Legal Aid DC will award the 2025 Klepper Prize for Volunteer Excellence to Oliver Jury, an associate at Blank Rome, whose dedication to pro bono work has made a significant impact on Legal Aid and its clients. Oliver will be recognized at this year’s Servant of Justice Awards Dinner, held on April 29 in DC. 

Each year, the Klepper Prize recognizes an early-career attorney who has volunteered their time to make outstanding contributions to Legal Aid. Oliver has gone above and beyond — taking on pro bono cases across practice areas and strengthening Legal Aid and Blank Rome’s partnership.

“I’m grateful to Legal Aid for this honor and for the opportunity to be a part of their Pro Bono Program,” Oliver said. “Working with my Legal Aid mentors and clients has been a rewarding and formative experience for me and has made pro bono work a central piece of my career.”

Two of Legal Aid DC’s most needed areas of pro bono support are housing and family law, and Oliver is one of the few attorneys who regularly takes on both types of cases. He also helps lead his firm’s efforts in the Housing Right to Counsel Project, which provides legal representation to low-income DC residents on the brink of eviction.

For example, shortly after Oliver started with Blank Rome in 2021, he represented a tenant whose landlord was threatening eviction despite the COVID-19 eviction moratorium. Not only did he help get the eviction case dismissed, Oliver also assisted the client in applying for rental assistance and pushed the landlord to make much-needed repairs so that the client and her young family could maintain stable and safe housing.

In 2022, a survivor of domestic violence came to Legal Aid for help as the protective order against her child’s father was set to expire. With her ex-partner’s history of repeated physical abuse, the client feared for her own safety and the wellbeing of their young son. Legal Aid put her case in Oliver’s hands, and after some tense mediation, the two sides reached an agreement that granted the client sole legal and physical custody.

“Oliver has been there for his pro bono clients through some really challenging circumstances, and we always know we can count on him to handle these cases with care and offer outstanding legal representation,” said Sylvia Soltis, director of Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Program. “We’re thrilled to be able to recognize his hard work and commitment with the Klepper Prize for Volunteer Excellence.”

In 2024, Oliver accepted four new pro bono case referrals from Legal Aid. In addition to managing his own caseload, Oliver leads by example at Blank Rome and has encouraged several colleagues to get involved themselves. A few of these attorneys have now become regular volunteers, a testament to Oliver and all his efforts at the firm.