PRESS RELEASE: DC Bar Foundation Adds New Members to Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council and Advisory Committee

[District of Columbia, November 10, 2025] – The DC Bar Foundation has added seven new individuals to two of its leadership groups: five Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council members and two Advisory Committee members.

Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council – Members of the Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council (YLN NC) serve two-year, renewable terms as ambassadors to promote the Foundation's mission to transform the District's civil legal aid network and increase access to justice for all. We are proud to welcome the following five individuals to the YLN LC:

Shannon Gonick is an associate at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP with a strong commitment to pro bono service. In her first seven months of practicing law, she dedicated over 200 hours to cases involving immigration, healthcare, domestic violence, and more. In addition to a commitment to service, Shannon brings practical event management planning experience and an enthusiasm for fundraising to her new role on the YLN LC.

Clement Hearey, III is a staff attorney at the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), who has spent the entirety of his legal career working to increase access to legal representation for underserved immigrant populations in the DC-metro area. He is eager to bring his passion for social justice and collaboration to the YLN LC’s work.

Raymond Ngu is the legal director at DC Bar Foundation grantee partner Open City Advocates, where he leads their efforts to expand awareness of committed youth’s right to post-disposition counsel. He also serves as an Executive Board Member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Educational Fund, which supports Asian and Pacific American law students in the DC area, with a focus on expanding access to public interest career paths.

Nadiya Pope is an education justice attorney for DC Bar Foundation grantee partner Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc., where she focuses on identifying and addressing systemic barriers in DC’s public education system. She has a demonstrated commitment to justice, having worked exclusively with nonprofits and legal services providers whose missions are centered on supporting individuals and families living on the margins of society.

Evan Warshauer is associate counsel, risk management at real estate investment company FCP. Previously, he worked as an associate with Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP’s Insurance Coverage Litigation Group. In 2024, he received the E. Randolph Williams Award for completing over 100 hours of pro bono service – the majority of which was dedicated to representing a survivor of human trafficking. Evan looks forward to working alongside fellow YLN LC members to help close the gap between legal rights and legal access.

Advisory Committee – Members of the Advisory Committee provide advice and

expertise on issues related to the DC Bar Foundation’s programs, evaluation, and development. We are proud to welcome the following two individuals to the Advisory Committee:

Anjali Phillips most recently served as deputy counsel in the Office of the Vice President of the United States during the Biden-Harris Administration. Prior to her work in various roles at the Biden White House, she served as Senior Director of Development and Communications at CityBridge Education, a non-profit focused on advancing equity and opportunity for children through the reimagination of DC public education.  She previously served as a member of the Advisory Committee from 2020 – 2022.

Aurora Vásquez is the senior vice president of state policy at Sandy Hook Promise, where she works to protect children from gun violence by leading the organization’s state-level policy agenda. Before joining Sandy Hook Promise in 2018, she served as the project director for the Excluded Worker Project, where she worked to improve the labor conditions of several thousand cab drivers in the DC metro area.

About the DC Bar Foundation: For DC residents who are financially disenfranchised, we make strategic investments to strengthen and expand our civil legal aid network, addressing critical needs and improving our community. As the District's largest funder of civil legal aid, we are a steadfast community partner committed to protecting access to justice in life's most pivotal moments.

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