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Sadina Montani Wins as D.C. Bar President-Elect

June 07, 2024

Sadina Montani

Sadina Montani, a partner at Crowell & Moring LLP, has been elected president-elect of the D.C. Bar for the 2024–2025 term. Montani will serve in that position for one year starting July 1 before becoming president in 2025. With Montani’s installation, incumbent President-Elect Shaun M. Snyder will become the Bar’s 53rd president.

Montani, an employment lawyer, has served the D.C. Bar in many capacities. In prior years she has served on the Bar’s Nominations, Leadership Development, and Screening Committees, in addition to long-standing service with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center’s Nonprofit & Small Business Legal Assistance Programs.

“I am honored to have been elected by the D.C. Bar membership to serve as president-elect. It has been a pleasure getting to know [president-elect candidate] Hardeep Grover and the other talented candidates for Bar leadership positions throughout the election process,” Montani said. “I am confident the future of the Bar is bright, and I’m committed to making a positive impact on our legal community. I am particularly eager to support and lift up our voluntary bar associations and D.C. Bar Communities.”

A graduate of the George Washington University Law School, Montani began her legal career at Dentons, followed by a 10-year tenure at Vedder Price that saw her rise through the ranks to become a shareholder. In September 2020, she joined Crowell & Moring, where she counsels employers on compliance issues, discrimination claims, and internal investigations. As part of the firm’s innovation technology committee, she has been involved in discussions about the impact of artificial intelligence technology on the legal profession.

Montani is also active in voluntary bars, serving as president of the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia from 2020 to 2021, a time that put her leadership skills to the test with keeping members engaged professionally and personally during the pandemic.

D.C. Bar members also elected Joshua L. Mogil, a federal attorney, to a one-year term as treasurer-elect. Incumbent Treasurer-Elect Mark A. Salzberg of Squire Patton Boggs will become treasurer upon Mogil’s installation.

Elected to the Bar’s Board of Governors for three-year terms are Shirley Diaz of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; Belinda Edwards Taylor, a nonprofit staff attorney; Kathryn “Kate” Rakoczy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; Leila S. Bham, a federal government attorney; and Diane A. Seltzer of The Seltzer Law Firm.

Elected to the American Bar Association House of Delegates for two-year terms are Laura A. Possessky of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Lorelie S. Masters of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, and Lucy L. Thomson of Livingston PLLC.

Of the 88,261 D.C. Bar members who were eligible to vote, 7,563 cast their ballots, for an 8.6 percent turnout. A complete breakdown of the election results follows.

Office Candidate Votes  
       
President-Elect Sadina Montani 4,624 Elected
  Hardeep Grover 2,506  
       
Treasurer-Elect Joshua L. Mogil 4,589 Elected
  Phillip L. Husband 2,338  
       
Board of Governors Shirley Diaz 3,290 Elected
  Belinda Edwards Taylor 3,264 Elected
  Kathryn “Kate” Rakoczy 3,242 Elected
  Leila S. Bham 3,045 Elected
  Diane A. Seltzer 3,029 Elected
  Anthony J. Coppolino 3,023  
  Caroline E. F. Frauman 2,527  
  Brian K. Flowers 2,495  
  Kevin D. Minsky 2,323  
  Denis C. Mitchell 2,122  
  Alberto J. Rivera 1,801  
  Adriaen M. Morse Jr. 898  
       
ABA House of Delegates Laura A. Possessky 4,461 Elected
  Lorelie S. Masters 4,056 Elected
  Lucy L. Thomson 3,208 Elected
  Madina Lokova 3,139  
  Kathleen B. Havener 2,546  

The D.C. Bar Communities also elected new steering committee members to open seats:

Community Candidate Votes  
       
Administrative Law and Agency Practice Krystal Wilson 146 Elected
  Daniel Wolff 89 Elected
  Erich Reimer 80 Elected
  Paul D. Cullen Jr. 77  
  Samuel Keenan 76  
  Michael Stern 75  
  Yveline Dalmacy 30  
  Frederic Schwartz 16  
  John Newell 13  
       
Antitrust and Consumer Law Don Resnikoff 99 Elected
  Brian Scarpelli 95 Elected
       
Arts, Entertainment, Media and Sports Law Kimberly Sullivan 95 Elected
  Kassandra Ramsey 85 Elected
  Audriana Osborne 62  
  John Newell 13  
       
Corporation, Finance and Securities Law Wenchi Hu 163 Elected
  Ryan Brewer 53  
  John Newell 15  
       
Criminal Law and Individual Rights Robin M. Earnest 99 Elected
  Kimberly Phillips 96 Elected
  Meghan Skelton 70 Elected
       
District of Columbia Affairs Angela Parsons 111 Elected
  Lisa Leibow 94 Elected
  Matthew Cohen 70 Elected
  Craig Leen 69  
       
Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Erin Grisby 104 Elected
  Abhi-Shék Jain 74 Elected
  Gregory Simmons 66  
       
Estates, Trusts and Probate Law Judith del Cuadro-Zimmerman 112 Elected
  Maureen Conly 95 Elected
  Audriana Osborne 49  
  Charles James 43  
  Andrew White 11  
       
Family Law Emily Cunniff 28 Elected
  Cheryl Chado 23  
  Jillian Morris 22  
  Melissa McClure 19  
  Josette Barsano 14  
  Alexandria Horton 1  
       
Government Contracts Robyn Burrows 86 Elected
  Leslie Edelstein 64 Elected
  Kevin Barnett 56 Elected
  Thomas Coulter 49 Elected
  Daniel Russell 48  
  Erich Reimer 43  
  Geoffrey Goodale 29  
  Thomas Crist 18  
  John Newell 9  
       
Health Law Chelsea Daniels 61 Elected
  Robert Howard 49 Elected
  Lindsay Burrows 39 Elected
  Elizabeth LaPaugh 36  
  Gregory Starks 28  
  William Richmond 23  
  Denise Barnes 19  
  Matthew Monroe 9  
       
Intellectual Property Law Akiyah Francis 45 Elected
  Brian Brookey 37  
  Barnabas Fekete 31  
  Audriana Osborne 30  
  Robert Scheffel 12  
  John Newell 6  
       
International Law James Newland 65 Elected
  Priya Royal 52  
  Gene Burd 17  
  John Hocker 3  
       
Labor and Employment Law Erika White 120 Elected
  John Newell 22  
       
Law Practice Management Paulina Proper 116 Elected
  Michael Kitzman 11  
       
Litigation Alicia Clausen 197 Elected
  Kevin Clark 160 Elected
  Kathleen Havener 142 Elected
  Ryan Band 132  
  Courtney Forrest 71  
  Savian Gray-Sommerville 32  
  John Newell 25  
       
Public Interest and Courts Don Resnikoff 91 Elected
  Brittany Sims Nwankwoala 68 Elected
  Wesley Paisley 26  
       
Real Estate, Housing and Land Use John Muir 89 Elected
  Audriana Osborne 65  
       
Taxation Priya Royal 98 Elected
  Lauren (Yonsoo) Kim 32  
  John Bentil 19  

All newly elected officers, board members, and delegates will be recognized at the D.C. Bar’s Celebration of Leadership on June 20 at the Westin Washington, DC Downtown Hotel.

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