At Celebration of Leadership, D.C. Bar Welcomes Shaun M. Snyder as 53rd President
June 24, 2024
Shaun M. Snyder, CEO of the National Association of State Treasurers, was sworn in as 53rd president of the D.C. Bar on June 20 at the Celebration of Leadership, the Bar’s annual dinner and awards presentation at the Westin Washington, DC Downtown Hotel.
The event drew more than 300 attendees, including D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson and former D.C. Councilmember David Catania. Among the highlights of the evening was the passing of the gavel from outgoing president Charles R. Lowery Jr. to Snyder, who was sworn into office by D.C. Court of Appeals Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby.
“I want you to know how much I appreciated working with you this past year … You’ve been a great president-elect, and I know that you will be an excellent president with your legal, government, and trade association background. I am particularly excited to see how you will lead the D.C. Bar into new and exciting arenas,” Lowery said.
In his speech, Snyder said that, like Lowery, his legal career so far has given him a unique perspective on Bar leadership. “My previous roles in the federal and D.C. governments focused on public policy with a legal component,” he said. “For over a decade now I’ve worked in membership associations, which has certainly helped me in my previous terms on the D.C. Bar Board of Governors as treasurer, and I know [it will] offer valuable insights into the role as president.”
Snyder said he will focus on three areas during his presidency: increasing member engagement, strengthening initiatives relating to access to justice, and preparing the way for the future of the legal profession. “Doesn’t it feel like ChatGPT has been around for 10 years?” he said. “It has not. It’s been a year and a half since it was launched, and that’s just one AI platform. There are dozens now, and they are already having an impact in the field.”
“We need to make sure our membership understands and is prepared for what’s coming. The Bar will continue leading the way by providing programming and thought leadership on AI and its impact on the profession,” Snyder added.
Snyder thanked Mendelson for being a driving force in the restoration of funding this year for the D.C. Access to Justice Initiative, which issues grants to more than 30 community-based organizations, including the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, that provide critical legal help for the District’s most vulnerable residents. Snyder also credited Catania for encouraging him to pursue a career in the law.
Snyder went on to thank D.C. Bar past presidents Susan Hoffman, Geoff Klineberg, Ellen Jakovic, Chad Sarchio, and Lowery for their continuing contributions to the Bar and their guidance and mentorship during his time as president-elect. He also thanked his parents and his wife, Grace, for their support. “I always say I do everything with Grace,” Snyder said. “No dignity, but Grace.”
Honoring Excellence
The D.C. Bar also celebrated individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions to the Bar and the legal profession.
Mark A. Salzberg, former chair of the D.C. Bar Regulations/Rules/Board Procedures Committee (now Governance Committee), received the Frederick B. Abramson Award for his work on comprehensive amendments to the Rules Governing the District of Columbia Bar. The project, which spanned three Bar presidencies, marked the first update of the Rules since the Bar’s founding more than 50 years ago.
Crowell & Moring LLP partner John McCarthy Jr. received the Laura N. Rinaldi Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year Award for dedicating more than 325 pro bono hours in 2023 to four custody cases. He also participated in full-day pro se clinics, helping two Afghan clients in their applications for political asylum.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP was awarded Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year. The firm contributed 21,766 pro bono hours in 2023, including 14,488 hours dedicated to representing D.C. individuals and families, 4,133 hours assisting D.C. nonprofits, and 612 hours helping D.C. small businesses. Partnering with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, the firm ran the D.C. Compassionate Release Clearinghouse, committing more than 8,000 hours to the representation of clients previously sentenced as juveniles to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The LGBTQ+ Bar Association of the District of Columbia was recognized as the Voluntary Bar Association of the Year, while the D.C. Bar Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Community was named Community of the Year.
The D.C. Bar also honored Paul M. Geier, assistant general counsel for international and aviation-economic law at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), with the Beatrice Rosenberg Award for Excellence in Government Service, and John Brittain, a professor at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, with the Thurgood Marshall Award.
“My work with the DOT has been interesting, challenging, and covered a wide range of issues,” said Geier. “I must say that to have a job where the outcome of your work can increase safety, which is the DOT’s North Star, or have a direct impact on the way policy is set, has been very rewarding.”
“I started my career with a sense of idealism and, I must tell you, even today, 50 years after I started, I still have a sense of idealism and a commitment to public service. I go to work every day enthusiastic about what I do and the people that I work with because the DOT is a great place to work, with a wonderful, outstanding group of employees,” he added.
Brittain, on the other hand, described how the current political climate has threatened the civil rights advancements around which his work and scholarship have centered. “The most basic legal precedents that have defined the battlefield for the past 75-plus years are in jeopardy,” he said. “The current reality is that relief coming through the courts is foreclosed unless and until we change the political reality, which, in turn, will change the judicial reality. My call, then, is to recognize the crisis of democracy that we are in and to wage the battle for voting justice on every front in which it is under attack.”
Brittain said this means supporting the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to revitalize the Voting Rights Act of 1965, advocating for voting and voting reforms, and supporting the Thurgood Marshall Institute’s Voting Rights Defender project as well as the Legal Defense Fund. “We should embrace the mantra of making voting free, fair, and easy, in the words of the Brennan Center for Justice,” Brittain said. “As lawyers and citizens, we can and we should show up in many ways to advance the cause of justice and the principles of democracy.”
Expanding Justice
Earlier in the evening, the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center held its Presidents Reception welcoming Snyder and raising funds for the center, the largest provider of pro bono legal assistance in the District. The reception raised more than $1 million for the center, which is entirely funded by voluntary contributions.
Speakers also paid tribute to Stephen J. Pollak, a former D.C. Bar president who was regarded as the “godfather” of the Pro Bono Center. Pollak passed away in February at age 95.
“Thirty years ago, he was tasked to chair a committee to examine the Bar’s public service activities,” said Shavon J. Smith, vice chair of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Committee. “He led a team that transformed the Pro Bono Center into the largest provider of [free] legal services in the District. Stephen Pollak’s enduring legacy is a lifetime of service.”
Pro Bono Center Executive Director Kelli Neptune summarized the center’s recent achievements, including placement of almost 240 new cases for full representation through its Advocacy & Justice Clinic.
“Pro bono volunteerism builds resilient families and preserves safe affordable homes,” Neptune said. “Through our partnerships with other providers, this past year we've helped [more than] 1,000 parents and caregivers at critical times in family law cases and almost 2,500 litigants with eviction and housing proceedings.”
The Pro Bono Center also partnered with two other organizations to launch the new Future Planning & Probate Program “addressing a long-standing gap in services to help residents safeguard their assets and build generational wealth for families,” Neptune said.
