Pursuing Justice Podcast Episode 50: Entrepreneurs, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, face a lot of pain points when starting a new business or nonprofit enterprise. Hear how corporate lawyers can ease the pain, and support initiatives that benefit communities, through pro bono legal help with Darryl Maxwell of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, Jennifer Kent of Latham & Watkins, and Al Goldberg of Mess Hall in Washington, D.C.
This podcast provides a behind-the-scenes exploration of pro bono and public interest legal work. These heartening stories are told from both clients’ and lawyers’ perspectives to showcase intimate portraits of lawyers helping those with limited access to justice.
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.
FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE
Al Goldberg
Al Goldberg has spent over 25 years in the DC food and beverage industry. As a passionate supporter of small and local businesses, he recognized the need for legal affordable commercial kitchen space and founded Mess Hall in late 2014, a project that took 4-years to come to fruition.
Mess Hall is an established culinary incubator in the Edgewood neighborhood of Washington, DC that supports up-and-coming food entrepreneurs in a unique venue designed to foster a vibrant and diverse local food community. By providing mentoring and a variety of business services, Mess Hall has launched and helped accelerate over 300 businesses to date, more than 80% of which identify as women and/or minority owned.
Mess Hall doubles as a unique event space, incorporating up-and-coming culinary talent with an authentic mid-century warehouse vibe. It features unique food and beverage-related ticketed events that are open to the general public and is also available for weddings and other private events.
Mess Hall was a 2020 RAMMY Finalist in the category of Festive Foodie Experiences. Other accolades include Most Innovative Companies in the Washington Metropolitan Area (Washington Business Journal, 2016); Top Accelerator, (United States, SBA, 2015); Mayor’s Sustainability Award (The Mayor of Washington, DC 2015).
Al is a graduate of The George Washington University and currently resides Northwest DC with his wife and two children.
Jennifer Kent
Jennifer Kent is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins LLP and is a member of the Finance Department and Private Equity Finance practice group. She represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, as well as private and public company borrowers, in secured lending and other financing transactions. She advises her clients on a wide range of debt matters, including syndicated credit facilities, direct lender financings, asset-based loans, and recurring revenue loans. Jennifer has extensive experience working on complex, cross-border financings, having advised clients on over $10 billion worth of multijurisdictional transactions.
As part of her pro bono practice, Ms. Kent regularly advises small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs under the D.C. Bar’s Small Business Legal Assistance Program, and also assists non-profit organizations with respect to various corporate matters. Outside of her commercial practice, Jennifer sits on the board of The Black BigLaw Pipeline, Inc. and previously served as a Global Chair of Latham’s Black Lawyers Group. Jennifer has been widely recognized by organizations, including the National Law Journal, for both her finance work and her leadership in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Darryl Maxwell
Darryl Maxwell is the Director of Nonprofit & Small Business Legal Assistance Programs for the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, the largest provider of pro bono services and information in the District of Columbia. His focus is on providing pro bono counsel to community-based nonprofits and disadvantaged small businesses. Prior to working with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, Darryl worked in private practice.
Darryl is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the George Washington University Law School. He serves at his law school alma mater as a Professorial Lecturer in Law. He has been published in the Journal of Affordable Housing & Community Development Law. He currently serves as Board Chair of the Latino Economic Development Center, an organization that assists Latinos and other DC-area residents with small business development, microlending and affordable housing preservation. Darryl also serves on the Corporate Advisory Board of So Others Might Eat (SOME) an interfaith, community-based organization that supports D.C. residents experiencing homelessness and poverty with food, clothing, healthcare as well as affordable housing, job training, addiction treatment, and counseling.
