Free Legal Aid in Washington, D.C.

The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia

The Legal Aid Society of D.C. was founded in 1932 to help low-income people have access to the legal services they need. The organization takes cases in four practice areas: family law, housing, public benefits and consumer issues. It also handles appeals in some cases. Intake interviews are conducted at the main office, listed below, and at several other locations.

Bread for the City Legal Aid

Bread for the City is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing social services to D.C.’s low income and homeless residents. Through the organization’s many legal clinics, volunteer and staff attorneys assist low-income clients with landlord/tenant disputes, obtaining social security and other public benefits, family law matters, including domestic violence, and more. The contact info for the Southeast Center of the organization is:

1640 Good Hope Road, SE
Washington, DC 20020
(202) 587-0527

Note: The D.C. Bar Association Advice and Referral Clinic accepts walk-ins at both Bread for the City locations on the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Neighborhood Legal Services Program (NLSP)

NLSP assists low-income D.C. residents with legal problems in a variety of civil (non-criminal) practice areas, including family law, housing law, consumer law, public benefits, employment law, wills, and more. Its Southeast Office can be reached at:

2811 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20020
(202) 678-2000

D.C. Bar Association Programs and Services

The D.C. Bar Association offers several programs that help residents of D.C. with their legal issues. They include educational clinics, advice and referral clinics and resource centers:

• Immigration Legal Advice Clinic
• Free Child Custody Clinic
• Free Divorce Clinic
• Landlord Tenant Resource Center

Ayuda

Ayuda provides legal, social and language services to low-income immigrants in the D.C. area. Ayuda offers legal services in several areas, including domestic violence issues, family law, immigration law, and anti-trafficking issues.

D.C.’s Children’s Law Center

The Children’s Law Center provides advocacy and lawyer referrals for children, parents and caregivers who are facing legal issues that affect children. Examples include adoption and foster care issues, education and disability law issues, custody disputes, public benefits applications and more.

Family Court Self-Help Center

The Family Court Self-Help Center provides free general legal information to unrepresented people dealing with family law issues, including divorce, custody, visitation and child support. 

Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE)

LCE provides legal advocacy for D.C. residents who are age 60 and older in most civil law areas, including housing law, public benefits, health care law, and consumer law. LCE does not offer criminal law help.  LCE also has a Legal Hotline: (202) 434-2170.