CIR Updates
Intake Town Hall. All Intake professionals are invited to attend a virtual Intake Town Hall meeting on March 19 at 2:00 pm. We want to hear from Intake professionals about what you want and expect from a CIR System. Tune in for the latest updates on CIR and please bring your questions! Registration information to come.
March CIR Chat. Our next CIR Chat will take place on March 27, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Registration is required to attend, and you can register here.
Scoutt Prize Nominations Due March 22
Do you know someone who is an exceptional legal services attorney in DC? Consider nominating them for the 2024 Jerrold Scoutt Prize.
The Scoutt Prize recognizes outstanding lawyers who work full time or have spent much of their careers working full time at DC nonprofits that provide direct, hands-on legal services to financially disenfranchised or otherwise in vulnerable situations. The DC Bar Foundation encourages you to nominate attorneys who have demonstrated a high degree of skill in representing their clients and a high degree of compassion.
We will accept nominations through March 22 at 5:00 PM. The Foundation will reconsider nominations made for the 2022 and 2023 Prizes. However, those who submitted nominations in those years are encouraged to update their nomination materials. The Prize will be presented during the DC Bar Foundation’s Fall Reception, tentatively planned for November 20.
Read our Press Release for more information, and send all nominations to nominations@dcbarfoundation.org.
Save the Date: President’s Reception May 2
The DC Bar Foundation’s 77 Society provides crucial funds for our efforts to transform DC’s civil legal aid network. Members of the 77 Society generously donate $1,000 or more to the Foundation each fiscal year (October 1 – September 30), creating a necessary and steady flow of resources that help us continue our work.
Founded in 2017, the 77 Society is made up of generous members who give to the Foundation at various giving tiers: Friends of Justice ($1,000 - $2,500), Advocates of Justice ($2,500 - $4,999), Champions of Justice ($5,000 - $9,999) and Pillars of Justice ($10,000 and above).
To show our gratitude for their generosity and dedication to our work, the Foundation hosts an annual President’s Reception in their honor. Please save the date for this year's reception, taking place on May 2, 2024. If you would like to join us for the reception, please either renew your 77 Society membership, or join today.
To learn more about this opportunity, please email Daryl Byler, Director of Development and Communications, at byler@dcbarfoundation.org.
Register for the March DC Social Justice Transformations Network Convening
Registration for the March 13th convening of the DC Social Justice Transformations Network (formerly DC Legal Aid Transformations Network) is now open! Join us on Wednesday, March 13th from 12:00 - 4:30 PM at Convene. Click here to register. Registration closes on March 5th at 11:59 PM.
The March convening will be an excellent opportunity for all who care about the delivery of legal services in DC, whether they work in the legal aid sector or not, to be a part of the greater conversation about equity and wellbeing in our city. During the convening, participants will be able to dive in and work with specific project teams focusing on building relationships between stakeholders, understanding the scope of service providers and networks in DC, and preserving institutional knowledge. Project teams will also take time to establish what their work looks like beyond the quarterly DC SJTN convenings.
In addition to the project team work, participants will hear the latest updates on our progress with Coordinated Intake and Referral.
In Memoriam: Stephen J. Pollak
Stephen J. Pollak passed away on February 3, 2024, after a distinguished legal career advancing civil rights. He was 95 years old. Mr. Pollak served on the DC Bar Foundation Board of Directors from 2003 to 2009 and as President from 2008 to 2009.
“Steve was among the very first to welcome me to the Foundation back in 2014, and with such grace and warmth,” remembers DC Bar Foundation CEO Kirra Jarratt. “As one of the most stalwart members of our DCBF family, he was tenacious and plain-spoken, whether we were talking about grants or fundraising or access to justice generally. I will miss him greatly.”
In addition to his service on the Foundation’s Board, Pollak served on the Past President’s Council from 2009 until 2024 and was a long-serving member of the Foundation’s Grants and Evaluation Committee.
Pollak was an inaugural member of the Foundation’s 77 Society and one of its most generous donors. As a faithful Volunteer Solicitor for the Foundation’s signature Call to Action campaign, he raised more than $500,000 for the Foundation’s work.