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District Of Columbia Council Bill PR25-0686

District Of Columbia 2023-2024 Regular Session

District Of Columbia Council Bill PR25-0686 Compare Versions

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11 MURIEL BOWSER
22 MAYOR
33 Mar
44 ch 8, 2024
55 The Honorable Phil Mendelson
66 Chairman
77 Council of
88 the District of Columbia
99 John A. Wilson Building
1010 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
1111 Washington, DC 20004
1212 Dear Chairman M endelson:
1313 In accordance with section
1414 2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-
1515 142;
1616 D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01), and pursuant to section 2214 of the District of Columbia School
1717 Reform Act of 1995, approved April 26, 1996 (110 Stat. 1321; D.C. Official Code § 38-1802.14), I
1818 am
1919 pleased to nominate the following individual:
2020 Mr. James S andman
2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
2222 Washington, DC 20003
2323 (Ward
2424 6)
2525 f
2626 or reappointment as a member of the Public Charter School Board, for a term to end February 24,
2727 2028.
2828 Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-m entioned
2929 nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
3030 I would appreciate the Council’s earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please
3131 do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor’s Office of Talent and
3232 Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
3333 Sincerely,
3434 Muriel B owser
3535 Mayor 1
3636 2
3737 3
3838 4
3939 5
4040 6
4141 7
4242 8
4343 9
4444 ~~
4545 at the request of the Mayor
4646 A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
4747 10 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
4848 11
4949 12
5050 13
5151 14
5252 15 To confirm the reappointment of James Sandman to the Public Charter School Board.
5353 16
5454 17
5555 RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this
5656 18 resolution may be cited as the "Public Charter School Board James Sandman Confirmation
5757 19 Resolution of 2024".
5858 20 Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the reappointment of:
5959 21
6060 22 Mr. James Sandman
6161 23 Pennsylvania A venue, SE
6262 24 Washington, DC 20003
6363 25 (Ward 6)
6464 26
6565 27
6666 as a member of the Public Charter School Board, established by section 2214 of the District of.
6767 28 Columbia School Reform Act of 1995, approved April 26, 1996 (110 Stat. 1321; D.C. Official
6868 29 Code§ 38-1802.14), for a term to end February 24, 2028.
6969 30 Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
7070 31 upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Office of the Mayor.
7171 32 Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately. JAMES J. SANDMAN
7272 SUMMARY
7373 Broad leadership experience as President of a national non-profit corporation, Managing
7474 Partner of a leading international law firm, General Counsel of a major urban school district
7575 undergoing dramatic transformation, President of the District of Columbia Bar, and
7676 chair/officer/board member of non-profit organizations. Frequent speaker and panelist on
7777 issues involving the administration of justice, the legal profession, diversity, and pro bono
7878 programs.
7979 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
8080 2020 – Distinguished Lecturer and Senior Consultant to the Future of the Profession Initiative
8181 Present University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
8282 2023 -- Senior Advisor and Chair of the National Leadership Council
8383 Present Frontline Justice
8484 2020 – President Emeritus
8585 Present Legal Services Corporation
8686 2011 – President
8787 2020 Legal Services Corporation
8888 Chief executive officer of the non-profit corporation established by Congress to provide
8989 funding for civil legal services for low-income people. LSC is the largest single funder of
9090 civil legal aid programs in the United States, making grants to 132 programs with more
9191 than 850 offices and almost 5,000 lawyers serving every state and the territories
9292 •Oversaw budget of $440 million and managed staff of 115 employees
9393 •Approved all grants
9494 •Represented LSC in dealing with Members of Congress and their staffs
9595 •Worked closely with eleven-member Board of Directors appointed by the President
9696 of the United States and confirmed by the Senate
9797 2007 –
9898 2011
9999 General Counsel
100100 District of Columbia Public Schools
101101 Chief Legal Officer for a 45,000-student, 8,000-employee public school system under the
102102 leadership of Chancellor Michelle Rhee
103103 •Member of Chancellor Rhee's senior management team
104104 •Responsible for all legal issues arising in the school system, including labor and
105105 employment matters, policy development, administrative litigation, and 2
106106 compliance with federal and local law
107107 •Managed an office of 18 lawyers and six staff
108108 1977 -
109109 2007
110110 Managing Partner, Partner, and Associate
111111 Arnold & Porter LLP
112112 Arnold & Porter is an international law firm based in Washington, DC.
113113 •Elected by the partnership to five two-year terms as Managing Partner
114114 •Firm revenue tripled during tenure as Managing Partner
115115 •Opened and served as Managing Partner of Los Angeles office
116116 •Practice areas: risk management and avoidance, product liability litigation, complex
117117 litigation, antitrust counseling and litigation
118118 •Elected member of the firm's Policy and Partner Compensation Committees
119119 •Appointed member of the firm's Management, Hiring, New Partners, Diversity, and
120120 Charitable Contributions Committees
121121 •Resident in the firm's Washington (1977-82, 1992-2007), Denver (1982-91), and Los
122122 Angeles (1991-92) offices
123123 1976 –
124124 1977
125125 Law Clerk to the Honorable Max Rosenn, United States Court of Appeals for the Third
126126 Circuit
127127 EDUCATION
128128 1973 -
129129 1976
130130 University of Pennsylvania Law School
131131 J.D., cum laude
132132 •Order of the Coif (top ten percent of class)
133133 •Executive Editor, Volume 124, University of Pennsylvania Law Review
134134 •Associate Editor, Volume 123, University of Pennsylvania Law Review
135135 1969 -
136136 1973
137137 Boston College, College of Arts and Sciences
138138 Bachelor of Arts (History), summa cum laude
139139 •Phi Beta Kappa
140140 •Durcan Commencement Award (top history student)
141141 •Honors Program
142142 •Four-Year Presidential Scholarship
143143 PROFESSIONAL, CIVIC, AND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
144144 Albany Law School
145145 •Member, Board of Trustees, 2015-present
146146 American Bar Association
147147 •Vice Chair, Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence, 2023-present
148148 •Chair, Task Force on Legal Needs Arising from the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-21 3
149149 • Member, House of Delegates, 2005-07
150150 • Member, Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, 2007-08
151151 • Member, Commission on the Future of Legal Services, 2014-16
152152 • Member, Advisory Council, ABA Center for Innovation, 2016-19
153153
154154 California State Bar
155155 • Member, Closing the Justice Gap Working Group, 2021-22
156156
157157 Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church
158158 • Elder/Trustee, 2011-14
159159
160160 Christ Church – Washington Parish (Episcopal)
161161 • Member of the Vestry (board of directors), 2021-present
162162 • Senior Warden, 2022-present
163163
164164 College of Saint Rose, Albany, NY
165165 • Member, Board of Trustees, 2014-present
166166 • Chair, Audit Committee, 2019-present
167167 • Chair, Legal Affairs Committee, 2021-present
168168
169169 Colorado Lawyers Committee
170170 • Member, Board of Directors, 1984-1991
171171
172172 D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
173173 • Chairman of the Board and member of the Board of Directors, 2012 –2021
174174
175175 District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission
176176 • Vice Chair, 2020-present
177177 • Member, appointed by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 2014-present
178178
179179 District of Columbia Bar
180180 • President, 2006-07 (elected by the Bar membership)
181181 • Board of Governors, 2003-08 (elected by the Bar membership)
182182 • Pro Bono Committee, Chair, 2009-2014; Vice Chair, 2008-09; Member, 2018-present
183183 • Chair, Pro Bono Program Strategic Assessment Task Force, 2014-15
184184 • Chair, Pro Bono Initiative Working Group, 2007-08
185185 • Chair, Committee on Multijurisdictional Practice, 2001-05
186186 • Chair, Screening Committee, 2004-05
187187 • Co-Chair, Law Practice Management Section, 1998-2000, 2001-02; member, Section
188188 Steering Committee, 1998-2003
189189 • Pro Bono Initiative Working Group, 2000-01
190190 • Special Committee on Multi-Disciplinary Practice, 1999-2005
191191 • Task Force on Sexual Orientation and the Legal Workplace, 1995-99
192192
193193 District of Columbia Circuit Judicial Conference Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal
194194 Services
195195 • Chair, 2013-18; Co-Chair, 2010-13; member, 2007-18 4
196196
197197 District of Columbia Government
198198 • Facilitator (unpaid volunteer), Deputy Mayor’s Cross-Sector Collaboration Task Force
199199 (on collaboration between District of Columbia Public Schools and charter schools),
200200 2015-18
201201
202202 District of Columbia Public Charter School Board
203203 • Vice Chair, 2021-present
204204 • Member (by appointment of the Mayor of the District of Columbia), 2019-present
205205
206206 Diversity Lab
207207 • Consultant on improving diversity in large law firms, 2020-present
208208
209209 Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System
210210 • Chair, Executive Committee, and Chair, Advisory Board, 2022-present
211211 • Member, Advisory Board, 2020-present
212212
213213 International Senior Lawyers Project
214214 • Board of Directors, 2007-11, 2021-present
215215
216216 The Meyer Foundation
217217 • Chair of the Board, 2018-19
218218 • Vice Chair, 2017-18
219219 • Member, Board of Directors, 2007-19
220220 • Audit Committee, 2008-18; Chair, 2015-18
221221 • Governance Committee, 2016-18
222222
223223 Minority Corporate Counsel Association
224224 • Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr., Scholarship Selection Committee, 2005-07
225225
226226 NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education
227227 • Board of Trustees, 2005-08
228228 • National Advisory Board, 2003-05
229229
230230 Neighborhood Legal Services Program, Washington, DC
231231 • Board of Directors, 2000-05
232232 • Secretary, 2001-05
233233
234234 Pro Bono Institute
235235 • Member, Board of Directors, 2020-present
236236 • Law Firm Pro Bono Project Advisory Committee, 1998-2020
237237
238238 Steptoe & Johnson LLP
239239 • Diversity Advisory Board, Chair, 2015-18; member, 2011-18
240240
241241 Tahirih Justice Center
242242 • Board of Directors, 2014-19 5
243243 Tzedek DC
244244 •Advisory Council, 2017-present
245245 United States Civil Rights Commission
246246 •District of Columbia State Advisory Committee, Chair, 2014-16; member, 2008-16
247247 University of Pennsylvania Law School
248248 •Board of Advisors, Penn Law Center on the Future of the Profession, 2019-2020
249249 •Board of Overseers, 1998-2007
250250 •Capital Campaign Executive Committee, 2004-12
251251 Washington Council of Lawyers
252252 •Honorary Board, 2016-present
253253 Washington Performing Arts
254254 •Member, Board of Directors, 2003-22
255255 •Executive Committee, 2008-22
256256 •Vice Chair, 2008-18
257257 •Chair, Audit Committee, 2010-18, 2019-22
258258 Whitman-Walker Clinic
259259 •Chair of the Board of Directors, 2008-09
260260 •Board of Directors, 2003-09
261261 •Co-Chair, “Going the Extra Mile” Benefit, 2002-06
262262 Whitman-Walker Foundation
263263 •Member, Board of Directors, 2023-
264264 Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA
265265 •Board of Trustees, 2002-08
266266 Women’s Bar Association Foundation, Washington, DC
267267 •Member, Board of Directors, 2011-14
268268 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
269269 •Wilkes University, Commencement Speaker and Honorary Doctor of Laws Recipient, 2023
270270 •American Lawyer Lifetime Achievement Award, 2022
271271 •Fayette County (Kentucky) Bar Association, Access to Justice Award, 2022
272272 •Albany Law School, Commencement Speaker and Honorary Doctor of Laws Recipient, 2021
273273 •American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Elected Fellow, 2021
274274 •Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, Distinguished Life Fellow Award, 2021
275275 •Neighborhood Legal Services Program (Washington, DC), Pioneer of Justice Award, 2021 6
276276 • American Bar Association, Presidential Citation, 2020
277277 • Legal Services NYC, Visionary Leadership Award, 2020
278278 • American Law Institute, Member, 2019-present
279279 • Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Louis Stokes Paragon Award, 2017
280280 • Rutgers Law School, Commencement Speaker, 2017
281281 • University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, Commencement Speaker,
282282 2017
283283 • District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights, Cornelius Alexander Humanitarian Award,
284284 2016
285285 • Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia, Hugh M. Johnson Award, 2016
286286 • District of Columbia Bar, Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Award, 2015
287287 • Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs, Wiley A. Branton Award, 2014
288288 • Villanova University, Medallion Award and Law School Commencement Speaker, 2014
289289 • McGlothlin Leadership Fellow, College of William & Mary, 2014
290290 • Quotation of the Day, The New York Times, March 16, 2013
291291 • College of Saint Rose, Commencement Speaker and Honorary D.H.L. Recipient, 2013
292292 • Council for Court Excellence, Justice Potter Stewart Award, 2013
293293 • Washington Council of Lawyers, Presidents’ Award, 2012
294294 • College of Law Practice Management, Fellow, 2012-present
295295 • University of Pennsylvania Law School, Howard Lesnick Pro Bono Award, 2011
296296 • Tahirih Justice Center, Wings of Justice Award, 2011
297297 • DC Law Students in Court, first annual Celebration of Service Award, 2011
298298 • “90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years,” Legal Times, 2008
299299 • University of Pennsylvania Law School, Alumni Award of Merit, 2007
300300 • “Star of the Bar,” Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia, 2006
301301
302302
303303 BAR ADMISSIONS
304304 • Colorado (inactive)
305305 • District of Columbia
306306 • Pennsylvania (inactive)
307307 • Supreme Court of the United States
308308 • United States Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fifth, Tenth, and District of Columbia
309309 Circuits
310310 • United States District Courts for the Districts of Columbia and Colorado
311311
312312 Executive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
313313 John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
314314
315315
316316
317317
318318 James Sandman
319319
320320 Mr. James Sandman is an accomplished attorney and a current
321321 member of the Public Charter School Board.
322322 Mr. Sandman served as President of the Legal Services Corporation
323323 from 2011 to 2020. The Legal Services Corporation has a budget of
324324 $415 million and is the largest funder of civil legal aid programs in
325325 the United States, supporting 132 programs with more than 840
326326 offices serving every state and territory.
327327 Mr. Sandman practiced law for 30 years with the international,
328328 Washington- based law firm of Arnold & Porter. He served as the
329329 firm’s Managing Partner for ten years. Immediately prior to joining
330330 the Legal Services Corporation, he served for three years as General Counsel of the District of
331331 Columbia Public Schools. He is a past President of the 100,000- member District of Columbia Bar.
332332 Mr. Sandman is very involved in his community in Washington, DC. He previously served as
333333 Chairman of the Boards of the Meyer Foundation and of the DC Campaign to Prevent Teen
334334 Pregnancy. He also served on the District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission , the
335335 Washington Performing Arts Board of Directors, and of the Tahirih Justice Center Board of
336336 Directors, which provides legal assistance to immigrant women and girls fleeing violence.
337337 A Ward 6 resident, Mr. Sandman earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from Boston College and
338338 his Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he served as Executive
339339 Editor of the Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
340340 Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser
341341 Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor
342342 ______________________________________________________________________________
343343 The John A. Wilson Building • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Suite 300 • Washington, D.C. 20004 • Office (202) 724-7681
344344 To: Tomas Talamante, Steve Walker
345345 From: Betsy Cavendish
346346 Date: February 1, 2024
347347 Subject: Legal sufficiency review of Resolution nominating James Sandman as a member
348348 of the Public Charter School Board
349349 This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above- referenced resolution and
350350 found it to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not
351351 hesitate to call Erika Satterlee, Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at 202-
352352 724-1303, or me at 202-724-7681.
353353 ______________________________
354354 Elizabeth A. (Betsy) Cavendish