Legal Happenings
Community Rallies for DC Bar Foundation Walk for Justice, Surpassing Fundraising Goal
December 15, 2025
The DC Bar Foundation’s second annual Walk for Justice on October 23, 2025, was a major success, raising more than double the amount from last year’s inaugural walk.
With nearly 900 registered participants taking the 5K course around the District’s Navy Yard neighborhood and along the scenic Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, the event raised more than $333,000, exceeding the foundation’s ambitious goal of $325,000. The funds will support the foundation’s mission to promote fairness and equality for the District’s civil litigants through grantmaking, network coordination, community engagement, and more.
Among those in attendance were D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Milton C. Lee Jr., who for the second year in a row struck a gavel to start the race, and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who thanked participants for supporting the organizations benefiting from DC Bar Foundation grants.
The Walk for Justice was inspired by and modeled after the London Legal Walk, which draws thousands of participants and raises more than a million dollars annually. DC Bar Foundation CEO Kirra L. Jarratt thinks that the rapid growth of the District’s event will put it in a competitive class with the original one.
“We expect the DC Walk for Justice 5K to become a seven-figure fundraiser over the next several years. But it is much more than a fundraiser. The walk creates a sense of community and a place of belonging for justice-seeking individuals and organizations,” said Jarratt. “This year’s walk brought together law firms, attorneys, judges, the D.C. Courts, the Attorney General’s Office, law schools, legal services providers, banks, businesses, faith communities, and many more — united by the commitment to creating access to justice for all D.C. residents.”
The walk, starting and ending at Nationals Park and in proximity to Wards 7 and 8, provided an opportunity for community outreach. “Educational signs along the walking route and a Grantee Partner Village in the Centerfield Plaza — with 19 DC Bar Foundation-funded legal aid organizations present to describe their work — provided powerful visual demonstrations of our collective impact on the District’s civil justice system,” Jarratt explained.
Law firms and corporate sponsors made significant contributions. Hogan Lovells and Latham & Watkins LLP, in particular, provided generous funding and fielded large teams of enthusiastic walkers made up of law firm attorneys and staff. Dechert LLP, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Relativity ODA LLC, Arnold & Porter Kay Scholer LLP, McGuireWoods, Goodwin Procter LLP, and Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP also made significant contributions. They sent teams of walkers to join the large number of court personnel, attorneys, and staff from area nonprofit organizations, who mingled and enjoyed snacks and refreshments at Nationals Park following the walk.
Next year’s Walk for Justice will take place on October 22, so there is plenty of time to organize a team, raise funds, and get some steps in to prepare. Registration information, when available, will be posted on the DC Bar Foundation website. In the interim, a highlight reel of the 2025 event, found here, might provide some inspiration to join in next year to support the DC Bar Foundation’s work.
Photos courtesy of Gee James, Capitol Media USA
