Walter Smith, Executive Director of DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
6:30 pm, Judiciary Square, 441 4th Street, NW
Walter Smith has been the Executive Director of the DC Appleseed Center for the past 15 years. Prior to coming to DC Appleseed, Walter was for two years the Deputy Attorney General for the District of Columbia.
Previously, he was a partner for 16 years with the city’s largest firm, Hogan & Hartson, now Hogan Lovells. He served as the full-time director of the firm’s nationally-recognized pro bono department. Walter’s law practice was primarily devoted to litigation, much of it concerning public policy issues. He has argued several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Prior to joining Hogan Lovells, Walter served for four years in the U.S. Navy as a JAG officer, defending military courts-martials. He also clerked for a Judge siting on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Walter’s law degree is from Harvard Law School, and he has a Masters of Law from the George Washington University Law Center.
Walter was named by The Legal Times as one of “The 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years.” And he received the William J. Brennan Award from the D.C. Bar, the Bar’s highest award for service in the public interest.
Through his work at DC Appleseed, the D.C. Attorney General’s office, and his pro bono representations at Hogan Lovells, Walter has led numerous projects addressing nearly all the key issues facing the District, including issues of health, education, democracy, jobs, housing, the environment, and children. Walter’s writings and publications on these issues fall into four categories: the reports issued by DC Appleseed; testimonies Walter gave before various agencies and legislative bodies; op-eds he authored; and key briefs he filed before courts.