I am confident that the dedicated health

care professionals in our nation will be working day and night toward
a solution. I know that our D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program will be
there to provide counseling and support for our members, perhaps
remotely, as it has in the past for those struggling with mental health,
substance abuse, and emotional crises.

Our incredible network of legal services providers and community
* nonprofit
organizations in this city will develop creative solutions to
respond to the mounting demand for legal services resulting from
the increase in the unemployed and other unforeseen challenges.
These organizations have already demonstrated that they can mobilize
quickly. For example, within days of the first reported case of COVID-19
in the District, the Consortium of Legal Services Providers and the
Access to Justice Commission worked with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono
Center, the D.C. Courts, and the D.C. Council to halt eviction cases
and stay other actions that would disproportionately affect the lowincome community. The Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil
Rights and Urban Affairs, the Public Defender Service for the District
of Columbia, and the federal and D.C. attorneys general offices have
collaborated with the courts to issue a directive to reduce the number
of custodial arrests.

Our D.C. Bar team is committed to supporting our members through
* the
challenges they will encounter in the coming months. In the past

two weeks, I have seen the Bar convert to entirely remote operations
with the phones being answered, committee and program meetings
being held virtually, and new programs being planned. I have no
doubt that Bar leadership and staff will continue to work tirelessly to
meet our members' changing needs.

lawyers, we are problem solvers and we will put these skills to use
* inAssupporting
our clients, rebuilding our community and our economy,
and ensuring access to justice.
I know that we will get through this together and be better for it, both as
a profession and as a community.
Sincerely,

Susan M. Hoffman
D.C. Bar President

MAY 2020

WASHINGTON LAWYER

Washington Lawyer - May 2020

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