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ShareOpen Letter to the 2023 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll Registrants from Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby and Chief Judge Anita Josey-Herring
April 29, 2024
On behalf of the D.C. Courts, in partnership with the D.C. Access to Justice Commission and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, we want to express our deep gratitude to each of you who qualified for recognition on the 2023 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll. As you may know, since 2011 the D.C. Courts have recognized attorneys who have contributed 50 hours or more of pro bono service in the calendar year. As chief judges, we are acutely aware of the significant obstacles faced by individuals with limited resources who all too frequently must represent themselves in proceedings, often against represented parties. We salute you for using your time, talents, and expertise to ensure that those who cannot afford an attorney have meaningful access to justice.
Each year we are encouraged by the incredible number of registrants for the Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll, and this year surpassed expectations. For 2023, 5,034* attorneys registered for the Honor Roll, with 2,825* (56%) providing 100 hours or more of pro bono service, thus qualifying for the High Honor Roll. This represents at least now 392,950* hours of pro bono service. It also is deeply gratifying to see that our legal community’s pro bono commitment spans across all types of practice. The 2023 Honor Roll members hail from 166 firms, solo practices, federal and local government agencies, corporations, associations, and public interest organizations.
We are exceedingly proud of the robust tradition of pro bono service in the District of Columbia’s legal community. We applaud those attorneys who embrace their ethical obligation, as contained in Rule 6.1 of the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct, to perform at least 50 hours of pro bono work annually. The District of Columbia is fortunate to have a truly exemplary cadre of legal services organizations whose attorneys work every day to make access to justice a reality. Yet there remains a significant gap between those who need legal services and those who the legal services community with their limited resources can help. The continued participation of pro bono counsel is simply indispensable to our civil justice system. It will take all of us, working together, to make the equal access to justice a reality in the District.
Thank you for answering – and in many cases exceeding – the call to service embodied by Rule 6.1. We know that your actions stem not only from a commitment to your ethical obligations, but also from your principled belief in equal access to justice. We are pleased to recognize your dedication by including your name on this year’s Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll.
Sincerely,
Anna Blackburne-Rigsby
Chief Judge
District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Anita Josey-Herring
Chief Judge
Superior Court of the District of Columbia
*These numbers have been updated as of May 6, 2024.
| PDF Name | Download PDF |
|---|---|
| 2023 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2023 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by affiliation (law firms and organizations) | Download |
| PDF Name | Download PDF |
|---|---|
| 2022 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2022 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by affiliation | Download |
| 2021 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2021 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by affiliation | Download |
| 2020 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2020 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by affiliation | Download |
| 2019 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2019 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by affiliation | Download |
| 2018 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2018 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by affiliation | Download |
| 2017 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2017 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by affiliation | Download |
| 2016 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2016 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by affiliation | Download |
| 2015 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2015 Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, by affiliation | Download |
| 2014 Pro Bono Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2014 Pro Bono High Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2014 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll members by affiliation | Download |
| 2013 Pro Bono Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2013 Pro Bono High Honor Roll, by name | Download |
| 2013 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll members by affiliation | Download |
The District of Columbia Courts, with assistance from the D.C. Access to Justice Commission and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, established the Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll as part of the 2011 National Celebration of Pro Bono. Since then, it has continued annually to celebrate the pro bono contributions made by D.C. Bar members and others authorized to practice under D.C. Court of Appeals Rule 49. The Honor Roll recognizes the vital role that private and government lawyers play in providing pro bono services to those who cannot afford counsel, as well as to disadvantaged small businesses and community-based nonprofits.
To register for the Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll, lawyers submit a declaration indicating they provided 50 or more hours of pro bono service in the calendar year. Lawyers who provided 100 or more hours of pro bono service qualify for the High Honor Roll. For 2023, 5,034 attorneys registered for the Honor Roll, with 2,825 providing 100 hours or more of pro bono service, thus qualifying for the High Honor Roll. Registrants are listed on the DC Courts website by name and by law firm/organization.
