Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP is pleased to announce that Partner Lewis S. Wiener has been appointed to serve as general counsel of the Washington DC Hebrew Congregation, one of the largest reform Jewish communities in the country. His two-year term begins immediately. 

As general counsel, Mr. Wiener is tasked with setting key policies, guiding their implementation, exercising fiduciary oversight and acting as an ambassador for the organization.

“As pro bono partner for the firm’s Washington DC office, Lew’s personal investment to improving social justice by serving in various leadership positions is a wonderful reflection of Sutherland’s distinguished tradition of public service,” said Sutherland Managing Partner Mark D. Wasserman. “We commend Lew for accepting this responsibility and applaud his decades of commitment to giving back to the community.”

Mr. Wiener is an outstanding advocate of defending the civil rights of protected groups, including the hearing and visually impaired. In 2011, he received the Washington Lawyers’ Committee’s “Outstanding Achievement Award" in the area of disability rights for spearheading a landmark settlement on behalf of a deaf couple who were denied sign language interpreter services in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. Just last year, Mr. Wiener reached a settlement with the General Services Administration (GSA) on behalf of three blind federal contractors and the American Council of the Blind to make the GSA-operated website SAM.gov accessible to blind federal contractors.

Mr. Wiener is also actively involved in a number of DC-based organizations and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington DC Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, which provides pro bono representation in a broad range of civil rights and related poverty issues impacting every group protected by federal, state and local civil rights laws. He served as Co-Chair of the Lawyers’ Committee from 2013-2015.

At Sutherland, Mr. Wiener is a trial and appellate attorney with three decades of trial, advocacy and counseling experience. Head of the firm’s Insurance and Financial Services Litigation team, chair of Sutherland’s Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) practice and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, he represents banks, credit card companies, consumer finance companies, insurance companies and related entities and individuals in state and federal court litigation throughout the United States. Prior to joining Sutherland, Mr. Wiener was a trial lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice, where he was twice recognized by the Attorney General for special achievement in the handling of significant litigation matters on behalf of the United States.

ABOUT SUTHERLAND ASBILL & BRENNAN LLP

Sutherland is an international legal service provider helping the world’s largest companies, industry leaders, sector innovators and business entrepreneurs solve their biggest challenges and reach their business goals. More than 400 lawyers across seven major practice areas—corporate, energy and environmental, financial services, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and tax—provide the framework for an extensive range of focus areas. Sutherland is composed of associated legal practices that are separate entities, doing business in the United States as Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, and as Sutherland (Europe) LLP in London and Geneva. Sutherland (Europe) LLP is a limited liability partnership and is registered in England and Wales with registered number OC348198. Its registered office is at Marble Quay, St. Katharine Docks, London E1W 1UH. Sutherland (Europe) LLP is authorized and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales whose regulatory requirements can be accessed at http://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/handbook/code/content.page. A list of the members of Sutherland (Europe) LLP and their professional qualifications is open to inspection at its registered office.