Pro Bono in D.C.
Probono.net/DC provides resources for interested attorneys to find opportunities and trainings to help address the District's civil legal needs crisis. Thank you for your interest in providing pro bono services!
• Poverty is a significant concern in D.C. that keeps many residents from accessing civil legal services – pre-pandemic, about 111,000 (1 in 6) D.C. residents lived in poverty, with almost 195,000 living within 200% of the poverty level.
• Poverty in D.C. is not equally distributed – pre-pandemic, Wards 7 and 8 (which are 90+% Black) had the highest pre-pandemic poverty rates (27% and 36%) compared with 17% District-wide.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has only heightened economic stress and racial disparities in the District, further limiting access to civil legal services.
• Low-income individuals experience higher rates of civil legal problems but when faced with legal issues threatening their stability, 75% to 97% of D.C. residents appear in Superior Court without a lawyer (depending on case type). To learn more about civil justice in the District, see the D.C. Access to Justice Commission’s Delivering Justice report. Having a lawyer can make a real difference for these individuals and their case outcomes. Access to civil legal services is a critical safety net and a racial justice issue. With the COVID-19 pandemic, access to legal services are even more essential to ensure an equitable recovery.
ProBono.net/DC is a project of the D.C. Consortium of Legal Services Providers. Visit their site to learn more about the Consortium and its member organizations. The Consortium is a coalition of 32 member organizations, all of which provide direct legal services to low-income DC residents. The Consortium's mission is to coordinate the delivery, expand the availability and improve the quality of legal services and advocacy for poor and disadvantaged people and groups of people in the District of Columbia.