October 2022

FIFTH ANNUAL UDC LAW GALA

Karen Newton Cole '87, Rochanda Hiligh-Thomas '96, Saleema Snow '97 and LaRuby May '06 inducted in inaugural UDC Law Alumni Hall of Fame Class

from left, Newton Cole, Hiligh-Thomas, Snow, May

The UDC Law Alumni Hall of Fame Committee is proud to present the inaugural UDC Law Alumni Hall of Fame Class! Karen Newton Cole ’87, Rochanda Hiligh-Thomas ’96, Saleema Snow ’97 and LaRuby May ’06 comprise the 50th anniversary class and will be inducted at the Fifth Annual UDC Law Gala on November 17.

Newton Cole is Executive Director of Neighborhood Legal Services Program and serves on the D.C. Bar Board of Governors. Hiligh-Thomas is Executive Director of Advocates for Justice and Education Inc. Snow is a Professor of Law and Director of the Youth Justice Clinic at UDC Law. May is a former Ward 8 D.C. Councilmember and partner at May Lightfoot PLLC.

Thank you to everyone in the UDC Law community who nominated alumni for the Hall of Fame. Choosing this first class was a difficult task; there are so many Firebirds making a difference. It’s not too early to think about who you want to nominate next year, but let’s first toast Karen, Rochanda, Saleema and LaRuby. Congratulations!

Learn more about your Hall of Famers in the coming days.

The Hall of Fame class was chosen by a Selection Committee comprised of alumni, faculty and administrators who reviewed the nominations and made final recommendations. To protect them from any possible pre-selection lobbying and post-selection questions and concerns, the list of Committee members is confidential. New Committee members will be selected each year.

While many prominent individuals who clearly are worthy of inclusion may not be named this year, we look forward to inducting many other extraordinary people in future years, all of whom will be recognized at future annual alumni celebrations or other events.

Support our students, celebrate 50 years of UDC Law, toast the Hall of Fame class and more at the UDC Law Gala on Nov. 17

Link to UDC Law Gala promo video; footage from 2021

Honoring Regina H. Shaw, Esq. '97 and Freddie Mac

This year's Charles J. Ogletree Jr. Champions for Justice Awardees are Regina H. Shaw, Esq. '97 and Freddie Mac.

Several ticket packages are available. Correction: Friend sponsorship level begins at $1,000.

Learn more about the Gala and register to join us!

The Advocate catches up with Josh Basile '13

UDC Law evening student Laura Newman interviewed Josh Basile '13 on the many facets of his busy career, how UDC Law has helped him in his advocacy and more.

Read the full interview with Laura and Josh.

Enjoy this video highlight from the interview.

Learn more about Student Loan Debt Relief

UDC Law students and alumni are welcome to attend one of AccessLex's webinars on the Biden Administration’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan to hear about how it impacts law students and current borrowers. A brief overview of the plan will be shared followed by a Q&A with one of their Accredited Financial Counselors®. Feel free to send questions in advance. They will be answered live. For more information and to register, please visit the AccessLex site.

You may send questions to be answered during the webinar to EducationServices@accesslex.org.

Newly Admitted Attorneys Orientation CLE – November 17, 2022 – Fairfax, VA (2.5 MCLE credits pending)

The 19th Judicial Circuit in conjunction with the Fairfax Bar Association (FBA) wishes to extend congratulations to attorneys recently admitted to the Virginia State Bar.

The Young Lawyers Section of the FBA is presenting a Newly Admitted Attorneys Orientation CLE on Thursday, November 17, 2022 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. This CLE is a great opportunity to meet Judges from the Fairfax County General District, Juvenile & Domestic Relations District and Circuit Courts, discover opportunities for professional growth and development, as well as learn invaluable pointers about how to practice law effectively, especially as a new attorney. It’s also a great way to get a head start on your MCLE credits!

For more details or to register online.

CLASS NOTES

Check out what your fellow Firebirds have been doing lately in our monthly Class Notes.

Class Notes

Want to keep up with your fellow alumni? Join the official UDC Law Alumni Facebook Group

Official UDC Law Alumni Facebook Group

Alumni, current students, faculty or staff: Have news to share with us? Use the form below.

News and Notes

SCHOOL NEWS

Prof. Andy Budzinski received COVID-19 Hero Award from DC SAFE

Prof. Andrew Budzinski received the COVID-19 Hero Award from DC SAFE (Survivors and Advocates for Empowerment) at their annual gala last week at The Eleanor DC.

Prof. Budzinski showing off his DC SAFE COVID-19 Hero Award.

from left, Assoc. Dean Lindsay M. Harris, Prof. Andy Budzinski, Prof. Ieshaah Murphy

Clinical Program partners with Rising for Justice to offer Housing Advocacy and Litigation Clinic

UDC Law launched a new partnership with Rising for Justice to offer students the Housing Advocacy and Litigation Clinic focused on eviction defense.

Clinic students Robert Ward and Jose Jean-Baptiste attended the Rising for Justice Annual Award Reception along with Dean Twinette Johnson and Clinical Program Managing Attorney Tiffanny Smith. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was the keynote speaker.

Student Jose Jean-Baptiste, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and student Robert Ward at Rising for Justice Annual Award Reception

from left, Robert Ward, Dean Twinette Johnson, Jose Jean-Baptiste and Clinical Program Managing Attorney Tiffanny Smith at Rising for Justice Annual Award Reception

Around UDC Law

October has been a busy month around UDC Law. On October 28, LexisNexis Rule of Law Fellows presented at the LexisNexis Equity in the Law Symposium. The next day, the Youth Justice Clinic hosted Candid Conversations: Changing the Culture of Juvenile Justice, welcoming lawmakers, law enforcement professionals and youth justice advocates to UDC Law.

Relive each event through pictures, and look for the full stories in the next issue of The Advocate.

LexisNexis Equity in the Law Symposium

As part of their fellowship with the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, UDC Law fellows Nija Bastfield, Alexus McNeal and Songo Wawa presented their projects for the fellowship at the LexisNexis Equity in the Law Symposium on Oct. 28.

from left, Dean Twinette Johnson, Director of Development Shola Akintobi, Nija Bastfield, Songo Wawa and Alexus McNeal

UDC Law hosted a viewing party in the Open Market to support Bastfield, McNeal and Wawa

LexisNexis Rule of Law Fellows pose with symposium moderator Soledad O'Brien.

Youth Justice Clinic presents Candid Conversations: Changing the Culture of Juvenile Justice

Panelists Linda Harllee Harper (Director, Gun Violence Prevention, Office Of The City Administrator), Brittany Mobleyt (Juvenile Services Program Deputy Chief, Community Defender Division of the Public Defender Service) and Dana McDaniel (Deputy Director, DC Office of Neighborhood Safety & Engagement) discuss issues with the audience at Candid Conversations on October 29.

Above and below, audience members at Candid Conversations listen to experts in juvenile justice.

National Association of Women Lawyers seeking host committee members

Help plan the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) 18^th General Counsel Institute by joining the GCI18 Host Committee. GCI18 will take place Thursday, November 10 through Friday, November 11, 2022, in New York City. It's the first in-person GCI conference since 2019.

Host committee members plan the conference and use their networks to ensure the event is a hit. Host committees are a great way to meet other NAWL members and help shape NAWL events.

Interested in joining the GCI18 Host Committee?

Contact NAWL Publications Manager, Isabell Retamoza, at iretamoza@nawl.org.

Participation is limited to in-house attorneys.

UDC Law turns 50; celebrate our golden anniversary all through 2022

2022 marks 50 years of UDC Law. We’re celebrating all year with special events, programming and other opportunities to celebrate the pioneering legacy of UDC Law. Through these efforts, we’re rededicating ourselves to our mission of diversifying the legal profession and serving the residents of the District of Columbia.

Join us throughout the year as we commemorate key moments from our 50-year history and invite our extended community to share in our efforts to achieve our mission. We will highlight our integral role in the early days of clinical legal education and how our clinical program remains an innovative and powerful tool for serving D.C. residents who could not otherwise afford legal services. We’ll hear from some of the transformative voices that have shaped our history and those that will shape our future. We’ll honor figures with whom our story could not have been told, and we’ll tell the stories that will shape our next 50 years.

We invite you to celebrate alongside us by sharing your UDC Law memories on social media using #UDCLaw50.