Pro Bono Opportunities
The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless is the only legal services organization in Washington, D.C. that focuses on the legal rights of people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Volunteer attorneys play a vital role in our delivery of civil legal services. Through our Legal Assistance Program. (LAP), our network of volunteer lawyers and paralegals assist clients on a broad range of civil legal issues, providing the legal assistance necessary to help these clients address the issues that keep them mired in homelessness.
Volunteers, along with a WLCH attorney, meet with clients for intake sessions by phone or at community sites such as meal programs, health clinics, and day centers. If clients present legal issues within our case-counseling guidelines (case types include shelter and subsidized housing denials, terminations and conditions; ID assistance; consumer issues; street rights and more), the volunteer will act as the primary legal representative for the client, with WLCH attorneys providing regular support and guidance.
Volunteer attorneys must be members in good standing of the D.C. Bar or compliant with Rule 49. (You do not need to be an active member of the D.C. bar if any exceptions listed in section (c) are applicable.) Federal government volunteers are not required to be members of the District of Columbia Bar but must be members in good standing of the highest court of any state.