WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee) is pleased to announce the election of James P. Joseph, partner at Arnold & Porter LLP, as co-chair of the Lawyers’ Committee’s board of directors and trustees, effective September 1, 2015. Mr. Joseph, along with John M. Nonna, co-managing partner at Squire Patton Boggs’ New York office, will lead an influential board of over 200 members.
“Since joining the Lawyers’ Committee’s board in December 2004, Mr. Joseph has actively engaged in advancing the organization’s critical mission,” said Nonna. “His stellar dedication and commitment to equality and justice, accompanied by his legal prowess, leadership skills and invaluable perspectives will be pivotal in our quest to continue galvanizing the private bar in ‘Moving America Toward Justice.’”
Mr. Joseph’s tenure on the board includes serving as regional vice-chair for the Mid-Atlantic Region, co-chair of the Voting Rights Support Committee, chair of the Investment Committee and a member of the Governance Committee and Programs Committee. A stalwart attorney with a keen passion for civil rights, Mr. Joseph and his firm have regularly supported the organization’s work, including the nonpartisan Election Protection voter assistance program, litigating and settling a constitutional challenge designed to remedy serious election administration problems in Ohio, and representing minority students in their efforts to defend against a lawsuit seeking to abolish affirmative action at Harvard University.
“I am thrilled and honored to serve alongside John Nonna as co-chair of the Lawyers’ Committee in fulfilling President John F. Kennedy’s visionary1963 request to marshal the private bar’s leadership and pro bono resources in combatting racial discrimination – work that continues to be vital today,” said Mr. Joseph. “The Lawyers’ Committee’s dedicated board, staff and volunteers, as well as our courageous clients, invigorate me to work even harder toward achieving a more just society for all.”
Mr. Joseph is the head of Arnold & Porter’s Tax Group and represents clients on tax litigation and planning matters. He represents tax-exempt organizations (including public charities, colleges and universities, private foundations, international nongovernmental organizations, and trade associations) on business ventures, structuring and implementing complex programs, lobbying, and political activities. He represents corporate and individual donors on charitable, advocacy-related, and political giving, and also works with corporate and tax-exempt clients on governance, executive compensation, and other general tax matters. On tax controversy matters, he has represented corporations, partnerships, tax-exempt organizations, and individuals in Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audits, proceedings before the IRS Appeals Office, state-level audits and administrative hearings, and litigations in the US Tax Court, state courts, the US Court of Federal Claims, and federal district and appellate courts, including cy pres petitions.
Mr. Joseph earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctorate degree from Georgetown University Law Center, where he graduated magna cum laude. He was recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for tax (DC) from 2012-2015 and The Best Lawyers in America 2013-2016 for tax law. In 2013, he was also named a Washington, DC Super Lawyer for nonprofit organizations and tax law. Also, in 2003, Mr. Joseph was a recipient of the Ally of Justice Award for his work for the Human Rights Campaign.
About the Lawyers’ Committee The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law, particularly in the areas of fair housing and community development; employment; voting; education; criminal justice and environmental justice. For more information about the Lawyers’ Committee, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org. ###
