Washington Lawyer - September 2019 - 44

SPECIAL COVERAGE

2019 D.C. BAR

CELEBRATION OF LEADERSHIP
By Jeffery Leon & John Murph

n June 11 members of the bench and bar came
together for the D.C. Bar's 2019 Celebration of
Leadership to recognize outstanding service
to the legal profession. Held at the Grand Hyatt
Washington, the event drew more than 400 attendees
who witnessed the formal change of leadership at the
Bar to mark the start of its new fiscal year.

of Appeals, which held that the state must recognize same-sex marriages
entered into in other jurisdictions.

Susan M. Hoffman, public service partner at Crowell & Moring LLP, was installed
as the Bar's 48th president, succeeding Esther H. Lim, who will continue in office
another year as immediate past president. The Bar's new Board of Governors
was also announced that evening.

The D.C. Bar also celebrated this year's Pro Bono Award winners for their commitment to pro bono service and equal access to justice for all. For the full list of
award recipients, see sidebar on page 45.

Other highlights at the celebration included the presentation of the Beatrice
Rosenberg Award for Excellence in Government Service to Anne M. Brennan,
formerly of the U.S. Department of the Navy, and the Justice William J. Brennan
Jr. Award to Michele Zavos, a partner at Delany McKinney LLP.
Brennan served with the Department of the Navy for over three decades,
managing more than 1,000 attorneys and support staff. "Government service is
important to me, for that sense of contribution, working toward a greater good,
and the defense of our nation and its democracy," said Brennan, who retired
from federal service in February 2019. She now serves as principal deputy
general counsel at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

"I commend the Bar for recognizing that legal work on behalf of LGBTQ
families is civil rights work," said Zavos. "Family protections are civil rights,
whether in the LGBT community, on our borders, or for undocumented residents in our country."
Other honorees of the evening included the D.C. Bar Taxation Community as
Community of the Year; the Greater Washington Area Chapter, Women Lawyers
Division, of the National Bar Association as Voluntary Bar Association of the Year,
and the Continuing Legal Education Committee as recipient of the Frederick B.
Abramson Award for its development of the online Mandatory Course.

Lim gave her final remarks as president, reflecting fondly on her service and
encouraging attorneys to continue to effect change and help the disadvantaged. "Lawyers have the ability and responsibility to pick up one person at a
time," said Lim. "Justice doesn't live in courtrooms; it lives in each of us."
In her remarks, Hoffman thanked Lim for her service and shared her excitement
to lead the nation's largest bar and the one with the strongest pro bono ethic.
Hoffman laid out her goals for her presidency, including emphasizing pro bono
service and improving civic education in local schools. "To help someone
through the magic of your legal skills is an incredible privilege that can bring
into your life a sense of meaning that you could never imagine," said Hoffman.

Zavos is a civil rights pioneer who has dedicated her career to protecting
the rights of LGBTQ individuals and families. She is particularly proud of her
representation of Jessica Port in Port v. Cowan before the Maryland Court

Noting that her presidency falls on the 100th anniversary of women gaining
the right to vote, Hoffman announced that the Bar will be hosting a two-day
conference next June that will include panels, CLEs, and more to draw
members from the entire country and highlight the anniversary.

Crowell & Moring LLP Public Service Partner Susan M. Hoffman
(right) is sworn in as the D.C. Bar's 48th president by D.C. Court of
Appeals Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby.

Esther H. Lim delivers her last speech as president of the D.C. Bar.

44 WASHINGTON LAWYER

SEPTEMBER 2019

https://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/opinions-memorandum-of-judgments

Washington Lawyer - September 2019

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