The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia had a record-setting year for one of its biggest annual fundraisers.
Executive Director Eric Angel said this year's Generous Associates Campaign had the most participants, both in terms of the number of firms and attorneys. Sixty-eight law firms participated this year in the campaign, which is run by associates.
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr and Latham & Watkins both raised more than $84,000—putting the firms in a virtual tie for most dollars raised, Angel said. (Wilmer raised $209 more than Latham.) Williams & Connolly came in third with $57,045. Click here for a breakdown of how much money other participating firms raised for Legal Aid.
The associates annual fundraiser is one of the biggest money-makers for Legal Aid, which operates on a roughly $4.4 million budget. Legal Aid, a non-profit firm that provides assistance to clients in civil cases, had set a goal of $925,000—about $24,000 more than last year. Up until the last day, it wasn't clear the organization would meet that goal. "It was a nail biter," Angel recalled.
With less than 24 hours before the end of the fundraising campaign, Legal Aid Society was not only shy of its fundraising goal, but had also failed to raise more than it did last year. But Washington-area lawyers' commitment to providing legal services proved powerful. On the last day of fundraising, Legal Aid raised more than $90,000, surpassing the 2013 goal.
"There is an extraordinary commitment to legal aid in this town," Angel said.
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