Theodore Howard Appointed to Third Consecutive Term as Chair of ABA’s Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants

June 3, 2020

Washington, DC – Wiley Rein LLP announced today that Theodore A. Howard, the firm’s Pro Bono Partner, has been appointed to a third and final term as Chair of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants (SCLAID).

A member of the prestigious committee since 2015, Mr. Howard has served as Chair since 2018. Reappointed this month by ABA President-Elect Patricia Lee Refo, he will begin his third one-year term when the ABA concludes its virtual annual meeting in August.

“It’s a privilege to serve another term leading such a tremendous team of lawyers,” said Mr. Howard. “As SCLAID moves into its second century, the committee’s commitment to multiple access-to-justice initiatives is more critical than ever in providing legal assistance to those who need it most.”

Wiley hosted an event on February 4 honoring the 100th anniversary of SCLAID. The program featured a panel discussion, “Civil Legal Aid in America – Where We Are and Where We Are Going,” with the Honorable Vanessa Ruiz, Senior Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals; Jim Sandman, President of Legal Services Corporation (LSC); and Don Saunders, Senior Vice President for Policy at the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA).

A national leader in the movement to expand access to justice and provide legal services to low-income populations, SCLAID focuses on matters related to civil legal aid and public defender services. Most recently, the 11-member committee launched a web page that consolidates resources from across the country to assist the SCLAID community in addressing the many challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Howard is a nationally recognized litigator whose pro bono work has included death penalty cases, housing and family law matters, and important impact litigation involving prisoners’ rights issues. Recognitions for his pro bono leadership include the prestigious Wiley A. Branton Award for Civil Rights Advocacy from the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC), and the Servant of Justice Award from the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia.

In addition to SCLAID, Mr. Howard serves on numerous boards and committees, including the District of Columbia Bar Board of Governors, the Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services of the District of Columbia Circuit Judicial Conference, and the Board of Directors of the WLC.