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Federal Trade Commission Warns Law Firms Against DEI Policies
The Federal Trade Commission is warning 42 major law firms that their participation in diversity, equity and inclusion programs risks enforcement action against them for anticompetitive collusion.
The issue is the firms’ participation in the Mansfield Certification program, which seeks a goal of having 30 percent of leadership positions held by underrepresented groups, such as women and minorities.
"Such agreements can distort competition for labor in legal professions, including along dimensions like hiring decisions, pay and promotions," a recent FTC letter to the firms says.
President Donald Trump has set a policy opposing DEI initiatives among law firms, academic institutions and governmental agencies.
The letters from FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson represent a significant escalation in threats to law firms over their DEI efforts.
U.S. Attorney for D.C. Pirro Clarifies Her Threat Over Gun Prosecutions
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro last week clarified her strong anti-gun statements from a recent television interview that prompted a backlash against her.
She said that anyone who brings a gun into D.C. is going to jail, regardless of whether they are licensed to carry a gun in another jurisdiction.
“You bring a gun into the district, you mark my words, you’re going to jail,” Pirro said on Fox News.
She added, “I don’t care if you have a license in another district, and I don’t care if you’re a law-abiding law owner somewhere else. You bring a gun into this District, count on going to jail, and hope you get the gun back.”
Her comments led to strongly worded responses from gun rights supporters. They said she misstated District of Columbia law and appeared hostile to Second Amendment protections.
Democratic Strategist Lawsuit Says Republicans Evade Campaign Finance Regulations
A group of veteran Democratic campaign strategists filed two lawsuits last week in federal court against the Federal Election Commission that accuse Republicans of a “bait-and-switch” strategy to violate campaign regulations.
The Democrats say Republicans use money from an account labeled "legal and building funds" to pay for campaign ads.
The lawsuits accuse a Republican party committee of exploiting a loophole in a revised campaign finance law to bypass contribution limits and disclosure rules.
Federal Election Commission rules allow "legal and building funds" to pay for overhead expenses, such as office space, but not campaign advertising.
If true, the allegations could lead to significant fines for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Legal Briefs
D.C. Courts Authorize Program for Community Justice Workers
The District of Columbia Courts officially approved a new Community Justice Worker program last week to address what advocates for low-income persons called a "justice gap."
The program authorizes trained nonlawyers to provide limited legal services to low-income residents who would otherwise be forced to navigate the legal system alone or not at all.
The decision is based on a 2025 proposal by the D.C. Courts’ Civil Legal Regulatory Reform Task Force.
The task force was a response to a staggering statistic, namely that in D.C., about 75 percent to 90 percent of litigants in high-stakes cases go to court without any legal representation. Common cases involve evictions, child custody and debt collection.
“This program will expand support where it is needed most,” said Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, D.C. Court of Appeals chief judge.
Under the order issued last week, non-lawyers who complete specialized training can help people with tasks such as explaining court procedures, giving legal advice, helping complete forms, preparing documents and offering limited in-court support.
The Community Justice Workers will be required to operate under the supervision of licensed attorneys and approved legal service providers. They would be prohibited from conducting evidentiary trials or taking depositions.
The program is being funded through a combination of public tax dollars, private philanthropy, and federal grants.
The District joins a small but growing number of jurisdictions, including Alaska and Arizona, that have embraced "allied legal professionals" to address legal challenges for low-income persons.
D.C. in Brief
Former D.C. Government IT Manager Pleads Guilty in Computer Thefts
A former District of Columbia government employee is scheduled for sentencing April 17 after pleading guilty in Superior Court to stealing laptops and other computing devices issued to city agencies and selling them for personal profit.
Darrell A. Smith, Sr., 56, pleaded guilty last week to multiple offenses, including three counts of first-degree theft and one count of trafficking in stolen property.
Smith previously worked as an Information Technology Manager for the D.C. Department of Health Care Finance, where he had authorized access to government-owned IT equipment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Prosecutors said Smith took laptops and other devices that belonged to the D.C. government when he was supposed to ensure they were properly inventoried or reassigned as government property. The computers were Apple MacBook Pro laptops purchased as part of a $1.6 million technology procurement.
Instead of returning the equipment to the city’s asset pool, Smith kept some devices for himself, gave others away, and sold many others to third parties, prosecutors said. They allege he received as much as $1,250 per device on the resale market, retaining the proceeds for personal use.
The computers were valued at $3,000 each. City officials estimated their losses from Smith’s thefts at $30,000.
When Department of Health Care Finance officials began inquiring about the missing devices, Smith denied knowledge of their whereabouts.
At the plea hearing, Smith acknowledged the thefts and admitted his conduct violated both criminal statutes as well as public trust expectations for government workers. He also admitted to using his official system access to delete security camera footage from an IT storage room to conceal the theft.
Prosecutors indicated they would seek incarceration and restitution when Smith is sentenced.
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Thousands of DC residents need a lawyer, but can’t afford one. They could be illegally evicted from their homes, lose custody of their children, experience domestic violence, and more, all because they lack legal representation.
You could make a difference. By making a donation to the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, you will provide free, high-quality, zealous legal representation to low-income DC residents.
Your support could prevent homelessness, domestic violence, hunger, or family separation. In fact, if just 10 people who see this ad give $28 to Legal Aid, it will be enough to staff an experienced attorney at the courthouse for a day.
That way, DC residents like Keith King (pictured above) can get the legal representation they need to win their cases. As Mr. King put it, if it wasn’t for his Legal Aid lawyer, “I would have been homeless again.”
Here is the link to the Legal Aid website for donations: https://www.legalaiddc.org/donate-to-legal-aid/
For more information, contact Rob Pergament at Legal Aid at rpergament@legalaiddc.org
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