The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project (MAIP), a member of the global Innocence Network, is housed in GW Law and serves D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, offering hope for those who have nowhere to turn. Convicted of terrible crimes and ignored by society despite their innocence, many incarcerated individuals have never had competent legal representation. Through the hard work of students, volunteers, and a committed staff, MAIP represents convicted felons free of charge and has helped secure the release or exoneration of 25 men since the initiative began in 2000.
This September, one of MAIP’s clients, Lamar Johnson, was exonerated after 13 years behind bars and two failed appeals. He was wrongly convicted of a shooting in 2004 and served six years before MAIP took on the case.
Seven years later, on September 19, Lamar was led into a Baltimore courtroom and released. GW students Isabel Corngold, JD '17, Sophia Herbst, BA ’14, and Ben Flick, JD ’14, investigated, and Isabel and Katelyn Young, ESIA '19, drafted and helped prepare the pleadings, and have done research to get him resettled.
“Working at MAIP was the most rewarding experience I had in law school, and I’m extremely excited to be able to continue my work here now as a legal fellow,” says Isabel.
“The feeling of getting to see Lamar walk out a door and then get to shake his hand is something I will hold onto for the rest of my legal career.”
Gifts to MAIP support fellowships for GW Law students with an interest in casework and a passion for justice, as well as operating costs for the organization’s office on campus. Donate at go.gwu.edu/give2maip