Overview
(March 6, 2023, Washington, DC) – Recently promoted pro bono partner, Paul Lee has been reappointed as a member of the DC Access to Justice Commission. The DC Access to Justice Commission plays a critical role in advancing civil justice throughout the community in Washington, DC. Lee was nominated by the DC Bar to serve as a member and appointed by the Chief Judge; members of the Access to Justice Commission serve three-year terms.
The Commission was created by the D.C. Court of Appeals in 2005. At the time, a separate 501(c)(3), the D.C. Access to Justice Foundation, was set up to ensure that the Commission had the resources to operate as an independent entity with professional staff. While the importance and influence of the Commission with respect to the delivery of legal services to low-income residents of the District is now broadly known and greatly appreciated, at its creation, the Commission's potential to bring about meaningful change were unfamiliar to most of the law firm community. However, Steptoe was one of the first foundational supporter law firms of the DC Access to Justice Foundation. The imprimatur of Steptoe and other founding law firms laid the foundation for the ongoing support of the Commission's work by the broader law firm community - work which continues to this day. Steptoe Senior Counsel Jim Rocap has served on the Board of Directors of the D.C. Access to Justice Foundation since 2008 and currently serves as Secretary.
Learn more about the DC Access to Justice Commission.
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
The diversity of the firm is a critical factor in its success. The firm’s Chair is a woman; the majority of the firm’s elected executive committee is female; the majority of Steptoe's nine offices are managed by women; and the majority of Steptoe’s practice groups have women as leaders. The firm's eight-person professional business services leadership is equally diverse, with half the c-suite made up of women, including three women of color, and other leaders who openly identify as LGBTQ+.
