The
D.C.
Bar
occupies
a
key
role
in
licensing
and
discipline
for
the
nation’s
capital.
It’s
the
entity
that
permanently
disbarred
Rudy
Giuliani
and
is
considering
the
same
for
Attorney
General
cosplayer
Jeff
Clark.
When
coups
happen,
the
D.C.
Bar
is
the
ethical
bulwark
of
the
profession
and
a
critical
institution
for
checking
back
future
erosion
of
the
rule
of
law
brought
on
by
lawyers
in
Trump’s
orbit.
So
it’s
probably
totally
fine
that
Pam
Bondi’s
brother
and
interim
US
Attorney/Internet
Crank
Ed
Martin’s
Principal
Assistant
are
running
for
senior
D.C
.Bar
leadership
roles!
Nothing
to
see
here.
Move
along.
Brad
Bondi
of
Paul
Hastings,
brother
of
newly
appointed
U.S.
Attorney
General
Pam
Bondi,
is
running
for
president
of
the
D.C
.Bar
and
newly
installed
Principal
Assistant
United
States
Attorney
of
D.C.
Alicia
Long
is
gunning
for
treasurer.
In
the
abstract,
both
boast
qualified
resumes.
Brad
Bondi
is
the
co-chair
of
Paul
Hastings’
investigations
and
white-collar
defense
practice
and
Long
has
served
the
Department
of
Justice
in
various
roles
since
2014.
But
timing,
as
they
say,
is
everything.
Running
for
control
of
Washington’s
ethical
watchdog
while
your
sister
describes
her
department
as
the
“personal
lawyers”
of
the
guy
who
got
his
last
crop
of
lawyers
disbarred,
indicted,
or
both?
Treasurer
while
your
immediate
supervisor
flirts
openly
with
conspiracy
theories?
Does
not
look
great!
To
be
clear,
the
president
and
treasurer
don’t
hold
omnibus
power
over
the
Bar’s
ethical
work.
There’s
a
separate
board
running
disciplinary
matters
and
it
reports
to
the
courts.
That
said,
the
vote
smacks
of
both
symbolic
significance
and
concrete
importance
to
the
extent
bar
associations
perform
valuable
pro
bono
and
professional
development
services
in
areas
that
the
Trump
administration
actively
attacks
other
bar
associations
for
championing.
While
one
suspects
both
candidates
will
tout
their
independence
—
and
they
may
be
sincere
about
it
—
this
doesn’t
feel
like
the
moment
to
turn
over
the
District’s
lawyer
association
to
candidates
with
deep
personal
and
professional
ties
to
an
administration
already
blowing
past
historical
guardrails.
In
fact,
the
optics
are
SO
bad
that
it’s
hard
to
extend
the
benefit
of
the
doubt
here.
Knowing
the
perceived
conflicts
and
the
risk
of
undermining
the
organization’s
credibility,
the
decision
to
go
forward
with
a
campaign
reads
like
an
intentional
infiltration
effort
no
matter
how
strenuously
they
deny
it.
Which
is
a
shame
if
they’re
being
genuine,
but
life
isn’t
always
fair.
Just
wait
to
run
until
2028!
Or,
alternatively,
whenever
Trump
leaves
office.
The
D.C
.Bar’s
2025
elections
will
take
place
exclusively
online
from
mid-April
to
early
June.
Active
D.C.
Bar
members
in
good
standing
as
of
February
28
will
receive
an
email
link
to
vote.
Bar
elections
often
suffer
from
low
turnout
due
to
a
lack
of
awareness
or
perceived
insignificance.
However,
the
stakes
in
this
election
seem
inordinately
high.
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or
Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a
Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.