LSC President Sandman Appointed to D.C. Access to Justice Commission

WASHINGTON, D.C.

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals has appointed Legal Services Corporation (LSC) President James J. Sandman to the D.C. Access to Justice Commission. 

Sandman will serve a three-year term on the 18-member Commission, which was created by the Court in 2005 to help improve the ability of low- and moderate-income residents to access the civil justice system.

"The D.C. Access to Justice Commission plays a critical role in giving D.C. residents who cannot afford a lawyer a fair shot at justice," said Sandman. "I hope my work with the Legal Services Corporation nationally and my local pro bono experience in the city that is my home will be helpful in building on the Commission's remarkable record of success to date."

The Commission includes judges, past presidents of the D.C. Bar, executive directors of leading legal services providers, and other legal and community leaders. It is chaired by Georgetown University Law Professor Peter Edelman, and is privately funded.

Sandman has been president of LSC since 2011. He was with Arnold & Porter LLP from 1977 to 2007 and served as the firm's managing partner from 1995 to 2005. From 2007 to 2011, he held the post of general counsel for the District of Columbia Public Schools.

Sandman was president of the District of Columbia Bar from 2006-2007 and served on the Bar’s Board of Governors from 2003-2008. He currently chairs the DC Bar's Pro Bono Committee as well as the District of Columbia Circuit Judicial Conference Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services.

Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974. For 50 years, LSC has provided financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. The Corporation currently provides funding to 131 independent nonprofit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.