Despite our disappointment in having to cancel this year’s Servant of Justice Awards Dinner, we at Legal Aid want to continue to highlight the extraordinary pro bono work being done by our partners in the law firm community. To that end, the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia is proud to honor Elliot J. Weingarten of Brown Rudnick with the 2020 Klepper Prize for Volunteer Excellence.

A litigation associate at Brown Rudnick, Elliot has made pro bono work a central part of his practice since his arrival in the District of Columbia in 2013. Over the past seven years, Elliot has been one of Legal Aid’s most active pro bono volunteers, developing expertise in defending tenants facing eviction cases. Elliot has personally handled about 15 eviction cases, and mentored his colleagues on additional cases as well, ensuring that families are able to stay in their homes and that landlords remedy severe housing conditions as required by law.

Elliot Weingarten in 2016 with client Crystal Taylor. Elliott helped Ms. Taylor successfully fight her landlord’s attempt to evict her.

Elliot has secured the dismissal of cases where his clients already paid the rent allegedly owed, and in other cases where landlords improperly noticed an alleged lease violation or lacked supporting evidence of a violation. He helped a couple who had lived in their apartment for decades avoid eviction when their landlord failed to respond to their request for a reasonable accommodation. Elliot also helped a mother of two negotiate a favorable settlement when she stopped paying rent after the landlord failed to make necessary repairs.

In his commercial practice, Elliot represents a wide variety of clients in complex litigation and investigations. His experience ranges from representing corporations and individuals in SEC and DOJ investigations, to representing both plaintiffs and defendants in commercial litigation. He has handled cases involving FCPA violations, improper disclosures, insider trading, business torts, and contract breaches.

Elliot graduated from the University of Michigan and Duke University School of Law. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Libby (also a lawyer) and their dog, Nino (not a lawyer).

This marks the 13th year that Legal Aid has awarded the Klepper Prize for Volunteer Excellence, which was endowed by Marty and Arlene Klepper to recognize volunteers early in their career who have shown extraordinary commitment to making justice real for Legal Aid’s clients.