Civil Legal Services
Civil legal services (often referred to as legal aid or poverty law) programs provide direct client representation for free or reduced cost to low income clients. Matters typically handled by civil legal services providers include cases involving landlord-tenant law, employment, public benefits, health care, family law, and consumer protection.
Many legal services offices are organized by subject matter, with staff attorneys specializing in one area of practice. In some offices lawyers are generalists handling the spectrum of cases that fall within their program’s mission. Most civil legal services lawyers work at non-profit legal aid organizations.
Web Resources
- ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty provides support to the legal services and advocacy community.
- Harvard Law Legal Services Specialty Career Guide provides an overview of different opportunities within legal services and includes narratives from alum in legal services.
- National Legal Aid and Defender Association is a comprehensive site that provides support to legal aid lawyers.
Representative Employers
- Bread for the City
- Legal Aid of the District of Columbia
- National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty
- NY Legal Assistance Group
- Public Counsel, LA
Legal Services Provider Directories
- List of DC-Area Legal Services Providers organized by subject matter area
- DC Consortium of Legal Service Providers
- LawHelp.org is a list of agencies across the country that provide direct representation.
- Legal Services Corporation (LSC) operates as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that promotes equal access to justice and provides grants for high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans. See especially, “Find Legal Aid,” for a list of LSC funded programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.