Table of Contents

  1. Thank you for your support!
  2. Membership Dues
  3. WBA Upcoming Events
  4. Additional News & Opportunities
  5. Job and Mentorship Program Opportunities
  6. DC Refers

Thank you for your support!

The Washington Bar Association, Inc. (WBA) and WBA Young Lawyers Division would like to thank everyone who attended the Business of the Arts Professional Development Series: Copyright Law for Artists and Creatives.

The Business of the Arts Professional Development Series: Copyright Law for Artists and Creatives was cohosted by the WBA, WBA Young Lawyers Division, the DC Commission on the Arts (CAH) and the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA).

WBA’s own Secretary Edward Fultz presented an informative program that equipped attendees with the knowledge to protect your creative works while promoting artistic expression.

We definitely missed you if you were unable to attend and hope to see you next time!

Thank you in advance for all of your support, hard work, and dedication to the WBA!

2023 – 2024 WBA Membership Dues!!

The Washington Bar Association, Inc. (WBA) welcomes you to the 2023-2024 bar year. Membership dues should be submitted via Member 365 platform.

You may create your WBA Member365 profile and/or pay your dues for the 2023-2024 year by clicking the appropriate membership category link below. Although the form you’ll complete is labeled as an “Application”, it should be used for new memberships, renewals, and logging into your membership profile.

  • Current Life Members should be sure to select the “EXISTING Life member” category below (WBA verification of current life memberships will be required before these profiles are accepted).
  • Current Members should sign into the platform using their login information. Please let us know whether you need assistance logging into your profile.

If you know others who may be interested in establishing or renewing membership in the WBA, please forward this email to them.

We look forward to working with you throughout the year. Questions? Please contact us at info@washingtonbar.org

2024 Charles Hamilton Houston (CHH) Scholarship Essay Competition

The Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation, Inc. (WBAEF) is pleased to announce the 2024 Charles Hamilton Houston (CHH) Scholarship Essay Competition

Law students currently enrolled in one of six D.C. area law schools are invited to participate in the CHH Scholarship Essay Competition. Entrants will submit an essay on the topic:

“Whether legacy admissions should be deemed unconstitutional based on the Supreme Court of the United States’ recent decision regarding affirmative action and according to the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.”

Essays must be submitted on or before the deadline of Friday, January 12, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. EST via email only. Essay submissions must be emailed in PDF Format to WBAEF Scholarship Chair, Henry, E. Floyd, Jr. at hfloydesq@gmail.com

WBA Upcoming Events

The Washington Bar Association, Inc. (WBA) invites you to attend our 2023 Annual Professionals Holiday Party

It’s that time of the year again! The WBA’s Annual Professionals Holiday Party brings together Washington D.C.’s various professional communities to fellowship, develop networks, and celebrate our collective achievements of the preceding year. This is an event you do not want to miss!

WBA’s 2023 Annual Professionals Holiday Party
When: Friday, December 15, 2023 – 6:00PM – 10:00PM
Where: Museum of Illusions

Limited Early Bird Tickets Are SOLD OUT!

General Admission Tickets Are On Sale NOW!

The WBA is collaborating with the Washington Counsel of Lawyers to host Racial Justice Series: Ending The School to Prison Pipeline on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 from 6:30pm – 8:00pm

The WBA and WBA Judicial Council Division presents “An Evening With The Judges”

District of Columbia Court of Appeals
430 E Street NW Washington, DC
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Please join us for an evening of networking and fellowship with your fellow attorneys, judges, and colleagues. RSVP below!

November 17, 2023
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

 

The WBA and WBAEF in observance of National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday will be serving lunch at Bread for the City

Additional Information for Volunteers

All volunteers will need to sign up/create an account here. (Be sure to remember your username/password login info as you will need it when you sign in at the center.)

Before Arriving:

  • Please cancel if you can’t come: BFC relies on volunteer support, and our volunteer spots are limited. Please cancel and alert our team if you can’t attend your shift so another person can join us
  • Arrive on time! Our shifts will start promptly
  • Location and parking: Our Southeast Center (1700 Good Hope Road SE) is accessible via the Anacostia Station (green/yellow lines). B2, V2, and W6 buses are routed from Anacostia Metro to 16th and Good Hope Road SE, right across from our building. The Circulator bus also runs from the Anacostia metro to 14th and Good Hope Road SE and 18th and Good Hope Road SE. There is ample street parking available around our building.
  • Attire: Wear comfortable and weather-appropriate clothing and supportive shoes. You’ll be working!!! Bring any water/coffee/snacks you need.
  • Review our Volunteer Handbook for more information.

Upon Arriving:

  • Mask up! BFC will continue to require everyone to wear masks inside our facilities. Our front desks have surgical masks available. N95 or KN95s are encouraged for extra protection. Thank you for helping us keep our community safe!
  • Sign in (and out when you leave)! All volunteers must sign in using the tablet at the front desk. Please enter your username, name, or phone number and you will be checked in. Folks won’t be able to check in for a shift unless they are registered online. Volunteer hours will be recorded based on sign-ins only.
  • Wear a volunteer badge: All volunteers must wear a lanyard from the front desk.
  • Please be seated in the lobby until your shift begins.
  • Treat clients, staff, and other volunteers with dignity and respect!

Thank you again for signing up to serve, and we’ll see you soon!

Honorable Inez Smith Reid

Honoring the Life and Career of the Honorable Inez Smith Reid

On November 19, 2023, The Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ will be hosting a program to honor the life and career of the Honorable Inez Smith Reid. The theme of the program will be “The Honorable Inez Smith Reid: A Celebration of Service to God and Justice.”

The Hon. Smith Reid spent the first decade of her career in education, teaching in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and later at other colleges including Barnard as a professor of political science. While teaching at Barnard College, she was deeply beloved by her students and had a profound impact on their lives.

Following her career in education, she spent time in private practice and in prominent government positions, including as corporation counsel for the District of Columbia.

Please join in honoring the career of the Honorable Inez Smith Reed.

Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ
4704 13th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C.
Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 10:00 A.M

Additional News & Opportunities

The Superior Court of the District of Columbia Rules Committee Is Seeking Comments

The Superior Court of the District of Columbia Rules Committee seeks comments from the D.C. Bar and the general public on whether the Committee should recommend the adoption of amendments to the Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure, similar to the discovery-limiting provisions of the D.C. Anti-Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (Anti-SLAPP) Act recently invalidated by the Court of Appeals in Banks v. Hoffman, No. 20-CV-0318, 2023 WL 5761926 (D.C. Sept, 7, 2023).

Comments are due by 5 p.m. EST on November 20, 2023.

**Additional Information Provided Below**

Job and Mentorship Opportunities

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.

DC Refers

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,

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Every donation – no matter the amount – is extremely valuable to the Washington Bar Association. Your contribution will help the WBA support professional development and address the related needs of Black lawyers in the District of Columbia, while furthering our commitment to social justice and advocacy efforts on behalf of the Black community.