Candidates Pitch Vision for the Bar at Member Reception
May 05, 2025
On May 1 D.C. Bar President Shaun Snyder addressed more than 100 members at a reception and lauded many of the Bar’s programs, services, and leadership opportunities, emphasizing the value of relationships he has forged through his involvement with the Bar.
“I know so many people who are involved in the Bar who have developed some of the strongest friendships and professional relationships that they have ever had through their engagement. I say this through my own experience,” Snyder said. “So, please get involved. If you are involved, find ways to continue that involvement.”
The reception also provided attendees an opportunity to meet and get to know the 2025 candidates running for positions on the Bar’s Board of Governors and Communities steering committees, as well as for the ABA House of Delegates.
President-elect candidate Brad Bondi, co-chair of the investigations and white-collar defense practice at Paul Hastings, LLP, was unable to attend due to other commitments. Paul Hastings associate Nick Griepsma delivered comments on his behalf, describing Bondi as a longtime colleague and friend.
“What stands out to me, personally, is seeing Brad’s heart on a day-to-day basis, from [mentoring] young attorneys like me to [serving] on the Bar’s Corporation, Finance and Securities Law Community.”
Griepsma described Bondi’s intention to enhance and streamline a number of Bar services. If elected, Bondi would seek to increase access to free online CLE, make certificates of good standing easier to access and free of charge, strengthen the free ethics hotline, and expand pro bono partnerships and opportunities.
“Giving back is part of our calling as attorneys,” Griepsma said. “Our job is to enhance access to justice, improve our profession, and empower every lawyer here. Brad is running because the Bar gave him a foundation as a young lawyer, and he wants to pay it forward. So, let’s keep the Bar a place where we support each other, where we focus on what we share as lawyers, and let’s talk about how we can make the Bar better.”
Bondi is running against Diane Seltzer, principal of the Seltzer Law Firm and a current member of the Bar’s Board of Governors. At the reception, Seltzer described her service on the Board of Governors and on the Executive and CLE Committees. “I wouldn’t be running for this position if I hadn’t done a couple things to get me ready for it,” she said.
“What I care about is rule of law,” Seltzer continued. “What I care about is making sure we are led by a Bar that is making every effort to have attorneys feel that they can practice safely, and that judges can be impartial and not have to worry about retaliation from the government for their decisions. We should be able to represent whomever we want to.” Acknowledging the Bar’s restriction on speaking on political matters, Seltzer said that the organization could play a role in supporting its members in this moment.
Seltzer described involvement in the Bar as more than just a mandatory fee payment, detailing members’ access to an expansive collection of CLE offerings, a new community for early career attorneys, wellness tools and services, and networking opportunities.
Seltzer intends to expand upon the Bar’s existing relationships in the voluntary bar community. “I want to get to know the people who lead the voluntary bar associations,” she said. “And I have met people who are supportive and want to have more engagement with the mandatory bar. What can we do together? Let’s figure out what we can do to support each other in this time.”
D.C. Bar members will have another opportunity to hear from the president-elect candidates during a virtual forum on May 5. Registration is required.
The 2025 D.C. Bar general and Communities elections are live and open until June 4. Voting is exclusively online.
