Press Release: Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff to Speak at Avenues to Justice

[District of Columbia, July 7, 2021] – Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will join this year’s Avenues to Justice program, to be held July 14 from 7 PM to 8 PM by the DC Bar Foundation’s Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council. The DC Bar Foundation is the largest investor in civil legal aid in the District, and Mr. Emhoff will speak about the need to build a legal system that is just, fair, and accessible to all. Large-scale inequities existed before the pandemic, and communities of color and District residents with low incomes have disproportionately borne its brunt. The Avenues to Justice event will spotlight the work of local legal aid organizations, emphasizing the transformation needed to increase access to justice, especially as the most vulnerable among DC residents begin the long recovery from the pandemic. Working with an expanding network of legal aid providers and other stakeholders, the DC Bar Foundation is committed to an equitable recovery from the pandemic where access to justice is not dependent on wealth, education, or resources. We must build back better so all District residents have safe, stable, and affordable housing; employment in living wage jobs; access to health care; safe environments for children to grow up; and protection for senior citizens and veterans against exploitation. The DC Bar Foundation launched the Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council in November 2011 as an opportunity for younger attorneys to further the goal of access to justice within the community. Members serve as ambassadors to promote DCBF’s mission and programs and help raise additional resources to support the local civil legal aid network. The Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council has already surpassed its initial $45,000 fundraising goal for Avenues to Justice and is now working towards its stretch goal of $65,000. If you would like to purchase a corporate or individual sponsorship, you may do so on our website. About the DC Bar Foundation: We are committed to transforming DC's legal aid network so that all District residents have a fair and equal legal experience. Through our network approach, we actively work to bring together all invested stakeholders to identify and address the unmet civil legal needs of DC residents with low incomes, create solutions with a critical eye for racial justice and equity, and demonstrate meaningful impact.

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