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Judges, pediatricians and families call on us to advocate for children who are abused or neglected, who aren’t learning in school or who have health problems that can’t be solved by medicine alone. Councilmembers, DC government officials and advocates turn to us when the District’s laws and policies are failing children and need to be improved.
DC’s Black and Brown children often shoulder the combined burden of systemic racism, poverty and trauma. We address this by finding long-term solutions – whether we advocate for mental health services when a child has experienced multiple traumas or secure changes to school discipline laws.
With nearly 100 lawyers, social workers and other professional staff and additional help from hundreds of pro bono lawyers, we reach one out of every nine children in DC’s poorest neighborhoods – more than 40,000 children and families since our founding in 1996. We multiply this impact by advocating for city-wide solutions that benefit all children.
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When Yesenia shifted to distance learning, she lost the hands-on support she had in school. Her autism made it difficult for her to connect with others through the screen. She became depressed and developed new behavioral health issues. Her dad called the family’s Children’s Law Center lawyer for help. We advocated for the school to tap into Yesenia’s creativity. They started using comic books to encourage her to read and held art class first thing each morning.
“Things changed when Children’s Law Center got involved. Yesenia is now active in her classes and motivated to learn – and her recent grades are A’s.”
For Mr. Waters, taking care of his 12- and 7-year-old grandsons, Crevonte and Kaire, has been life-changing. When their mother was unable to care for them, Children’s Law Center stepped in to help him gain custody and move the grandfamily into a special community for grandparents raising grandkids. Now, with a support system made up of fellow church members and grandparents, Mr. Waters reflects on his rewarding new role,
I see that I’m saving lives and doing the right thing. And I couldn’t have done it without Children’s Law Center.
Deshala knew she was racing against the clock. As soon as she turned 21, she would “age out” of the foster care system. She had felt ready, but then the pandemic hit and all of her big plans screeched to a halt. Three weeks before graduation, her classes stopped. Her part-time job cut her hours. Thankfully, Children’s Law Center led an effort to get legislation passed that prevented foster youth from losing housing stability and financial support in the midst of the pandemic.
“I was so close to graduating, but everything just stopped. This extension helped me stay focused on building the future I wanted for myself.”
Creighton Magid, Chair, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Melissa Wiley, Treasurer, Ernst & Young LLP
Elizabeth Bausch, Secretary
Allison L. Alexander, Clark Enterprises, Inc.
Meagan Barkett, NorthStar Anesthesia
Brian V. Breheny, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Traevena Byrd, American University
Anne P. Davis, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP
Miguel Eaton, Jones Day
Manu Gayatrinath, Latham & Watkins LLP
Stephanie P. Hales, Sidley Austin LLP
Frederick L. Klein, DLA Piper
Michael S. Labson, Covington & Burling LLP
Daniel A. Masur, Mayer Brown LLP
Mike McNamara, Dentons US LLP
Evan Miller, Jones Day
Robert Ourisman, Jr., Ourisman Automotive Group
Miguel E. Rodriguez, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Simone E. Ross, Covington & Burling LLP
Joanne L. Zimolzak, Dykema Gossett PLLC
Stephanie P. Hales, Chair, Sidley Austin LLP
Stephanie M. Bell, Wiley Rein LLP
Meredith L. Boylan, Venable LLP
Jennifer Brough, Locke Lord LLP
Karen Bruni, Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Jill Caiazzo, Amazon
Nicole Cerquitella, Aetna
Ronald Coenen Jr., Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP
Theresa M. Coughlin, Jones Day
Nathaniel Custer, WilmerHale
Michael S. DePrince, Troutman Pepper
Sean M. FitzGerald, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Tracey A. Fung, Williams & Connolly LLP
Charlotte Gillingham, Crowell & Moring LLP
Adam C. Goldstein
Laura K. Hamilton, Clifford Chance US LLP
Katie Heilman, Arent Fox LLP
Shira M. Helstrom, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Melanie Katsur, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Maureen C. McDonald, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
David McDonough, Wells Fargo & Company
Stacey McEvoy, Hogan Lovells US LLP
Bryan Nese, Mayer Brown LLP
Jessica T. Nyman, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Katherine E. Pappas, Miller & Chevalier Chartered
Elizabeth R. Park, Latham & Watkins LLP
Julia Post, Covington & Burling LLP
Jessica A. Rebarber, Dentons US LLP
Timothy W. Riffe, Fish & Richardson P.C.
Benjamin Shapiro, Deloitte
Catie Ventura, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Ben Wolfert, Bates White Economic Consulting
Melissa Wiley, Chair
Jessica Abrahams
John T. Bentivoglio
Thomas N. Bulleit
H. Guy Collier, Past Co-chair
Joseph S. Conti
Wayne R. Curtis
Renee DeSilva
Donna Donlon
Ona Alston Dosunmu
A. Patrick Doyle
Janet Eakes
Evan R. Farber
Joseph C. Figini
Vicki Scheer Foster, Past Co-chair
Mary Giliberti
Wendy Goldberg
Justin Gray
Nina Gross
Michael N. Harreld
Anthony Herman
Sharon Gibson Judge
Leslie Kiernan
Ed Lazere
May Liang
Claire M. Maddox
James Marsh, Founder
Margaret J. McKinney
Kenneth Noyes
Sylvia Pearson
Robert A. Peck
Alan A. Pemberton
Charles F. (Rick) Rule
Theodore D. Segal
Nancy Sidamon-Eristoff
Page Lane Smith
Catharine E. Snowdon
Jean Steele
Julia Tolkan
Mariella Trager
Diane Weinroth
Gloria Wilder
Deborah A. Wilson
Peter L. Winik
