The Story
D.C. Employment Lawyer Shares Story and Wisdom
The George Wythe Society of Citizen Lawyers and the Employment and Labor Law Society hosted a lecture by Judith M. Conti, co-founder of the D.C. Employment Justice Center (DC EJC) and a graduate of the College’s Law School. Following short opening remarks by Mellissa Cussler, President of the Employment and Labor Law Society, Dan Crassio of the George Wythe Society presented a bit of history before the lecture.
The topic of Crassio’s introduction was the difference in legal education between Colonial America and modern America. While the courses of study are clearly defined in 21st century legal education, there were not many options in the 18th century for those looking for a career in law. This led many of the day’s aspiring lawyers to teach themselves with the limited number of legal books and documents available in America. Legal apprenticeships were also more common in this era, but they were more akin to clerkships and did little to prepare the apprentices for a full legal career.
Following Crassio’s bit of history, Dean of the Law School Davison M. Douglass began his introduction by reflecting on his experiences in teaching Conti and watching her legal career quickly expand.
“One of the great pleasures of being a law professor is to watch your students grow,” said Douglass, “…and see where they go in life.”
Following these warm words, Conti took the stage to immediately offer some words of kindness back to Douglass and to the College. While the event was billed as a lecture, Conti quickly made a note to state that her presentation would be a reflection on her experiences in her legal career rather than a focused lecture. She began her reflections by recalling the uniqueness of the dedication of the College’s students and faculty and their refusal to mold their students into an easy model of lawyer.
“From the beginning,” said Conti, “…there was a sense of students who came for a discussion…”
Conti then shifted her discussion to the question of what exactly it means to be a citizen lawyer. For Conti, a true citizen lawyer is one who never loses sight of both the needs of their community and their own personal values.
“Being a citizen lawyer means being more than just your job,” said Conti.
While Conti always contemplated working in citizen law, originally plnning to work in juvenile law, she admitted that her best laid plans never fully fleshed out. It was an unexpected clerkship opportunity that allowed her to reevaluate her career goals and got her engaged and excited in the possibilities of helping people in employment cases.
“In this field there are a lot of things that are legal but very unfair,” said Conti. “For me, it was very directly about people.”
During five years working in a firm in D.C. she had the opportunity to work in several employment cases in such areas as job discrimination and subsequently felt satisfaction from the good she believed was doing. Conti soon found herself as a big player in a high profile against Perdue Farms and their terrible working conditions for their chicken farmers. Her intense involvement in the case fueled her passion in public interest law and subsequently led her to look for any justice centers specifically intended for employment cases in the D.C. area. To her great dismay, she found absolutely nothing.
“I sort of had this crazy idea,” said Conti, “…why don’t I think of starting a nonprofit organization here in D.C.?”
While the idea seemed implausible, Conti soon found that she had a large number of people willing to fundraise and to allow her dream to become a reality.
“At multiple times throughout your life,” said Conti, “there are going to be critical opportunities for you…I think your measure of personal greatness is what you do with those moments. Don’t be afraid to take it…it could happen at any time.”
Over the first year of the organization’s creation, Conti began to develop the relationships and contacts that became crucial to the formation and continuation of the DC EJC.
“Your level of success without fail will depend on the relationships you build,” said Conti. “It’s the network around you that makes or breaks you.”
Conti eventually worked with the DC ECJ for seven years, leaving in 2007 to get back to her original passion of helping clients in employment cases as a lawyer.
Conti concluded by discussing her greatest challenge in the DC EJC, which was the fallout in the D.C. area from the tragedy on September 11th 2001. While a lot of work and responsibility was forced in the hands of the DC EJC, the organization and its employees grew at a remarkable pace.
“The more responsibility you invest in people,” said Conti, “the more they will rise to the challenge.”