Linda Singer graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, defended the accused as a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society in New York City, led a national nonprofit aimed at improving big-city governments, and is now the nominee for D.C. attorney general.
Perhaps her upbringing should have led her in another direction, toward sales or marketing, but a curious connection to institutional reform has driven her career, Singer said Friday during an interview with The Examiner.
“My parents were in the fashion business,” said Singer, 40. “I’m the black sheep of the family. But I’ve always had a very strong commitment to social justice issues.”
Her parents are both gone, she said, “but I think they would have been delighted.”
Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty lured Singer from her executive directorship of Appleseed, a nonprofit with 18 field offices, 70 employees and a $7.5 million annual budget. With confirmation from the D.C. Council, she’ll take over an agency with 660 employees and an $87 million budget.
Singer lives in Northwest D.C., near the University of the District of Columbia, with her husband, Joseph Sternlieb. A member of the New York Bar since 1992, Singer is not yet a member of the D.C. Bar.
Her application is pending, and she hopes to have a decision by February. While no definite timeframe is set for the council to approve her nomination, Singer could be attorney general before being approved to the District Bar.
She said she’s not bothered by the criticism that she shouldn’t be attorney general when she’s not even a member of the bar.
“The bottom line is I’ve been engaged in this community and this legal community for the 13 years I’ve been here,” she said, “and ultimately that’s what matters.”
Appleseed, Singer said, employs legal minds to solve deep-rooted community issues and provide local governments the structure, support and framework to improve.
A similar strategy can be employed from within the government to tackle challenges in health care, education and other areas, she said.
“Lawyers at their core are problem-solvers,” she said. “We know how to identify issues, how to gather information, how to analyze it and put forward recommendations. Whatever the context, that’s what lawyers do.”
The attorney general’s office is charged with prosecuting and defending the city in all civil matters, enforcing consumer protection laws and conducting fraud investigations. But Singer said one of her main goals is to keep the District out of court.
“Our job is not just to go in and do the rear-guard defense, although that’s part of our job and an important piece,” she said. “But our job is also to work with the other agencies of the city to make sure that they have the tools to do things right in the first place.”
During her review of the attorney general’s office, Singer said she’s found the agency “certainly doesn’t have the financial resources” to do the job she wants to do. She also intends to focus on professional development.
“This is a place that has tremendous talent and enormous capacity,” she said. “I don’t think all of it is realized.”
