In 2008 the D.C. Access to Justice Commission reported that 90% of the legal needs of low-income residents of the District of Columbia go unaddressed. Just one year later, the Commission and the D.C. Consortium of Legal Services Providers reported that since the 2008 report, funding for legal services plummeted by 25% — $4.5 million — resulting in the loss of 21 attorneys and 30 non-attorney staff who provide critical client support.
The continued decline in resources for legal services providers, which has forced the reduction or elimination of crucial programs, comes at a time when the demand for services is increasing, exacerbated by the economic downturn.
The loss of these resources means that thousands of poor people in the District will not receive the legal services they need to help them keep their homes, obtain health care for their children, escape an abusive spouse, or collect unpaid wages from an unscrupulous employer.
Please help the DC Bar Foundation restore the resources that the District’s legal services network needs to reverse the devastation to the programs that are essential to our most vulnerable neighbors.
Each year, after rigorous analysis, the DC Bar Foundation funds more than two dozen legal services programs in the District. We use an outcomes-based model that has been developed over the past 30 years to evaluate our grantees in order to ensure that your investment has the greatest impact in meeting the highest priority needs of the District’s residents. We also provide awards to more than 20 poverty lawyers to assist with educational debt that might otherwise prohibit these dedicated advocates from continuing to serve the public interest.
How You Can Help
The time donated to individual cases by lawyers in the District of Columbia is tremendous, and makes a huge difference in the lives of District residents who otherwise would never have counsel. But pro bono work alone is not enough. The legal services providers whose sole purpose is to serve the needy are the linchpin for making access to justice a reality for the indigent in our community. And it is their expertise that guides the efforts of pro bono attorneys by providing training and support.
These lawyers and their organizations need additional funding. You can help by:
- Encouraging your law firm or company to give generously to our Call to Action 2011.
- Making a personal gift securely online (via Network for Good).
- Participate in Go Casual for Justice.
- Encourage your bank to join our Prime Partner program for IOLTA accounts.
