D.C. Bar, BADC Mark Milestone Anniversaries at Joint Event
October 20, 2022
Current and former D.C. Bar and BADC leaders (from left to right) Annamaria Steward, Shirley Ann Higuchi, Dwight Murray, Ellen Jakovic, Constance Belfiore, Rawle Andrews Jr., and Judge Paul Friedman, with D.C. Court of Appeals Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby (fourth from left) and D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Anita Josey-Herring (second from right).
On October 18, members and leaders of the D.C. legal community gathered at the D.C. Court of Appeals Historic Courthouse to celebrate the 50th and 150th anniversaries, respectively, of the D.C. Bar and the Bar Association of the District of Columbia (BADC).
In her welcome remarks, D.C. Court of Appeals Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby emphasized the importance of the bars’ continued engagement in pro bono service to close the access to justice gap in the District. “The D.C. Bar and BADC share some common goals,” Blackburne-Rigsby said. “And the number one goal is ensuring access to justice for all.”
D.C. Bar President Ellen Jakovic said the two bars “form the lifeline” of the D.C. legal community and that the milestone anniversaries are a “legacy upon which we can build, upon which we can look to the future together [in] collaborating collegially.”
BADC President Rawle Andrews Jr. reflected on joining the organization in 1990 and of the colleagues and mentors who guided him throughout his legal career. “It is not lost on me that I am because you made it so,” he said. “In every facet and in every journey in my professional career, you have always been there to support me, to nudge me, to encourage me.”
Andrews also gave a brief history of BADC’s founding on May 23, 1871. Walter D. Davidge, the first BADC president, and 30 other lawyers in the District gathered to discuss how rule of law in the United States was under attack after the Civil War and how the country had become frayed. The group decided to create a bar association, build a library, help form a legal aid society, and promote access to justice.
Following the opening remarks, Annamaria Steward, who served as president for both BADC (2010–2011) and the D.C. Bar (2016–2017), moderated a panel of other former bar presidents on the highlights of their tenures and how the two bars became collaborators in fighting for justice in the District.
When discussing the histories of both bars, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Paul Friedman said that it “was not all beautiful.” “Let’s not pine for the good ol’ days … they weren’t so good,” Friedman said, referring to BADC’s exclusion of women and Black attorneys for 90 years since its inception. “But that led to the Women’s Bar Association, the Washington Bar [Association], and the expansion of the American Bar [Association].”
Friedman, who served as president of the D.C. Bar from 1986 to 1987, also recalled how the Bar emerged not long after Congress created the D.C. Court of Appeals and D.C. Superior Court.
Constance Belfiore reflected on her time as BADC’s second woman president (1997–1998). She remembers being discouraged with the legal profession because it was becoming “less of a pure profession and more of a business.” “Billable hours became more important,” said Belfiore.
She also noted that although there were more women joining the profession, they did not have a healthy work–life balance. Prior to becoming BADC president, Belfiore launched a “quality of life” forum within the Women’s Bar Association, which awarded the first Constance Belfiore Quality of Life Award in 1998. Belfiore said advocating for and promoting healthier work–life balance was one of her top priorities at BADC, citing the initiative’s growth as one of her favorite recollections.
Shirley Ann Higuchi, the first Asian American president of the D.C. Bar (2003–2004), talked about one of her favorite D.C. Bar memories. When she was president-elect, the Bar had publicized that Senator Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii was going to introduce Higuchi at its annual awards dinner. Hours before the event, Higuchi received a phone call announcing that the senator was held up on Capitol Hill and couldn’t make it. Nevertheless, as the annual dinner proceeded, Inouye showed up. “It was a like the parting of the [Red] Sea,” Higuchi said.
For BADC past president Dwight Murray (1996–1997), his most memorable moment involved the heated courtroom arguments he had with Eugene N. Hamilton, the former D.C. Superior Court chief judge. Murray later learned that Hamilton actually liked him because Hamilton considered engaging lawyers in a fierce competition of wits to be a sign of respect. “I found that was inspirational,” Murray said, adding that he also valued the camaraderie he developed with many people within the D.C. legal community.
To learn more about the D.C. Bar’s history, and to hear from Bar members and leaders about how the organization has helped enrich their careers, visit 50years.dcbar.org.
