Named after the DC Bar Foundation’s founding year (1977), our 77 Society recognizes donors who give $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000 each fiscal year (October 1 – September 30). Since the 77 Society’s inception in 2017, the resources provided by this generous group of individuals help us provide access to justice for thousands of District residents in need of civil legal services.
In 2022, we created 77 Society Legacy Giving Tiers to recognize donors with lifetime giving totals of $25,000, $50,000, and $100,000. These tiers are named after three Black civil rights champions who are under-celebrated for their contributions to the District and nation:
Charles T. Duncan (1924-2004) became the first African-American president of the DC Bar in 1973, and served on the DC Bar Foundation Board of Directors from 1978 to 1985 and was President of the Board in 1979, 1982, and 1985. He worked on the second brief presented to the US Supreme Court in the case of Brown v. Board of Education.
Charlotte E. Ray (1850-1911) was the first African-American woman lawyer in the United States, the first Black woman admitted to the DC Bar, and the first woman admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia (now the US District Court for the District of Columbia). Ray opened a law office specializing in commercial law, but, unfortunately, could not sustain her practice beyond a few years due to gender and racial discrimination. She eventually worked as a teacher in Brooklyn, New York, and was an active member of the women's suffrage movement until her death in 1911 at 60 years old.
Charles Hamilton Houston (1895-1950) was a pioneering African-American civil rights lawyer, Dean of Howard University Law School, and the NAACP’s first Litigation Director. Houston was the first African-American to serve on the Harvard Law Review editorial board. Many recognize Houston as the architect of ending the “separate but equal” doctrine accepted by the US Supreme Court in 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson. Houston played a significant role in dismantling Jim Crow laws by challenging segregation in schools and racial housing covenants.
We are grateful to the following Legacy Donors for their significant lifetime investment in access to justice in the District.
Charles T. Duncan Legacy Donors (Lifetime gifts totaling $25,000 - $49,999)
Jamie S. Gorelick
John M. Nannes
Stephen J. and Ruth Pollak
Michael P. Rogan
Howard Shapiro
Paul M. Smith
Charlotte E. Ray Legacy Donors (Lifetime gifts totaling $50,000 - $99,999)
Marc L. Fleischaker
Nathalie F.P. Gilfoyle
David W. Ogden
If you wish to discuss a legacy gift or establish an endowment, please contact Daryl Byler, director of development and communications, at byler@dcbarfoundation.org or (202) 853-9025.
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