In the Media

2023

• New Appointments to the D.C. Access to Justice Commission announced. D.C. Courts Press Release (February 28, 2023).

2022

• D.C. Access to Justice Commission, Letter to Hon. Chuck Schumer and Hon. Mitch McConnell re: D.C. Courts Judicial Vacancies (December 5, 2022)
• Council for Court Excellence and DC Access to Justice Commission release Strengthening Estate Administration in D.C. report (February 9, 2022)
• Hon. Anna Blackburne-Rigsby and Hon. Nathan Hecht, Opinion: It Should Take More Than 10 Minutes to Evict Someone, The Washington Post (January 13, 2022)

2021

• “Access to Justice in a Time of Crisis”, DLA Piper “Beyond the Curve” Podcast Series (January 11, 2021)
• Washington Post Editorial: You Can Lose Your Kids,  Home, and Freedom Without Ever Seeing a Lawyer: It’s a Profound Injustice, Washington Post (February 28, 2021)

2020

• “Developing Rapid Legal Response”, Washington Lawyer (November/December 2020)
• “What Lies Ahead: An Avalanche of Evictions”, Washington Lawyer (November/December 2020)
• “Pro Bono Partnerships Forged in Crisis”, Washington Lawyer (November/December 2020)
• “Help for Pro Se Litigants: It Takes a Village”, Washington Lawyer (November/December 2020)
• “Access to Justice Commission Raises Record $6.3M in Law Firm Giving Campaign,” DC Bar (November 20, 2020)
• “How the Pandemic has Transformed the Courts”, Washington Lawyer (September/October 2020)
• “James Sandman Goes Back to School”, Washington Lawyer (June 2020)

2019

• “The Justice Gap and the Rise of Nonlawyer Legal Providers”, Washington Lawyer (September 2019)

2018

• “Raising the Bar Campaign Sets New Record with $5.5M from 48 Law Firms”, DC Bar (June 19, 2018)

2017

• “DC Court of Appeals Announces Appointments to Access to Justice Commission”, DC Bar News (June 27, 2017)
• “47 Firms Honored for $5.5M Donations to Raising the Bar Campaign”, DC Bar (May 16, 2017)
• “Low-Income Tenants May Soon Get Legal Help”, The
  Washington Post (May 18, 2017)
• “Need a Lawyer to Fight Eviction? A New Program Provides One for Free”, WAMU (May 15, 2017)

2016

• “46 Firms Honored for Raising $5M to Fund Civil Legal Services”, Legal Beat (scroll to middle): Washington
  Lawyer, June 2016
• “To Net Maximum Impact, Collective Action is Needed”, From the President: Washington Lawyer,
  February 2016
• “No Access, No Justice”, Washington Lawyer, May 2016

2015

• “First-of-a-Kind Nonprofit Law Firm Ready to Fill Access to Justice Gap”, Legal Beat: Washington
  Lawyer, July/August 2015 (scroll down to read story)
• “Honor Roll Recognizes 4,257 Attorneys for Pro Bono Service”, Legal Beat: Washington Lawyer,
  July/August 2015 (scroll down to read story)
• “48 Firms Raise $5M in Campaign to Fund Legal Services Providers”, Legal Beat: Washington Lawyer,
  July/August 2015 (scroll down to read story)
• “Donald Verrilli: ‘Justice Includes Access to Health Care – Solicitor general
  urges law firms to contribute more to legal services., The National Law Journal and Legal Times, May 29, 2015
• “Raising the Bar Raises $5M”, Bisnow, May 29, 2015
• Raising the Bar Campaign Advertisement, The National Law Journal and Legal Times, January 2015

2014

• “D.C. Court Expands Temporary Appearance
  Representation”, Legal Times, June 24, 2014
• “D.C. law firms outperforming those in
  other regions”, The Washington Post, Capital Business, May 18, 2014

2013

• “D.C. Courts Honor 4,000 Lawyers for D.C. Pro Bono Work”, The BLT: The Blog of LegalTimes, June 7,
  2013
• “Raising the Bar, and $4M”, Legal Bisnow, May 15, 2014 (scroll down to 2nd story)
• “Raising the Bar: Law firms honored”, The Washington Post, The
  Scene: Week of May 6, 2013
• “Law Firms Raise $3.6 Million for D.C. Civil Legal Services”, The BLT: The Blog of LegalTimes, May 1,
  2013
• “Access to Justice Commission Honors Firms that Qualified for the 2012 Raising the Bar in D.C. Leadership Circle”, Press Release, April
  29, 2013
• “D.C. struggling to maintain legal services. Providers say that lawyers – and not just their firms – need to pony up.” National Law Journal, January 21, 2013

2012

• “Program a ‘critical way’ to level playing field – D.C. Superior Court program gives temporary aid to pro se litigants”, The National Law Journal, July 23, 2012
• “DC Access to Justice Commission Panel”, NLADA Update, April 24, 2012
• “Gulf Justice Consortium and Eric Angel Receive ABA Section of Litigation Awards”, NLADA Update, April 24, 2012
• “Holder Helps Raise the Bar”, Legal Bisnow, March 28, 2012
• “Firms Donate More Than $3 Million For ‘Raising the Bar in D.C.’ Event”, The BLT: The Blog
  of LegalTimes, March 23, 2012
• “Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Raising the Bar in D.C. Event”, Remarks given by Attorney General Eric Holder, March 22,
  2012
• “Members Authorize Two Resolutions During Special Membership Meeting “, Inside the
  Bar, DC Bar, March 20, 2012

2011

• “Pro Bono Community Profiles: The SAILS Project, Washington D.C.”, ABA Center for Pro Bono
  Exchange, December 16, 2011
• “Raising the Bar Campaign Draws More Support From Local Firms”, Inside the Bar, D.C. Bar, December 13, 2011
• “Shifting the pro bono paradigm”, The Washington Post, November 27, 2011
• “Over Twenty Law Firms Join D.C. Access to Justice Commission’s Inaugural Raising the Bar in D.C. Campaign”, Press Release, October 31, 2011
• “Post-Retirement Lawyers Finding Greater Satisfaction With Nonprofits”, National Law Journal, October 26, 2011
• “D.C. Courts Announce Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll”, The BLT, The Blog of Legal Times, October 25, 2011
• “Retired BigLaw Attorneys Embrace New Clients in People-Oriented Public Service Jobs”,
  ABA Journal, October 24, 2011
• “Not quite ready to quit: ‘Postretirement’ lawyers finding greater satisfaction with nonprofits”, The National Law Journal, October 24, 2011
• “Judges Take Bigger Role Guiding Pro Se”, National Law Journal, October 3, 2011
• “Campaign Promotes Benchmark Giving to Aid Civil Legal Services”, Inside the Bar, D.C. Bar, March 2011
• “D.C. Council Restores Majority of Civil Legal Services Funding”, Inside the Bar, D.C. Bar, January 2011
• “Perfect Storm Hits Legal Aid”, The National Law Journal, January 3, 2011

2010

• “Inadmissible: Raising the Bar for Legal Aid”, The National Journal, December 20, 2010
• “Leading Law Firms Join with Access to Justice Commission to Launch Raising the Bar in D.C. Campaign“, Press Release,
  December 20, 2010
• “Leading Law Firms Join with Access to Justice Commission to Launch Raising the Bar in D.C. Campaign“, Press Release, December 14,
  2010
• “ABA Urges D.C. City Council Not to Slash Funding for Legal
  Aid to Poor, Working Class”, ABA Now, December 3, 2010
• “D.C. Develops Senior Lawyers Project”, ABA Dialogue magazine (p. 1), Fall 2010 issue
• “Attorney Initiative Matches Senior Lawyers with Pro Bono Projects”, Inside the Bar, D.C. Bar, November 8, 2010
• “D.C. Firms Team to Put Senior Lawyers to Work on Pro Bono Projects”, The BLT, The Blog of
  the Legal Times, November 5, 2010
• “Senior Attorney Initiative for Legal Services Launches in D.C.”, Press Release, November 3, 2010
• “D.C. City Council Restores Civil Legal Services Funding”, Inside the Bar, D.C. Bar, June 2010
• “Report on Support of Civil Legal Services for Low-Income Residents and Underserved Communities”, Committee on Public Safety and the
  Judiciary, District of Columbia Council, May 13, 2010
• “D.C.’s Imperiled Safety Net: Legal Aid Groups”, Washington Post (at A20), April 30, 2010
• “Proposed FY 2011 Budget Slashes Support for District Legal Services”, Press Release, April 5, 2010
• “Rationing Justice: The Need is Up and the Money is Down”, P. Edelman & J. Smith, Washington Lawyer (p. 30), March 2010
• “Recession Severely Limits Access to Justice, Study Shows”, D.C. Bar: Legal Beat, February 2010

2009

• “The Shortfall in Legal Aid Demands Help from Area Lawyers”, Washington Post (editoral page), December 28, 2009
• “Funding Declines for D.C.’s Legal Services Providers”, Interview with Peter Edelman, WAMU News, December 11,
  2009
• “Report: D.C. Legal Aid is Affected by Recession”, Washington Business Journal, December 10, 2009
• “D.C. Legal Aid Resources Slashed as Need Rises”, Press Release, December 9, 2009
• “And a Law for Poor People: Obama wants to repeal many strictures on legal services funding. But more needs to be done.”, Peter B. Edelman, The Nation (pp.23-24),
  August 3/10, 2009
• “D.C. City Council Allocates $3.56 Million for Civil Legal Services in Fiscal Year 2010”, Press Release, June 2, 2009
• “Spagnoletti, Edelman Testify on Funding for Civil Legal Services”, Washington Lawyer, May 2009
• “Language Barriers to Justice”, Kathryn Alfisi, Washington Lawyer, April 2009
• “From the President”, Robert J. Spagnoletti, Washington Lawyer, April 2009
• “New Report Sheds Light on an Under-Used Strategy”, Danielle M. Reyes, Washington Grantmakers Daily, January 6, 2009

2008

• “Small Income Equals Little Access”, Robert J. Spagnoletti, Washington Lawyer, December 2008
• “Access to Civil Justice in the District of Columbia: A Case Study of the District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission”, Peter B. Edelman, ABA Judges’ Journal (p.
  10), Fall 2008
• “D.C. Access to Justice Commission Releases Civil Legal Needs Report”, Washington Lawyer, November 2008
• “Services Funding the Poor”, Afro-American Newspaper, October 2008
• “Attorneys Seek Justice for Low Income Residents”, Street Sense (pp. 1, 4), October 15-28, 2008
• “Limited Justice”, Legal Times, October 13, 2008
• “News Report Details Unmet Civil Legal Needs of D.C.’s Poor”, Legal Services Corporation Updates, October 9, 2008
• “Equal Access to Justice?”, The Kojo Nnamdi Show, October 8, 2008
• “Poorer D.C. Residents Lacking Legal Services”, Washington Post (at B01), October 8, 2008
• “D.C. Access to Justice Commission Releases Report Documenting Depth of Civil Legal Problems Facing Low–Income District Residents”, Press
  Release, October 7, 2008
• “District Government Allocates $3.6 Million for Civil Legal Services in Fiscal Year 2009 Budget”, Press Release, June 3, 2008

2007

• “D.C. Court of Appeals Renews the D.C. Access to Justice Commission”, Press Release, December 3, 2007
• “D.C. Council Allocates $3.2 Million for Legal Services in 2008”, Washington Lawyer, August 2007
• “Legal Clinics Help Poor Keep a Roof Overhead”, Washington Post (at DZ01), June 7, 2007
• “D.C. City Council Allocates $3.2 Million for Civil Legal Services in Fiscal Year 2008”, Press Release, June 5, 2007
• “Lobbying for Access to Justice”, Washington Lawyer, May 2007
• “Justice to All”, Washington Lawyer, April 2007
• “Board of Governors Calls Special Membership Meeting”, Washington Lawyer, March 2007

2006

• “D.C. Council Appropriates $3.2 Million for Legal Services”, Washington Lawyer, November 2006
• “Trying to Meet the Overwhelming Need for Lawyers”, Legal Times (p. 6), October 6, 2006
• “D.C. Access to Justice Commission Secures $3.2 Million for Civil Legal Services for District Residents”, Press Release, October 5, 2006
• “Senator Landrieu Keynotes Judicial & Bar Conference”, Washington Lawyer, May 2006
• “Access to Justice Commission Receives Local Support”, Washington Lawyer, April 2006
• “Judges Want More Legal Aid for Low-Income Residents”, The Examiner, April 2006
• “D.C. Access to Justice Commission’s Recommendation for District Funding of Legal Services Gets Widespread Support”, Press Release, March 3, 2006
• “Legal Services for D.C.’s Poor”, Washington Post (at A18), February 17, 2006

2005

• “D.C. Access to Justice Commission”, Council for Court Excellence Newsletter (pp. 2-3), Fall 2005
• “D.C. Court Establishes Access to Justice Commission”, Washington Lawyer, April 2005
• “Panel to Study Ways to Improve Legal Help for Poor”, Washington Post (at DZ03), March 10, 2005
• “Commission Named to Attck Crisis in Legal Help for D.C. Poor: Blue Ribbon Panel to Seek More Representation for Those Who Can’t Afford Legal Services”, Press Release, March 7, 2005