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Veterans face legal problems that are handled on a regular basis by legal aid providers: family court disputes, housing instability, and denial of public benefits are just a few.   Neighborhood Legal Services Program is proud to announce a new initiative to provide a clear gateway for veterans in the District to access legal aid.

The  Veterans Legal Assistance and Representation Project is the result of a collaboration between NLSP, Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, Arent Fox and the William S. Abell Foundation.   Through their efforts, funding was secured to hire a new NLSP Staff Attorney who will do focused outreach to veterans then marshall the resources of the private bar to provide them with pro bono help. We welcome the opportunity to meet with attorneys and organizations interested in partnering with us to do this important work.

WHY PRO BONO?

An overwhelming demand exists for civil legal services in the U.S. and our mission is to provide legal aid to low-income residents of the District of Columbia. We accomplish this mission with the help of committed, pro bono lawyers like you.


 


CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES

 

Ms. T.  is involved in a custody dispute with the father of her 4-year-old daughter.  The father kidnapped the child to Maryland last fall and returned her several months later after the child suffered an emergency health scare.   Ms. T would like legal counsel to assist her with getting sole custody of her daughter.  A mediation is scheduled in this case for April 2015 but no court hearings are currently calendared.


 

Mrs. C. would like legal counsel to represent her in her divorce case.  She voluntarily separated from her husband because of his adultery and now would like an absolute divorce, alimony and child support.  The couple have two children.  Mrs. C. is unemployed and financially dependent on her husband at this time.  Mr. C. has stopped paying rent on their apartment and the insurance on the family car. The next hearing date in this case is in June 2015, but a mediation will be scheduled to occur before the hearing.


 
Volunteer attorney Justin Lepp giving a presentation on tenants rights at a senior housing fair at the UPO Petey Greene center in the Congress Heights neighborhood.  Justin is an attorney in the Antitrust Division at the United States Department of Justice who has worked on tenants rights and other housing cases for NLSP.



 
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CONGRATULATIONS!

On April 1, the pro bono achievements of over twenty D.C. law firms were recognized in an awards ceremony at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The firms were commended because at least 40% of the lawyers in their firms performed more than 50 hours of pro bono service.  Several of the firms recognized have provided pro bono and other support to NLSP and our low-income clients:  Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Arnold & Porter, Covington & Burling, Paul Hastings LLP, Paul Weiss, Sidley & Austin, Steptoe & Johnson and WilmerHale.  We commend them all on their sustained commitment to improving access to justice for low-income residents of the District of Columbia.

 
HOW TO GET INVOLVED

As a general matter, all of our volunteer attorneys must be admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia. There are some exceptions, for example, for attorneys who work for the federal government or who have a pending application for admission to the D.C. Bar. Attorneys who are not licensed in the District of Columbia and recent law school graduates are advised to consult and review D.C. Court of Appeals Rule 49 governing the unauthorized practice of law in the District of Columbia before engaging in pro bono work in the city.

 

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Pro Bono Counsel Heather Hodges at [email protected] or (202) 269-5119.