Jack Olender Inaugurated President of Bar Association of the District of Columbia
Olender Associates Hold Key Offices
At a crowded June 10 luncheon at the Capital Hilton, Washington malpractice lawyer Jack Olender was inaugurated President of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia (BADC). He was joined at the event by members of his legal team at Jack H. Olender & Associates, including trial attorney Narda Newby, the new Chair-elect of BADC's Young Lawyers Section; senior trial attorney Sandra Robinson, now beginning a second year of service on BADC's board of directors; and Kim Keenan Solomon who just completed a term on the BADC board.
"Half the lawyers in our firm have served as officers of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia," said Jack Olender. "It's unusual -- and perhaps even unprecedented -- for a single law firm of any size to be represented to such a great extent in bar association leadership. We're proud of our successful record in representing victims of medical negligence in the Washington, D.C. area, and we are pleased to be able to give back to the community and the legal profession."
Jack Olender recalls a time when most legal institutions turned their backs on a majority of the city's inhabitants because of racism. "It was not until the late 1950s, just a few years before I came to Washington, that BADC and certain other legal groups first admitted African-Americans," said Olender. "It took a long time for concern about racial and economic justice to take root, but it has. Today, the membership and leadership of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia is much more representative of this city and is genuinely committed to serving all who live here."
Olender has a clear vision of his goals as President of BADC. "As we approach the next millennium, I want to lead BADC in forging more partnerships with legal and community organizations, including groups serving African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, and other minorities," he said. My hope is that the Bar Association of the District of Columbia can foster communication and cooperation among different communities. Where there are common interests, I hope we can work together in common purpose. In this great city there is much potential, so much need, and so much to do."
Jack Olender's record of accomplishment -- he has won or settled more than 100 cases upwards of a million dollars each -- has caught the attention of the media. He has been called "Washington's premier personal injury lawyer" by The Washington Post, D.C.'s leading medical malpractice attorney" by The Washington City Paper, "Medical malpractice guru" by Legal Times, "Top gun when something goes wrong in the hospital" by Washingtonian Magazine, "Legal champion of injured people" by The Washington Times. Most recently, he was called "A star... power lawyer" by The National Law Journal.
Jack Olender has been acclaimed Lawyer of the Year by the Bar Association of the District of Columbia and Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Trial Lawyers Association, D.C. He has been honored numerous other times, receiving awards from such distinguished organizations as the National Bar Association, Washington Bar Association, and the Greater Washington Urban League.
Mr. Olender has devoted himself to serving both the community and the legal profession. He is Past President of the Trial Lawyers Association, D.C., the American Board of Trial Advocates, D.C., and the George Washington American Inn of Court. He currently serves on the board of directors of the African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation, Carson Scholars Fund, the Greater Washington Urban League, and Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. Along with his wife, Lovell, he is founder of the Olender Foundation, which aims to counter poverty and violence, and to promote opportunity and equal justice for all people, especially the citizens of the District of Columbia.
