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P.O. BOX 56551, Washington, DC 20040

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+1 (202) 349-1059

Email Address

info@washingtonbar.org

 

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WBAEF

The Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation, Inc.

The Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation, Inc. ("WBAEF") is the only 501(c)(3) non-profit organization affiliated with the Washington Bar Association, Inc. ("WBA"). It supports the WBA's educational and charitable missions, including identifying and providing financial assistance to worthy programs that address the law and issues in the legal profession. The WBAEF provides two distinguished scholarships, the Charles Hamilton Houston Scholarship and the Judge Eugene Hamilton Scholarship. Both scholarships are presented at the WBA's and WBAEF's Annual Law Day Dinner held in May of each year. The Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation, Inc. ("WBAEF") is the only 501(c)(3) non-profit organization affiliated with the Washington Bar Association, Inc. ("WBA"). It supports the WBA's educational and charitable missions, including identifying and providing financial assistance to worthy programs that address the law and issues in the legal profession. The WBAEF provides two distinguished scholarships, the Charles Hamilton Houston Scholarship and the Judge Eugene Hamilton Scholarship. Both scholarships are presented at the WBA's and WBAEF's Annual Law Day Dinner held in May of each year.

Our Leadership

Meet our president, Tony Towns, the Executive Board, and Board of Directors.

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Want to Help?

The WBAEF welcomes the support of individuals and corporations who believe in the work of the foundation and would like to support our scholarships.

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Meet the Awardees

It is our honor to present competition winners with scholarship.

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Consider Supporting Us

The WBAEF welcomes the support of individuals and corporations who believe in the work of the foundation and would like to support our scholarships. The WBAEF is a 501(c)(3) organization and donations are tax-deductible to the amount allowable by law. To donate to the WBAEF using PayPal, please click the "Donate" button below.

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Contact Us

 

Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 56551
Washington, DC 20040
P:202-368-9292
E:wbaedufund@gmail.com

 

Scholarship Competitions
Charles Hamilton Houston

The Charles Hamilton Houston Scholarship Competition

The WBAEF Charles Hamilton Houston Essay Competition is held each year in honor of the brilliant Charles Hamilton Houston. Charles Hamilton Houston was one of the most important civil rights attorneys in American history. A lawyer, in his view, was an agent for social change—“either a social engineer or a parasite on society.” Houston helped play a role in dismantling the Jim Crow laws and helped train future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Known as “The Man Who Killed Jim Crow”, he played a role in nearly every civil rights case before the Supreme Court between 1930 and Brown v. Board of Education (1954). Houston’s brilliant plan to attack and defeat Jim Crow segregation by using the inequality of the “separate but equal” doctrine (from the Supreme Court’s Plessy v. Ferguson decision) as it pertained to public education in the United States was the master stroke that brought about the landmark Brown decision. The Charles Hamilton Houston Scholarship Essay Competition is open to all first and second year law students. Winners will receive: $3,000 1st Place, $2,000 2nd Place, and $1,000 3rd Place.
 

For more information on this year's essay competition, please click HERE.  

 

The Judge Eugene Hamilton Scholarship Competition

The WBAEF Chief Judge Eugene Hamilton Scholarship Competition is held each year in recognition of the Chief Judge Eugene Hamilton’s many contributions to the legal community. Throughout Chief Judge Hamilton’s career he embodied wisdom, professionalism, compassion and humility. He served as a judge for more than three decades and became the second African American to hold the position of Chief Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Chief Judge Hamilton also served on the faculty of Harvard Law School and taught as an adjunct professor at American University Washington College of Law. Chief Judge Hamilton was a respected leader, teacher and mentor who had a keen interest in juvenile justice initiatives. His passion for working with young people extended beyond the courtroom and afforded him the title of the “People’s Judge.” The Chief Judge Eugene Hamilton Scholarship Competition is open to any day or evening law student who is not graduating the year of the competition. The winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship.

Our Leadership
Tony Towns

Tony Towns

Tony Towns serves as the Vice President of the Washington Bar Association and President of the Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation. Tony brings 28 years of legal experience to his current role as Director of Community Engagement for the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia where he serves as a member of the Immediate Office and Senior Staff. Prior to serving as the Director of Community Engagement, Tony served as an Assistant Attorney General, representing the District of Columbia in both Superior Court and the District Court for the District of Columbia.

Prior to joining the Office of the Attorney General, Towns served as the Judicial Law Clerk to Superior Court Judge Reggie B. Walton, Attorney Advisor in the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy. He also worked as a Civil Trial Lawyer with the law firm of Carr Goodson & Lee, Nationwide Insurance Company and a Principal in the law firm of Jones & Towns, PLLC.
 
Tony received his Bachelor of Arts, in Business Administration from Morehouse College, Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center and LL.M in Trial Advocacy with Honors from the Temple University Beasley School of Law.

Meet our Executive Board

Tony Towns - President
Jason Grant - Vice President
Brandes Ash - Secretary
Sakinah Tillman - Treasurer

Meet our Board of Directors

Nicole Austin-Hillery
Antoinette Barksdale
Robie Beatty
Hope Brown
Henry E. Floyd, Jr.
Iris McCollum Green
Joseph Hairston
Janea Hawkins
Dionna Lewis
Knia Tanner
Natalie Walker

Charles Hamilton Houston Essay Scholarship Winners

We are honored to present the below winners of scholarship competitions. 

Aaron M. Ruffin

2019 1st Place - Aaron M. Ruffin

George Washington University School of Law

Keilah Roberts

2019 2nd Place - Keilah Roberts

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law

Michael Campbell

2019 3rd Place - Michael Campbell

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law

Joshua Morris

2018 1st Place - Joshua Morris

American University Washington College of Law

Ayanna Williams

2018 2nd Place - Ayanna Williams

Howard University School of Law

Seth L. Brown

2018 3rd Place - Seth L. Brown

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law

Ebony Brown

2015 1st Place - Ebony Brown

Howard University School of Law. Ms. Ebony Brown (photographed left) received a $3,000.00 scholarship award.

Maheala Brown

2015 2nd Place - Maheala Brown

Howard University School of Law. Ms. Maleaha Brown (photographed left) received a $2,000.00 scholarship award.

Chief Judge Eugene Hamilton Moot Court Competition/Scholarship Winners

We are honored to present the below winners of scholarship competitions. 

Joshua Morris

2018 - Denisha Jones

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law

Alicia Lewis

2018 - Alicia Lewis

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law

Natasha Bennett

2015 - Natasha Bennett

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clark School of Law. Ms. Bennett received the $ 5,000.00 scholarship award.

The objectives and purposes of the Association are: to improve, benefit and protect the well-being of the legal profession and its members; to enhance the professional skills of its members; to encourage professional and citizenship responsibilities among the Membership; to encourage spiritual and moral values; to advance the science of jurisprudence and the administration of justice; to improve the standards of legal education; and, to encourage legal research and excellence consistent with the philosophy of Houstonian Jurisprudence.

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