Legal Aid DC will honor Elizabeth Prelogar and Grace Speights with the 2026 Servant of Justice Award in recognition of their leadership and commitment to advancing justice and equity, from the workplace to the Supreme Court. Ms. Prelogar and Ms. Speights will be celebrated at the 36th Annual Servant of Justice Awards Dinner on April 28 in Washington, DC.

“We’re thrilled to honor to two outstanding attorneys who, at each step in their impressive careers, have worked with courage to protect and empower others,” said Legal Aid DC Executive Director Vikram Swaruup. “Through high-profile cases, pro bono work, and behind-the-scenes advocacy, Elizabeth Prelogar and Grace Speights each have fought for justice and equity and the legal field is better for it.”

An estimated 700 attendees will gather at the JW Marriott in April to celebrate the Servant of Justice Awards honorees and to recognize an outstanding pro bono attorney with the Klepper Prize for Volunteer Excellence and a Legal Aid client.  

Tickets are available here, or contact Rob Pergament at rpergament@legalaiddc.org.

"I can't think of a better reason to bring the legal community together here in Washington than to support Legal Aid's mission and celebrate these tremendous honorees," said Jonathan Leiken, Chief Legal Officer of Danaher Corporation and a co-chair of the Dinner. “Providing free civil legal services to people and families living in poverty is critically important here in DC and around the country. I am grateful for the opportunity to be involved with such a wonderful organization, and to co-chair such a special celebration."

About Elizabeth Prelogar

Elizabeth Prelogar served as U.S. Solicitor General from 2021 to 2025 before returning to Cooley LLP as a partner to lead the firm’s Supreme Court and Appellate practice. Over the course of her career, she has argued 35 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court on critical issues including reproductive health care, voting rights, administrative law, First Amendment rights, technology, immigration policy, affirmative action, consumer protection, gun safety, and protections for domestic violence survivors. In one consequential case for Legal Aid DC’s client community, Ms. Prelogar successfully defended the constitutionality of a federal statute that restricts people who committed acts of domestic violence from accessing firearms.  

Ms. Prelogar is regarded as one of the country’s top appellate lawyers, delivering more Supreme Court arguments since 2021 than any other advocate.  She has been recognized with the Harvard Law School Association Award, the law school’s highest alumni honor, and the Edmund J. Randolph Award, the highest award conferred by the U.S. Department of Justice. She clerked for Judge Merrick Garland on the D.C. Circuit and for Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan on the Supreme Court.

About Grace Speights 

Grace Speights is a partner at Morgan Lewis and served for a decade as the Global Leader of its Labor and Employment Practice Group. She is renowned for guiding major organizations through sensitive culture assessments and misconduct allegations, and is widely regarded as a force within the #MeToo and Social Justice movement, particularly for helping organizations confront workplace misconduct in ways that emphasize accountability, fairness, safety, and meaningful institutional change. She was named “Attorney of the Year” by The American Lawyer in 2018 for her pioneering work in high-profile #MeToo workplace investigations.

Ms. Speights, who in 1991 became the first Black woman to be named a partner at Morgan Lewis, is also a nationally respected advocate for inclusion in the legal field and a beloved mentor to young lawyers. She co-leads Mobilizing for Equality, the firm’s task force committed to promoting racial equality and justice.  

Alongside her prominent professional career, Ms. Speights has demonstrated a deep personal commitment to pro bono work. She fought to save the life of Lester Bower, who maintained his innocence from death row in Texas, and represented him, along with a team of other Morgan Lewis lawyers, pro bono from 1989 until his execution in 2015. Ms. Speights has held public service roles in the District as a member of the DC Judicial Nominations Commission, the DC Judicial Tenure Commission, and the Federal Judicial Nominations Commission. She also has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the George Washington University since 2013, and has served as Chair of the Board since 2019. Her many honors include the Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion of Merit, the Justice Potter Stewart Award, and the Champion of Justice Award, among others.