GWAC's 35th Annual Charlotte E. Ray Award Ceremony

THE GREATER WASHINGTON AREA CHAPTER, WOMEN LAWYERS DIVISION OF THE NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION AND THE GWAC FOUNDATION PRESENT:

THE 35TH ANNUAL

Charlotte E. Ray Award Ceremony

Sponsored by Morgan Lewis

Program.............................................................................................................................................................2 About GWAC...................................................................................................................................................3 About GWAC Foundation, Inc.................................................................................................................3 History of the Charlotte E. Ray Award..................................................................................................4 Past Award Recipients.................................................................................................................................5 35th Annual Charlotte E. Ray Award Recipient: Bridget Bailey Lipscomb............................8 Congratulatory Advertisements.............................................................................................................10 GWAC Foundation, Inc. Scholarship Recipients............................................................................23 Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................................24

Welcome Remarks.......................................................... Bayliss Fiddiman, GWAC President

Welcome Remarks........................................................... Carla Jordan-Detamore GWAC Foundation, Treasurer

Lift Every Voice and Sing.................................................*Recording*

Acknowledgement of Prior Award Recipients........ Jeanine Howard, Charlotte E. Ray Chair

Presentation of Award...................................................... Karen E. Evans, 2019 Charlotte R. Ray Awardee

Award Recipient Remarks............................................... Bridget Bailey Lipscomb

Acknowledgments and Closing Remarks.................. Keela Seales, GWAC President-Elect

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The Greater Washington Area Chapter, Women Lawyers Division, National Bar Association (GWAC) is a network of African-American women attorneys dedicated to the professional development of its members. We are committed to improving the quality of life in the Greater Washington D.C. area through a variety of activities, including educational programs and community service projects. For the 2021-2022 Bar Year, GWAC's theme is "living our mission, empowering our community, building our legacy."

In 1993, GWAC established a charitable arm - the GWAC Foundation, Inc. ("the Foundation"). The Foundation received its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service in 1995. That same year, GWAC provided the Foundation with its original endowment, which it has more than tripled in the past five years. The work of the Foundation is performed entirely by volunteers with no paid staff. In addition to community service endeavors, the Foundation also provides financial assistance to law students and law school graduates by means of book scholarships, bar scholarships and more recently, a Covid-19 Impacted Employment Assistance Award.

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Since 1989, the GWAC Bar Association and the GWAC Foundation have recognized an outstanding African-American woman from the local bar in honor of Charlotte E. Ray, the first woman admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and the first AfricanAmerican woman certified as a lawyer in the United States. In keeping with the mission of GWAC and the trailblazing spirit of Charlotte E. Ray, awardees demonstrate a strong commitment to community involvement, mentorship, advocacy, and excellence in the Metropolitan Washington community.

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1989 The Honorable Judith W. Rogers

1990 The Honorable Julia Cooper Mack

1991 Mabel Haden

1992 Brenda Girton Mitchell

1993 The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton

1994 Judith Winston

1995 Dovey J. Roundtree

1996 The Honorable Inez Smith Reid

1997 The Honorable Annice Wagner

1998 Sandra H. Robinson

1999 Pauline A. Schneider

2000 The Honorable Zinora Mitchell-Rankin

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2001 Wilma A. Lewis

2002 Barbara R. Arnwine

2003 Michele A. Roberts

2004 Loretta Collins Argrett

2005 Patricia M. Worthy

2006 The Honorable Kim Kendrick

2007 The Honorable Rhonda Reid Winston

2008 The Honorable Anita Josey-Herring

2009 The Honorable Norma Holloway-Johnson

2010 Kim Michele Keenan

2011 Grace E. Speights

2012 Natalie O. Ludaway

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2013 The Honorable Zoe Bush

2014 The Honorable Anna Blackburne-Rigsby

2015 Kirra L. Jarratt

2016 The Honorable Fern Flanagan Saddler

2017 The Honorable Tara J. Fentress

2018 The Honorable Sherri Beatty-Arthur

2019 Karen E. Evans

2020 The Honorable Phyllis D. Thompson

2021 Angela J. Davis

2022 Norma Brown Hutcheson

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Bridget Bailey Lipscomb is an Assistant Director in the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Environmental Torts Office. This office defends the United States in complex tort litigation based on damages from contaminants. Bridget supervises teams litigating multibillion dollar scientific cases that present complicated legal issues, which typically involve historical records and discovery databases that often exceed millions of pages of documents. Prior to this role, Bridget was a Senior Trial Counsel in the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Torts Branch, Federal Tort Claims Act (“FTCA”) Office. There, she commonly served as lead counsel defending the United States in complex tort litigation, including medical malpractice, law enforcement, and maintenance of federal lands, and provided guidance to Assistant United States Attorneys on complicated FTCA matters.

Before joining the Department of Justice, Bridget served as Legislative Counsel for United States Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee, where among other duties, she advised on all legal issues. Bridget was the first African-American partner in a major law firm in Knoxville, Tennessee. Prior to working in the United States Senate, Bridget was a partner at Lewis, King, Krieg & Waldrop, P.C. (currently Lewis Thomason), where she successfully tried primarily civil lawsuits in federal and state courts in various areas of the law.

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Her bar activities include serving as a member of the DC Bar Board of Governors, Washington Bar Association 2nd Vice President, President of the Women’s Bar Association of D.C, Vice President of Women’s Bar Association Foundation, and President of the Women’s Bar Association Foundation of D.C. from 2018 to 2020.

Among other honors in 2022, Bridget received the United States Department of Justice Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, the Bar Association of the District of Columbia Annice Wagner Pioneer Award (150th Anniversary Gala), and the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division Outstanding Woman Lawyer In Public Service Award (50th Anniversary).

Bridget received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, summa cum laude, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Grambling State University. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

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! s n o i t a l u t a r g n o C 10

Congratulations!

Congratulations to my wife, Bridget Bailey Lipscomb, on receiving the Charlotte E. Ray Award! I am very proud of your exceptional legal career and many years of service to the community.

-Lawrence Lipscomb

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Congratulations to Bridget Bailey Lipscomb on receiving the Charlotte E. Ray Award!

Congratulations to GWAC on 35 years of outstanding service!

-Florence Bailey, Ursula Bailey, Myra Bailey, Marvin Bailey, and Lawrence Lipscomb 13

CONGRATULATIONS!

THE GWAC FOUNDATION, INC. CONGRATULATES

BRIDGET BAILEY LIPSCOMB ON BEING AWARDED THE 35TH ANNUAL CHARLOTTE E. RAY AWARD!

February 21, 2023

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MARTI T. DONEGHY LAW CONGRATULATES

BRIDGET BAILEY LIPSCOMB on being presented with the 35th Annual Charlotte E. Ray Award! www.martidoneghylaw.com

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Keniece Gray, 2023 Book Scholarship

Sydney Chapman, 2022 Book Scholarship

Imani Brooks 2022 Book Scholarship

Daraja Carroll, 2021 Barbara E. Whiting-Wright Bar Assistance Award

Billi Wilkerson, 2020 Barbara E. Whiting-Wright Bar Assistance Award

Janae Staicer, 2020 Barbara E. Whiting-Wright Bar Assistance Award

Dionne Dillard, 2020 Book Scholarship

Megan Moffett, 2020 Covid-19 Impacted Employment Grant

Lourdes S. Eliacin Mars, 2019 Book Scholarship

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GWAC and the GWAC Foundation would like to give a special thank you to Morgan, Lewis & Brockius LLP for serving once again as this year's sponsor. We would also like to give a big thank you to our past Charlotte E. Ray Award recipients in attendance along with GWAC Past Presidents who have joined us. Thank you to those who purchased advertisements as well. Proceeds received from your ad purchases will support the work of the GWAC Foundation to continue awarding deserving law students and law school graduates with scholarships and bar assistance awards. It is because of your support, engagement and leadership that both GWAC and the GWAC Foundation are able to successfully fulfill its respective missions and continue doing great work within the legal profession and in the community.

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President, Bayliss Fiddiman President-Elect, Keela Seales Immediate Past President, Renee Mims Recording Secretary, Patricia-Joy Mpasi Corresponding Secretary, Kimberlee Gee Treasurer, Natasha Hudgins Financial Secretary, Ebonee Johnson Historian, Daraja Carroll Judicial Liaison, The Honorable Tanya M. Jones Bosier Law Firm & Corporate Counsel Chair, LaFonda Willis Judicial and Executive Appointments Chair, Dr. Tracey G. Jackson Membership Chair, Racquell Perry Employment & Professional Development Chair, Janell Bell Charlotte E. Ray Chair, Jeanine Howard Law Student Affairs Chair, Lucille Blackburn Dinner Series Chair, Erinn D. Martin Program Planning Chair, Yvonne Burnley

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