Eric Angel, Executive Director

Today is the first day of Legal Aid’s 23^rd Annual Generous Associates Campaign.  The Generous Associates Campaign is an extraordinary, peer-led fundraising effort that raises one fifth of Legal Aid’s operating budget.  Last year’s record-breaking campaign brought in more than $780,000 to help Legal Aid make justice real for our client community.

Legal Aid is excited to announce that Patricia Millett of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP will be serving as the Campaign’s Honorary Chair for 2012.  Pattie heads Akin Gump’s Supreme Court practice and co-heads the firm’s national appellate practice.  Just last month, The Wall Street Journal noted that she has argued more cases before the United States Supreme Court than any woman in history.  We are so proud that Pattie will be providing her leadership and look forward to her speaking out on behalf this year’s Campaign.

Please help make the Campaign a success at your firm.  If your firm does not have a Campaign or if you simply have any questions about how the Campaign works, please email our Development Director, Gregg Kelley, at gkelley@legalaiddc.org, for more information.

Chinh Le, Legal Director

Last night, at a Networking Reception at the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, Legal Aid Supervising Attorney Trisha Monroe was honored as a “Rising Star” in the non-profit sector by the Greater Washington Area Chapter (GWAC), Women Lawyers Division of the National Bar Association. Trisha was one of several attorneys recognized at the event for having distinguished themselves in their careers and for making a mark in the legal community.

Legal Aid Supervising Attorney Trisha Monroe (3rd from left) with other GWAC honorees.

A dedicated and passionate advocate on behalf of domestic violence survivors, Trisha first joined Legal Aid in 2006 as a staff attorney in our Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit. Over the past six years, she has represented or provided advice to literally hundreds of survivors of domestic violence, and their families. Trisha has also served as a mentor to dozens of other young DV and family law advocates, both within Legal Aid and beyond. Before coming to Legal Aid, she worked at the Women’s Law Center of Maryland in its Protection Order Advocacy and Representation Project.

Another Legal Aid attorney will be honored tonight. As we previously noted, Jack Keeney, Jr., the Director of Legal Aid’s nationally recognized Barbara McDowell Appellate Advocacy Project, will be receiving the Justice Potter Stewart Award from the Council on Court Excellence at its annual dinner this evening, to be held at the Organization of American States.

Please join us in congratulating both Trisha and Jack!

Rosanne Avilés, Supervising Attorney -Housing

The District lost 50 percent of its low-cost rental housing between 2000 and 2010, according to a study released last week by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute.  This significant loss of affordable housing, coupled with rising housing costs and stagnant wages for the bottom 40 percent of D.C. households, has created an affordable housing crisis for many low-income District residents.  Indeed, in order to retain affordable housing, many residents have lived in substandard conditions and endured repeated struggles with their landlords to obtain necessary repairs.  A recent article in the Washington Post documents the struggles that some D.C. families have had to maintain safe, habitable, affordable housing.

The D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute’s study was a sobering account of a distressed rental housing market that we routinely see Legal Aid’s clients struggle to navigate.

Celine Janelle, Staff Attorney

Picture yourself in your home. Take a look around. What do you see? How do you feel? Do you feel comfortable, calm, in control? Is your home a refuge? Do you feel secure? Or do you feel tense? Are you uncomfortable, unmotivated, or fearful? When you look around, do you become uneasy or stressed?

In recent years, public health studies have started to document what we already know intuitively – that our surroundings affect us. Not just physically but also mentally. Poor apartment conditions, neighborhood dynamics, and lack of affordable housing options can combine to create a myriad of external stressors. And for low-income tenants with few other options, these stressors can take a profound psychological toll.

As a member of the housing team, I often hear tenants describe the negative effects that poor housing conditions have on their emotional well being. One client said he felt anxious sitting on his couch because roaches would crawl over his arm. Another man described lying awake for hours waiting for bedbugs to bite. A father expressed concern that his two-year-old would stick her finger into an uncovered outlet. Another parent said her kids were scared to go to the bathroom at night because of mice. One woman came close to tears when she described the despair and frustration she felt every time her landlord ignored her pleas for repairs.

At the other end of the spectrum, I also get to hear how safe and healthy homes can be transformative for individuals. One of the most powerful moments I have had at Legal Aid was hearing a tenant talk about the new apartment she obtained with her voucher. “When I walk through my front door, and I see the fresh paint, new carpets, and ceiling trim,” she said, “it makes me feel like a queen. I feel like I can turn a new page in life and be a better person.” She described how leaving her old apartment, which was filled with mice, roaches and other housing code violations, made her feel energized and liberated. Her new surroundings gave her motivation to start working towards her goals – leaving her abusive boyfriend, finding a job, and spending more time with her family.

This woman’s newfound resolve epitomizes the critical role that housing conditions play on our emotional health. It is also a reminder of why we must be vigilant in enforcing the housing code, and why we must continue to advocate for safe, affordable, and healthy housing for low-income families.

Anna Purinton, Staff Attorney

On April 20, Legal Aid and one of its clients testified before the D.C. Council Committee on the Judiciary in support of full funding of the District of Columbia Access to Justice Initiative.  The Initiative provides vital financial support for civil legal services for the District’s most vulnerable residents.  

The Access to Justice funds support four projects at Legal Aid: our Court-Based Legal Services Project, housed in the Landlord-Tenant Branch of D.C. Superior Court; our Child Support Community Legal Services Project, housed in the Paternity & Support Branch of D.C. Superior Court; our Southeast Neighborhood Access Project, which allows Legal Aid to increase its presence and serve more residents in Southeast D.C., where there is a high concentration of persons living in poverty; and our newest project, the Domestic Violence Underserved Communities Representation Project, which builds on our existing DV work and increases our ability to provide legal services to underserved communities in Northeast D.C.

Legal Aid’s testimony highlighted the positive impact that the Court-Based Legal Services Project has had for low-income tenants facing eviction.  Since the Project began five years ago, attorneys from Legal Aid and Bread for the City have provided same-day representation to nearly 3,000 individuals or families in Landlord Tenant Court.  One of the tenants who Legal Aid assisted through the project testified about what it meant to him to have legal representation in his housing case.  The full text of Legal Aid’s written testimony can be accessed here, and the testimony of our client, Anthony Overton, can be accessed here.

David Steib, Staff Attorney

Last week, the Immigrant Justice Clinic at American University Washington College of Law released a report concluding that many D.C. government entities are still incapable of reliably providing language access services in compliance with local law. The report, “Access Denied: The Unfilled Promise of the D.C. Language Access Act,” is based on information and data collected by the D.C. Language Access Coalition, of which Legal Aid is a member.  The release of the report was covered by several media outlets, including Univision/WFDC and DCentric/WAMU. 

The report’s findings offer insight into the measure of compliance by the District government with the D.C. Language Access Act of 2004, legislation that requires government entities to provide oral interpretation to all customers and translation of vital documents into languages spoken by populations that meet a certain threshold.  Unfortunately, eight years after the passage of the Act, the report finds that government entities are still not able to reliably provide the services required by law.  The report’s findings are based on over 250 community member surveys and over 80 tests of city agencies.  “Our surveys revealed that 58% of LEP [Limited-English Proficient] community members had experienced a language access difficulty at a D.C. government agency,” stated Michael Ramirez, a Student Attorney with the Immigrant Justice Clinic.    

The results of the report come as no surprise to the attorneys at Legal Aid, who are often confronted with clients who have lost their benefits or have been sued because of confusion regarding a language access violation at a D.C. government agency.  In the last several years, Legal Aid has helped multiple clients to file language access complaints with the D.C. Office of Human Rights.  At Legal Aid, we are committed to helping limited-English proficient and non-English proficient members of the community bring these complaints in order to call for better enforcement of the Act.  Legal Aid also takes an active role as a member of the DC Language Access Coalition, and we stand behind all of the recommendations of the recent report, which include: 

1)      The D.C. Council should create a private right of action for violations of the Language Access Act, as well as a right for complainants to appeal unfavorable decisions, which is currently absent.

2)      The Office of Human Rights should report on its own compliance with the Act.

3)      Agencies should prioritize and incentivize the hiring of bilingual staff.  Such staff should then be trained in effective interpretation techniques.

4)       The Office of Human Rights should review Biennial Language Access Plans of each agency more carefully and hold each agency accountable for aspirational goals, which often never come to pass.

5)      Agencies should better flag customers who do not speak English and thereinafter consistently offer services in the appropriate language for each customer. 

6)      Agencies must develop a more robust internal monitoring system to ensure that employees are complying with the law.

7)      Each agency should comply with its legal requirement to annually determine the number or proportion of limited or no-English proficient persons served or encountered, or likely to be served or encountered, by the agency.    

For more information, or to obtain a printed copy of the report, please contact Tereguebode Goungou at Many Languages, One Voice.

Gregg Kelley, Director of Development

Thursday evening, Legal Aid celebrated its 80th Anniversary with over 500 supporters, special guests, and dignitaries in attendance – its largest Servant of Justice Awards dinner ever. The event was an enormous success, raising over $850,000 for Legal Aid – funds that will go a long, long way in assisting survivors of domestic violence, veterans seeking life-changing public benefits, families facing eviction, and so many others.

In his remarks, Legal Aid Executive Director Eric Angel reflected on the similarities between the circumstances that led to Legal Aid’s founding 80 years ago – crushing poverty, staggering unemployment, and significant disparities between rich and poor – and the crises that our client community continue to confront today, observing that the organization’s mission is as important as ever.  

The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General of the United States, presented the keynote address. The Attorney General described the fight “not only to restore the essential rights of those who cannot afford representation on their own, but also to ensure the strength and integrity of our nation’s justice system” as “nothing less than a moral imperative.” Citing statistics on the need for civil legal services that he described as “not only shocking” but “unacceptable,” the Attorney General praised Legal Aid for having responded to this challenge “not with despair, but with resolve.” He encouraged those gathered that evening to join Legal Aid and reaffirm their commitment to closing the “justice gap.” 

From left to right: Servant of Justice Award winners Susan M. Hoffman and James vanR. Springer, Klepper Prize winner Jonathan G. Lin, and Legal Aid Executive Director Eric Angel.

Following the Attorney General’s address, Legal Aid honored three individuals. Two giants of the legal profession were recognized with the Servant of Justice Award, Legal Aid’s highest honor. Peter Edelman, Georgetown law professor and Chair of the D.C. Access to Justice Commission, presented the Award to James vanR. Springer, of Legal Aid, and David Stern, Executive Director of Equal Justice Works, presented the Award to Susan M. Hoffman of Crowell & Moring LLP.  Arlene Klepper – who, together with her husband, Skadden partner Marty Klepper, has been a long-time supporter of Legal Aid – presented the Klepper Prize for Volunteer Excellence to Jonathan G. Lin of Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP. All three award recipients inspired the audience with their remarks. 

Debby Baum, Legal Aid’s Board President and a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, ended the evening on a light note, pointing out that 81st anniversaries are very important as well. She invited everyone to return to Legal Aid’s Servant of Justice Dinner next year, already scheduled for April 18, 2013 at the JW Marriott Hotel.

Andrew Patterson - Staff Attorney, Public Benefits

Last Thursday, April 19, Legal Aid testified before the D.C. Council Committee on Health about several important issues affecting enrollees in the District’s Medical Assistance programs. The last year has seen many changes to these programs – some of which offer an occasion for D.C. to update and modernize its health care processes, while others have, unfortunately, resulted in less access to care for vulnerable populations. The continued implementation of the new federal health care law, for example, provides an opportunity for the District to improve its eligibility determination and service delivery structures. However, the new policy of requiring face-to-face recertifications every six months for the Alliance program has led to a steep drop in the number of enrollees – many of whom likely still qualify for coverage. Legal Aid’s written testimony on these issue, and others, can be accessed here.

Chinh Le, Legal Director

Tomorrow, April 26, Susan M. Hoffman of Crowell & Moring LLP will receive Legal Aid’s Servant of Justice Award. As Crowell & Moring’s Public Service Partner, Susie leads the firm’s diverse pro bono practice which ranges from representation of the homeless, elderly individuals, and domestic violence victims to civil rights impact and appellate litigation. Susie was the first full-time Public Service Counsel at a major law firm in the D.C. area, joining Crowell & Moring in that capacity in 1988, and in 2000 becoming the first pro bono professional to be promoted to partner. Susie also serves as President of the C&M Foundation, a separate nonprofit organization that provides grants to organizations focusing on at-risk youth. 

Susie Hoffman, Crowell & Moring LLP

Susie began her career as a law clerk to the late U.S. District Judge Harold H. Greene and as a litigator at Hogan & Hartson, working on a variety of pro bono matters. She has represented and supervised representation by other attorneys in her firm in more than 80 domestic violence, adoption, child abuse and neglect, and child custody cases, and has crafted appellate briefs on domestic violence issues. Susie participated in the first case involving a domestic violence statute to reach the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1990, she mobilized a group of practitioners to design the first D.C. Bar Child Custody training for attorneys representing low income clients, a course still presented annually. 

Susie volunteered from 1981-1988 with My Sister’s Place and chaired the shelter’s Board of Directors. She is currently in her fifth year as Co-Chair of the D.C. Circuit Judicial Conference Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services, chairs the Archdiocesan Legal Network Advisory Council, is on the Executive Committee of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and serves on the Boards of the D.C. Bar Foundation, the Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project, the Washington Council of Lawyers, Friends of Superior Court, and the Center for Dispute Resolution. Her past Bar involvement includes two elected terms on the D.C. Bar Board of Governors and Board President of the Foundation of the Bar Association of D.C. 

For her work, Susie has received much recognition including the George Washington Law School Belva Lockwood Award for distinction as a role model for female attorneys (1993), Whitman-Walker Clinic’s Outstanding Volunteer Mentor (1997), and the John Carroll Society Pro Bono Legal Services Award (2000, 2004). In 2008, Legal Times named Ms. Hoffman as one of the “90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years” for her role as “pro bono trailblazer.” 

Please consider joining us for our Servant of Justice Awards Dinner tomorrow at 6.30 pm, at the JW Marriott Hotel. Attorney General Eric Holder will be the keynote speaker. As we noted earlier this week, in addition to Susie Hoffman, we will also be honoring James vanR. Springer with the Servant of Justice Award, and Jonathan G. Lin with the Klepper Prize for Volunteer Excellence.

Chinh Le, Legal Director

This Thursday, April 26, Legal Aid will recognize James vanR. Springer with its highest honor, the Servant of Justice Award. Since 2005, Jim has served as a volunteer staff attorney at Legal Aid, representing clients on a wide variety of public benefits and other matters, with a focus on helping low-income D.C. residents obtain safety net benefits and critical health care services. He joined Legal Aid’s staff following his retirement from the law firm of Dickstein Shapiro LLP, where he was a prominent partner in the firm’s general litigation practice for more than three decades.

Jim Springer, Volunteer Staff Attorney

Jim attended Harvard College and received his LL.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he served as President of the Harvard Law Review. He began his legal career in 1961 as a law clerk to Chief Judge J. Edward Lumbard on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit before joining Covington & Burling LLP. In 1967, Jim entered government service as Assistant Legal Adviser for Economic Affairs at the United States Department of State before becoming a Deputy Solicitor General at the United States Department of Justice in 1968. 

Over the next four years, Jim presented ten oral arguments in the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1972, he joined the law firm now known as Dickstein Shapiro LLP as a partner. At Dickstein, Jim was a prominent litigator and antitrust lawyer with particular emphasis on appellate practice. Shortly after his retirement in 2004, Jim offered his services to Legal Aid. 

Although his experience and expertise was in complex and appellate litigation, Jim simply asked us where his services were needed most. When we told him that our greatest need was in initial applicant interviews and public benefits, he offered to join Legal Aid as a volunteer public benefits staff attorney. Jim has since become very much part of the Legal Aid family, helping to set priorities, participating in staff meetings, and drawing on a distinguished legal career to provide expert advice and guidance to more junior Legal Aid attorneys. Through his time at Legal Aid, Jim has helped countless numbers of low-income people navigate the bureaucracy of the Social Security Administration and ensured that people who are elderly or live with disabilities are in the right Medicare Prescription Drug Plans. In fact, Jim has taken on a leadership role in Legal Aid’s Medicare Part D work by supervising pro bono and staff attorneys at clinics that Legal Aid runs throughout the city to reach as many clients as possible.

In 2007, for his extraordinary work at Legal Aid, Jim was named Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year by the District of Columbia Bar. This year, we are proud to recognize Jim’s tremendous contributions with the Servant of Justice Award. 

Please consider joining us for our Servant of Justice Awards Dinner, this Thursday at 6.30 pm, at the JW Marriott Hotel. Attorney General Eric Holder will be the keynote speaker. In addition to Jim Springer, we will also be honoring Susan M. Hoffman with the Servant of Justice Award, and as we mentioned yesterday, Jonathan G. Lin will receive the Klepper Prize for Volunteer Excellence. A blog entry on Susie will run tomorrow.