WASHINGTON—The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law honored the outstanding pro bono service and stellar commitment to advancing equity and also welcomed new members to its storied Board of Directors during its annual board meeting and awards reception, hosted by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
The recipient of the 2024 Robert F. Mullen Pro Bono Award was Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, which was recognized for its work as co-counsel to the Lawyers’ Committee in cases challenging racialized hate and violence and for its institutional efforts to combat hate.
Three new members joined the Board of Directors—a group of exemplary lawyers and leaders, harkening back to the organization’s founding in 1963 at the behest of President John F. Kennedy, who convened leading lawyers from the private bar to create what is now the Lawyers’ Committee. The new members include Melanca Clark, a Boston-based tri-sector leader in non-profits, government, and philanthropy; Dawn Smalls, a litigation partner at Jenner & Block in New York and government veteran; and Erin Morgan, a litigation partner at Paul, Weiss in New York.
“I am grateful to the Paul, Weiss law firm for teaming up with us in major litigation to address racially-motivated violence and intimidation, as well as for leveraging the firm’s assets and reputational capital to launch its own center to continue the fight beyond those lawsuits,” said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of LCCRUL. “Paul, Weiss lawyers have donated a tremendous amount of time and expertise to advance civil rights. And it could not be more timely, with the nation roiled by those who want to sow racial division and exclusion. The firm’s combination of investment, commitment, and exemplary service to this cause is a model we hope others will follow.”
“We are also thrilled to bring three dynamic leaders onto our Board of Directors. Each of them brings an important perspective and skill set to bear on the most important civil rights issues of our time,” Hewitt continued. “We have had the privilege of seeing each of them in action, from federal government service to philanthropy, and also as co-counsel, respectively. Melanca Clark understands civil rights from multiple perspectives and is as insightful and effective as they come. Dawn Smalls is an accomplished lawyer who has already provided significant support to our work to advance equity and opportunity in the face of many attacks on race-conscious programs. Erin Morgan has been instrumental in helping us fight hate. She brought tremendous energy to the important litigation we have worked on together, and I am excited that we will now be able to do even more going forward.”
Pro Bono Award
This Robert F. Mullen Pro Bono Award recognizes a law firm that has provided extraordinary pro bono legal services on behalf of a Lawyers’ Committee client or matter. It is named in memory of the late Bob Mullen, who was an extraordinary leader of the bar, a staunch advocate of pro bono legal service, a fierce activist in the struggle for racial equality, and a former co-chair of the Lawyers’ Committee Board from 1989 to 1991.
This year’s recipient Paul, Weiss has served as co-counsel alongside the Lawyers’ Committee on a number of important matters over the years. Its most recent work focused on leading the fight against hate and extremism in partnership with the James Byrd Jr. Center to Stop Hate, a special unit at the Lawyers’ Committee created to address the resurgence of white supremacist rhetoric and violence. Paul, Weiss lawyers co-counseled with the Lawyers’ Committee in Metropolitan A.M.E. Church v. Proud Boys, a lawsuit that successfully challenged the white supremacist group Proud Boys and its leadership for the vandalizing of a historic Black church located just blocks away from the White House and Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. The litigation resulted in judgments of compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys’ fees totaling nearly $3 million. Paul Weiss also co-counseled with the Lawyers’ Committee in Sealed Plaintiffs v. Patriot Front, a case, representing residents from a majority Black neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia who challenged Patriot Front and some of its members for vandalizing and destroying a mural honoring Black hometown tennis legend Arthur Ashe. That case was recently settled with some of the defendants on confidential terms. In addition to its litigation work, Paul, Weiss solidified its commitment to fighting hate earlier this year by launching its own Center to Combat Hate.
New Board Members
New board member bios are listed below:
Melanca Clark – Tri-Sector leader
Ms. Clark is the immediate past President and CEO of the Hudson-Webber Foundation in Detroit, which, during her tenure, oversaw grants totaling over $36 million. She previously served in key leadership roles in the Obama administration, including as chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. In that role, she was also the lead staffer in charge of coordinating President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. She also had roles with the DOJ’s Office for Access to Justice and the White House Domestic Policy Council, where she helped advance President Obama’s justice policy priorities, and worked to promote fairness in the criminal and juvenile systems. Ms. Clark previously served as counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, as a Skadden fellow and assistant counsel with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. She was also a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr. of the U.S. District Court of New Jersey.
Dawn Smalls – Partner, Jenner & Block LLP
Dawn Smalls is a partner at Jenner & Block in its Monitorship, and Investigations, Compliance and Defense Practices. Dawn is also co-chair of the firm’s ESG practice and Dobbs Task Force, and a member of the firm’s DEI Protection Task Force. She was named to the inaugural edition of “Northeast Trailblazers” by the American Lawyer and recognized by Crain’s New York Business as one of their “Notable Women in Law,” “Notable Black Leaders,” and “Notable Diverse Leader in Law.” Dawn is a recognized civic leader. She serves on the board of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture and the Roosevelt Institute, a national progressive think tank and campus network that serves as the nonprofit partner to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, NY. She previously served on the national Board of the American Constitution Society, the nation’s leading progressive legal organization, with over 200 student and lawyer chapters in almost every state and on most law school campuses. In 2023, she was appointed by Mayor Adams to the NYC Campaign Finance Board, an independent city agency responsible for the public financing of elections and voter education in NYC and co-chair of the NYC Bar Association’s Task Force on Civic Education.
Erin Morgan – Partner, Paul Weiss
Ms. Morgan is a partner in the litigation department at Paul, Weiss, where she specializes in complex civil litigation and also has an active pro bono practice. She is currently representing the city of Washington, D.C. as it seeks recovery against the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers for harm to police officers during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Alongside the Lawyers’ Committee, she represents the historic Metropolitan A.M.E Church in a case against the Proud Boys and its leadership for vandalism damage relating to the church’s support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Ms. Morgan was named a “Rising Star” by the New York Law Journal in 2024 and received recognition on Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under List – Northeast” in 2023.
Note: Photos are available upon request.
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About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law— Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to mobilize the nation’s leading lawyers as agents for change in the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the Lawyers’ Committee uses legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of our democracy real. The Lawyers’ Committee implements its mission and objectives by marshaling the pro bono resources of the bar for litigation, public policy, advocacy and other forms of service by lawyers to the cause of civil rights.
