1. The WBA 2023-2024 Board of Directors Thank You for Your Continued Support!
2. Membership Dues
3. Thanks for your support
4. WBA Upcoming Events
5. YLD Upcoming Events
6. NBA Upcoming Events
7. Additional Events & Opportunities
8. Job and Mentorship Program Opportunities
9. DC Refers
10. Thank you to Our Sponsors!

On Behalf of all WBA Board Members, we would like to thank you for your membership and continued support of the WBA, its events, and programs! 

Please do reach out to any of the above WBA Board members if you have any questions regarding membership or any of our upcoming events/programs.  You can also send any questions or concerns to info@washingtonbar.org.

It was a great evening of networking and celebration of our judges. We definitely missed you if you were unable to attend and hope to see you at an upcoming WBA event.

Saturday, May 4, 2024
6:30PM – 10:00PM
Salamander Washington D.C.

Please join the Washington Bar Association, Inc. (WBA) and the Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation, Inc. (WBAEF) for our signature black-tie event – the Annual Law Day Dinner – on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the Salamander Washington D.C., located at 1330 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024, beginning at 6:30 in the evening.

The highlight of the Annual Law Day Dinner is the conferral of the highly coveted Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion of Merit – the Washington Bar Association, Inc.’s highest honor – on the prestigious honorees of the evening, who, through their life’s work, have consistently demonstrated a commitment to Houstonian principles.

Our 2024 recipients of the prestigious Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion of Merit are Valerie Jarrett, former Senior Advisor to United States President Barack H. Obama, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of the Barack Obama Foundation, Board Chair of Civic Nation, and Co-Chair of the United States of Women, and another surprise history-making honoree. These remarkable trailblazers have distinguished careers that have exemplified stellar leadership, a firm commitment to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, and dedication to our organization’s mission of “Equal Justice Under Law.”

The 2024 Law Day Dinner promises to be an incredible evening of legal excellence that you will not want to miss. The event will begin with a VIP cocktail reception for sponsors, dignitaries, and other distinguished guests. The program and a formal dinner will follow, and the event will conclude with our much-anticipated dessert reception and live entertainment.

Sponsorships and individual tickets may be purchased at the link below or the WBA’s website (www.washingtonbar.org). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the 2024 Law Day Dinner Chair, Henry E. Floyd, Jr., at HFloydEsq@gmail.com.

Thank you for your support of the Washington Bar Association, Inc. and the Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation, Inc. We look forward to seeing you at the Salamander on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 6:30 p.m.

DRI is the largest international membership organization of attorneys defending the interests of business and individuals in civil litigation. Membership in DRI provides access to resources and tools for attorneys who strive to provide high-quality, balanced, and excellent service to their clients and corporations.

The scholarship’s goal is to provide financial assistance to three worthy law students from ABA-accredited law schools in order to promote, in a tangible way.

One scholarship in the amount of $10,000 and two scholarships in the amount of $5,000 each will be awarded. The recipients will be announced at the DRI Diversity for Success Seminar in Nashville, Tennessee, in June 2024.

This scholarship is open to rising (2024-2025) second- and third-year law students who come from historically marginalized groups, including those who identify as:

• African American
• Hispanic
• Asian
• Native American
• LGBTQ+
• Multiracial
• Second- and third-year female law students, regardless of race or ethnicity
• Any other second- and third-year law students who come from backgrounds that would add to the cause of diversity, regardless of race or gender

To qualify for these scholarships, a candidate must be a full-time student. Evening students qualify for consideration if they have completed one-third or more of the total credit hours required for a degree by the applicant’s law school.

Students who are a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), law school, or law student members of AAJ, or students otherwise affiliated with or employed by AAJ, are not eligible for DRI’s Law Student Diversity Scholarships.

Applications and all other requested materials must be received by March 31, 2024. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

The Annual CLEO EDGE Honors Reception & Awards Program will take place on Thursday, April 11^th, 2024, at the law offices of Greenberg Traurig, 2101 L Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC, 6:00 – 8:30 pm ET.

This year’s four (4) deserving EDGE Award recipients were chosen from a wide array of nominees for their accomplishments in the profession and society. CLEO first created this special recognition in 2018 to promote its focus on the aforementioned three “pillars,” which are the foundation of the organization’s mission and purpose.

In addition to the three individual EDGE awards, one prominent individual will receive the fourth CLEO EDGE Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. Heritage Award.  This distinguished award is bestowed annually to a person, or persons, who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in all three pillar areas in the legal profession or society.

“The four recipients of this year’s CLEO EDGE Awards each truly exemplify what diversity, equity, and inclusion are all about,” said Juan Carlos “J.C.” Polanco, Esq., MBA, Chief Executive Officer of CLEO. “These invaluable characteristics are important to CLEO, the legal profession, and our nation as a whole. We believe these leaders appreciate and value diversity in all its forms!”

The 2024 CLEO EDGE Honors recipients (alphabetized by last name):

• Neal Katyal, Esq. (Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. Heritage Award) – Partner, Hogan Lovells, Paul Saunders Professor at Georgetown University, and Former Acting Solicitor General of the United States
• Bryan Parker, Esq. (Greater Equality Award) – Co-founder and CEO, Legal Innovators
• Rick Petry, Esq. (Education Award) – Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
• Hon. Phyllis D. Thompson (Diversity Award) – Senior Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals

To view more details about our Honorees and to RSVP visit: https://cleoinc.org/edgeawards

For more information about the reception, or for sponsorship opportunities, contact Leigh R. Allen, II, Chief Operating Officer at (240) 862-8380 or lallen@cleoinc.org.

Since 1988, the CBCF have upheld their commitment to nurturing the next generation of Black leaders through academic financial support and professional development opportunities. The scholarship programs provide vital resources to deserving students, while the summer internships offer hands-on experience in the heart of policymaking on Capitol Hill.

2024 Scholarship Program

Scholarships:

• The Ally Financial Public Policy Scholarship*
• CBC Spouses Education Scholarship
• CBC Spouses Essay Contest Scholarship
• CBC Spouses Performing Arts Scholarship
• CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship
• HBCU National Racial Equity Initiative for Social Justice Scholarship
• The Tracking Foundation Multi-Year Scholarship
• The Tracking Foundation Scholars Scholarship
• CBCF Reducing the Financial Barrier Scholarship (Need-based)

Application Deadlines:

• Phase 1 – March 31, 2024
• Phase 2 – April 27, 2024

Summer 2024 Internship Program

Program Options:

• Pathways to the C-Suite Internship Program
• Congressional Internship Program

Program Dates: May 27 – July 26, 2024

Benefits:

1. Bi-weekly stipend
2. Washington, D.C. housing
3. CBC Member office placement
4. Professional development training
5. Exclusive networking opportunities

Application Deadline: March 29, 2024

Requirements:

• 2.5 GPA (Congressional), 3.0 GPA (C-Suite)
• Permanent or university residence in a CBC Member district
• Rising college sophomore, junior, senior, or recent graduate (24 months) by program start date (Congressional)

The National Bar Association (“NBA”) Women Lawyers Division invites all members of the NBA not already admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court to participate in its Annual Supreme Court Swearing-in Ceremony on May 30, 2024.

This ceremony is held annually to enhance the posture of African American lawyers as legal advocates and to increase the number of minority lawyers who can readily represent clients before the nation’s highest court.

Applicants must be members in good standing of their highest state court bar for three (3) years before admission and must have their applications signed by two (2) members of the U. S. Supreme Court Bar. A certificate of good standing obtained from your highest state court bar must be submitted with your application. The cost of participation in this group swearing-in event is $375.00. Completed applications are due no later than March 25, 2024.

Please visit the Supreme Court’s website at: www.supremecourt.gov/filingandrules.aspx and scroll down to Supreme Court, and further down to where you will see: Bar Admissions Form (PDF) and Bar Admissions Instructions (PDF) to obtain an application form. Complete the application online and print it out.

Once you have completed your application including obtaining the signatures of two current members of the Supreme Court Bar, please submit your application, your check for payment, and your certificate of good standing directly to:

Iris McCollum Green, Esquire
GREEN & FOUSHEE
1714 15th Street, N. W., Ste. B
Washington, D. C. 20009

Your check for payment for this ceremony and attendant activities should be payable to the NBA Women Lawyers Division.

Additional information may be obtained by writing or telephoning Attorney Green at the above-stated address or telephoning her at (202) 785-1171 (office) or (202) 494-9882 (Cell) or email her at iriseagain@aol.com. For this “group swearing-in ceremony,” please do not sign the “motion for admission section.” Otherwise, please sign where a signature is required.

The Washington Bar Association, Inc. (WBA) is pleased to share the following opportunities, and we encourage you to share this information with others who may be interested.

• Operations Section Position – Office of Intelligence
• Various Positions – House Vacancy Announcement and Placement Service
• Various Positions – Legal Aid Society of DC
• Various Positions – DC Dep’t of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
• Various Attorney Positions – NVRDC
• Various Positions – Department of Health and Human Services
• Various Positions – Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

DC Refers was created to increase access to justice for people of modest means in the District of Columbia. Many people in the District of Columbia earn too much to qualify for free legal services from pro bono lawyers or nonprofit legal aid providers, but do not earn enough to afford the rates that most lawyers charge for their services. People whose income falls between 200-400% of the federal poverty guidelines often have limited or no option to obtain legal assistance. We seek to fill that justice gap.

DC Refers invites lawyers with at least two years of experience in their practice area to apply to join our online directory of reduced fee lawyers. Attorneys who join our directory are not required to accept any particular client referral. But if they do accept a client who qualifies for a reduced rate, the lawyer may not charge the client more than $150 per hour. Of course, clients who do not qualify for a reduced rate may be charged the attorney’s normal rate.

If you know someone who would benefit from our services, please share our fliers in English or Spanish.

To learn more about DC Refers or join our directory visit our website https://dcrefers.org/ or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin,

The Washington Bar Association, Inc. (WBA) extends its appreciation and heartfelt THANK YOU to the following sponsors: