D.C. Access to Justice Commission Announces Record-Breaking Campaign

June 02, 2023

The D.C. Access to Justice Commission honors the 40 law firms that together donated a record $7.3 million in 2022 to enhance access to civil legal services in the District. Financial support from the private sector remains critical as D.C. residents face legal needs that were at crisis-level before the pandemic and have continued to intensify in its wake.

Leadership Circle firms, regardless of size, donated a benchmark percentage of their revenue
at one of three tiers of giving: platinum, gold, and silver (.11 percent, .09 percent, and .075 percent, respectively, of their D.C. office revenue). Their contributions support close to 40 organizations that primarily serve District residents.

“The commission is honored to once again celebrate D.C. law firms that led the way in financially supporting civil legal services organizations in 2022,” said Nancy Drane, executive director of the D.C. Access to Justice Commission. “The Raising the Bar Campaign was established to set a standard for what level of financial support law firms should aim for when developing their approach to philanthropic giving. Many of these firms have met that standard since the campaign’s first recognition year in 2011, and we hope to grow the list of firms in 2023.”

Contributions by the private bar complement the D.C. government’s public appropriation for legal services through the Access to Justice Initiative and reflect the bar’s confidence in the strength of work by the local legal services community. “The enduring commitment of D.C. law firms to supporting our civil justice system has resulted in a robust public–private partnership, and we will continue to work together toward ensuring all D.C. residents, regardless of income, have access to justice,” said commission chair Peter Edelman.

More information about the Raising the Bar Campaign can be found here.