[District of Columbia, September 2, 2015] — The District of Columbia Bar Foundation is seeking nominations for the 24th annual Jerrold Scoutt Prize. A nominee must be an attorney who currently works full-time, or who has been employed full-time for a significant portion of his or her legal career, by a nonprofit organization that provides direct, hands-on legal services to poor or otherwise disadvantaged persons in the District of Columbia. The nominee must have demonstrated a compassionate concern for his or her clients while exhibiting a high degree of skill representing them.
The firm of Zuckert, Scoutt & Rasenberger LLP created the prize in 1993 to honor the founding partner Jerrold Scoutt Jr. and sponsors it with a stipend of $2,500. Last year, Kathryn M. Doan, Executive Director of the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition, received the award for her exceptional work and dedication to human rights. Since the award’s creation, 25 outstanding public interest attorneys have received the Scoutt Prize. The prize will be presented during the 2016 DC Bar Judicial Reception on April 21, 2016 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Nominations must be in writing, and include the nominee’s curriculum vitae. Articles of interest and letters of support are encouraged. Submit nominations and supporting material by 5:00 p.m. on November 6, 2015, to info@dcbarfoundation.org(preferred) or in hard copy (6 copies required) to the District of Columbia Bar Foundation, 1420 New York Avenue NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20005-6210. Requests for further information should be addressed to Kirra L. Jarratt by email at jarratt@dcbarfoundation.org.
The DC Bar Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization established in 1977, is the largest funder of civil legal services in the District. The Bar Foundation’s mission is to fund, support, and improve legal representation of the poor, vulnerable, and otherwise disadvantaged in the District of Columbia, and it is committed to the vision that residents of the District have equal access to justice, regardless of income. The Foundation provides grants and training and technical assistance to local non-profit legal services organizations and awards loans to DC poverty lawyers to help with their educational debt.
###