SPECIAL PROJECTS

The Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs occasionally undertakes projects and litigation matters involving important civil rights questions that do not fall squarely within one project of the Committee. These projects and cases may involve the rights of all citizens of the District of Columbia, or of the District itself. They may involve poor people with no access to courts or counsel. 

For example, the Committee has filed a major lawsuit against gun manufacturers and distributors in the metropolitan area on behalf of the District of Columbia and an individual victim of gun violence. And in 1999, the Committee embarked on a National Hate Crimes Initiative, a new national program with its sister Lawyers' Committees to address the national problem of hate crime violence. Also, the Committee sponsors a summer Introduction to Legal Reasoning program for minority and disadvantaged students preparing to enter law school. Lawyers from one or more projects of the Washington Lawyers' Committee staff special projects. 

If you are a D.C. area attorney interested in learning more about the Committee's Special Projects, or in volunteering for the Washington Lawyers' Committee, please e-mail the Project at pub_acc_special@washlaw.org or call 202-319-1000. 

To find out whether you are eligible to participate in a pending case, see group lawsuits and class actions. If you are or a member of your family is a victim of gun violence occurring in the District, please e-mail the project at pub_acc_special@washlaw.org, or call 202-319-1000, ext. GUN (486). 


Gun Litigation  

District of Columbia, et al. v. Beretta U.S.A. Corp., et al. (D.C. Super. Ct. No. C.A. 00-0000428)

The Washington Lawyers' Committee filed suit against 23 gun manufacturers in January 2000 on behalf of the District of Columbia and Bryant Lawson, a young man whose spine was shattered when he was shot in the District in 1997. The suit contends that defendants are liable for damages under the District's Assault Weapon Strict Liability Act, which defines and classifies automatic and semi-automatic guns as inherently dangerous weapons, and imposes strict liability for all injuries arising out of automatic and semi-automatic gun violence in the District. The lawsuit also contends that gun manufacturers should be liable for negligently permitting--through illegal sales and distribution channels-guns to illegally enter the District. The suit seeks reimbursement for the District for Medicaid and other costs incurred in treating and caring for Mr. Lawson and hundreds of other victims of gun violence, as well as compensatory and punitive damages for Mr. Lawson's injuries. After the case was filed, plaintiffs have twice moved to amend the complaint to add additional victims of gun violence as plaintiffs-the family of Helen Foster-El, a grandmother who was shot during a gun battle between neighborhood groups, and the father of one of the victims. Co-counsel with the Committee are the D.C. law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, and the District of Columbia Corporation Counsel.


National Hate Crimes Initiative 

With major support from the Ford Foundation, the Washington Lawyers' Committee has joined with local Lawyers' Committees from seven other cities to establish a new program to address the national problem of hate crime violence. This effort, which involves close cooperation with the Department of Justice and local community agencies, was announced at a press conference in June 1999. The firm of Hogan & Hartson has begun the first major effort of this program-the development of an updated edition of a national study of hate crime legislation, which was originally prepared in 1982. The updated study was published in 1999, and will be a valuable resource for individuals and organizations around the country committed to ending hate crimes. The study is available upon request. 


Law Student Training 

Every summer since 1985, the Washington Lawyers' Committee has sponsored an annual Introduction to Legal Reasoning program. A six-week course for prospective law students who are members of groups traditionally disadvantaged or underrepresented in the practice of law, it helps these students in the transition from college to law school. The program is directed by Bob Duncan, of Hogan & Hartson, and is staffed by volunteer instructors from other law firms. Since its inception, the program has involved over 1,000 D.C. area attorneys as instructors and helped over 2,000 students entering law school.

Please see memorandum for additional information.