Our annual Servant of Justice Awards honors those who have demonstrated faithful dedication and remarkable achievement in ensuring that all people have equal and meaningful access to justice.
Karen Dunn is one of the nation's top trial lawyers and has made public service a central piece of her career. Ms. Dunn, with her co-counsel, won a groundbreaking verdict against neo-Nazi and white supremacist movement leaders responsible for racially motivated violence in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.
Despite her national profile, Ms. Dunn has focused on supporting District residents throughout her career. In 2016, she secured an important victory for DC budget autonomy and home rule, which affirmed the right of DC government officials to control the city’s budget and paved the way for critical programs that support Legal Aid’s client community, including Access to Justice funding. Ms. Dunn also represented a group of parents who sued a synagogue in DC after they alleged their children were sexually abused at its preschool.
Ben Wilson is the President of the Board of the DC Bar Foundation and the former Chair of Beveridge & Diamond, where he was one of the first African Americans to lead a major law firm. Few can match his record of community leadership, which has included chairing the boards of the Environmental Law Institute, the Healthy Babies Project, and the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs, as well as the D.C. Board of Elections & Ethics.
Mr. Wilson has also engaged in significant pro bono work on behalf of District residents. For example, he helped obtain a settlement for the family of Carl Dupree, a Gallaudet University student who was killed by campus police in 1990. He was also a member of the team that represented a D.C. public housing resident and her minor daughter who suffered from lead poisoning, in a case that led to new requirements for the removal of lead-based paint in federally-funded public housing. He also cofounded the Environmental Law program at Howard University School of Law, where he has taught since 2004.
Oliver Jury is an Associate at Blank Rome who has become a standout part of Legal Aid DC's Pro Bono Program. 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.
Oliver accepted four new pro bono case referrals from Legal Aid in 2024, and has previously worked with clients on issues spanning eviction defense and child custody. He has also become a leader within his firm and has encouraged several of his colleagues to get involved, multiplying his meaningful impact to Legal Aid and our clients.
Tenant leaders from the Marbury Plaza apartment complex in Southeast will receive this year's Partnership Award in recognition of their advocacy and years-long fight to hold their landlord accountable for allowing the complex to fall into disrepair.
Legal Aid and Arnold & Porter represented an Ad Hoc Committee of 135 tenants in bankruptcy proceedings, advocating for financial compensation and assurances that tenants would not be forced out as Marbury Plaza changed hands. The tenants organized meetings, knocked on doors, kept their neighbors informed, prepared testimony, and helped Legal Aid mount the strongest possible case. Their commitment helped the team reach a settlement and take an important step for a better future for residents at Marbury Plaza.
Tuesday, April 29
Opening Reception at 6 p.m.
Dinner and Awards Program at 7 p.m.
JW Marriott Washington, DC
1331 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Join us in recognizing our honorees and celebrate the exceptional DC legal community, as well as Legal Aid's impactful work in the District and the clients we serve. You can buy tickets online, or contact Madison Cassell at mcassell@legalaiddc.org for information about sponsorships and purchasing tickets for a table.
Alyse Adamson
Bill Isaacson
Kirra L. Jarratt
Molly Levinson
Emily Loeb
Ron Machen
Julius Redd
Jeannie Rhee
Leo Tucker
Skadden
Latham & Watkins LLP
Paul Weiss
WilmerHale
Akin
Arnold & Porter
Baker Botts, L.L.P.
Blank Rome LLP
Dentons
Gilbert LLP
Weil
ArentFox Schiff
Goodwin
Jones Day
O'Melveny
Paul Hastings
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
The Steptoe Foundation
Bailey & Glasser LLP
Beveridge & Diamond PC
BCLP
Cleary Gottlieb
Cozen O'Connor
Debevoise & Plimpton
Foley Hoag LLP
Fried Frank
Hogan Lovells
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
King & Spalding
McGuireWoods
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
Morrison Foerster LLP
Wilkinson Stekloff
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation
Zuckerman Spaeder LLP
Bearstar Strategies
DiamondRock Hospitality Company
Econic Partners
Ernst & Young LLP (EY)
Host Hotels & Resorts
Marriott International
Northwestern Mutual
The Levinson Group
Ullico