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Dear Friend,

While we’re only a month in to 2019, here at the Committee we’re already knee deep in the trenches of several important fights.
 
Righting the wrongs of racial and economic injustice requires more than just a new year’s resolution. It requires fighting on a wide-range of fronts. As you’ll read in the stories below, our work is as diverse as it is far-reaching. From employment, to housing, to the rights of prisoners, we’re not letting up on the gas.
 
Thank you for your support in 2018 – we look forward to continuing to partner with you in this new year to produce even more incredible work.
 
Back to work.
 
Jonathan Smith
Executive Director, Washington Lawyers’ Committee

This month the Committee released our updated Workers’ Rights Manual, a comprehensive desk reference and source of legal information about the rights of employees in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. The 500+ page manual covers topics including wage and hour, discrimination, family medical leave, sexual harassment, unemployment compensation, and workers’ compensation. View and download the PDF here.

A HUGE thank you to our Justice Society members for your generosity in 2018. The Committee established the Justice Society during our 50th anniversary to honor individuals who provide gifts of $1,000 or more. The list of our Justice Society members can be found here on our new website.

The Washington Lawyers’ Committee is starting the new year with a new website! It’s a clean and user-friendly interface that beautifully showcases the important work we’re doing to dismantle injustice and pursue lasting change. Check it out.
Spotlight: Dennis Gucciardo

Most prisoners face a legal proceeding that will determine their liberty without a lawyer. The Washington Lawyers’ Committee has taken on the challenge of finding counsel for many of these men and women. In 2018, we provided representation to more than 80 prisoners seeking parole. Dennis Gucciardo got involved with the Committee in 2011. Dennis had not planned for parole to become the core of his pro bono practice – he got involved when he was asked to fill in for a colleague who had taken a case, but could not attend the hearing. Eight years and more than a dozen cases later, what began as a happenstance assignment has become an intentional and committed involvement to the Committee’s parole clients. Read more...
Huge Victory for Women Prisoners in Virginia

Women confined to the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women (FCCW) have for years been subjected to harsh and cruel conditions. Neglect of medical and mental health services have led to unnecessary deaths and suffering. The Committee, in partnership with the Legal Aid Justice Center and Wiley Rein, sued the State of Virginia and in 2015 reached a comprehensive consent decree designed to ensure that prisoners’ constitutional rights were respected.The State of Virginia has failed to implement the decree. In September 2017, the women incarcerated at FCCW filed a motion for contempt. A trial – led by Ted Howard and Wiley Rein and the lawyers at LAJC – was held on the contempt motion. Read more...
More News

We're mourning the passing of our longtime and loyal friend, Judge Pat Wald. Read the Washington Post’s obituary on her groundbreaking and path making career. Watch an interview from our 2018 Branton Awards Dinner of Judge Wald reflecting on the Committee’s legacy.

The Committee filed an FOIA Action to compel HUD to turn over Barry Farm redevelopment records. Read more. 

Senior Counsel Daniel A. Katz spoke to WPFW on the Committee’s lawsuit against Gali Service Industries.

Jonathan Smith, Emily Gunston and Marques Banks wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post addressing DC Police Chief Peter Newsham's recent comments to the Washington Post that criminals have been "emboldened" by the D.C. Council's police oversight hearings over the summer.

Read the Committee’s testimony before the District of Columbia Housing Authority Board of Commissioners regarding Proposed Resolution 19-01.

“The issue here is one of racial justice.” – Deputy Legal Director Emily Gunston discussing the DC Council’s vote to overturn Mayor Bowser’s veto of the Fare Evasion Decriminalization Act of 2018 on WUSA9.


Internship & Employment Opportunities

Prisoners' Rights Intern

Volunteer & Pro Bono Opportunities
Workers' Rights Clinic
February Schedule
 
Click here to get involved with clinic and additional volunteer opportunities at the Committee.
  • Wednesdays: February 6, 13, 20 and 27, from 6-9 p.m. at Bread for the City, 1525 Seventh Street NW
  • Fridays: February 15, from 12-3:30 p.m. at the ONE DC Black Workers' Center at 2500 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. By appointment only.
  • Saturday: February 23, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Bread for the City, 1640 Good Hope Road SE
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