DCALF LL.M. Fellowship

DCALF LL.M. Fellowship Program Overview

Each year, Georgetown places multiple fellows with DC Affordable Law Firm (DCALF) for a 15-month fellowship. The fellowship culminates in an LL.M. (Advocacy) and helps launch the careers of public interest lawyers committed to accessible justice.

Historically, individuals from modest-income households have been left on their own when seeking access to justice, finding themselves ineligible for traditional forms of free civil legal services yet unable to afford private counsel. In the District of Columbia, over 125,000 residents fall within that income range. As a result, a significant number of DC residents have had no option but to appear pro se in legal proceedings with potentially significant and long-term consequences.

In response to this access to justice gap, in 2015, Georgetown University Law Center, ArentFox Schiff LLP, and DLA Piper LLP joined to create DC Affordable Law Firm (DCALF). DCALF is a charitable nonprofit law firm that delivers free and low-cost legal services to Washington, DC residents with household incomes that typically fall between 200%-400% above the federal poverty level. DCALF lawyers provide legal services to clients in a range of civil matters, from child custody and matrimonial disputes, to immigration, to heirs’ property, probate, and estate planning matters. DCALF believes everyone deserves access to justice, and that income should not be a barrier to an individual’s receipt of high-quality legal representation. DCALF’s innovative model ensures individuals and families have access to high-quality, consistent representation regardless of their ability to pay. The free and low-cost legal services DCALF delivers helps put clients and their families on stronger economic footing to be able to live, work, and thrive in the District of Columbia.

In 2020, the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC Law) joined as a fourth partner. Through the legal representation provided by post-graduate fellows from Georgetown and UDC Law, along with DCALF’s staff of veteran attorneys, DCALF can serve hundreds of DC residents each year, meeting its mission of providing a full spectrum of free and accessible legal services to DC residents unable to secure representation elsewhere.

The DCALF L.L.M. Fellowship Program

The DCALF Fellowship is open to graduating JD students from both Georgetown Law and the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Beginning in 2024-2025, it will also be open to a DC-barred Georgetown Law graduate, with one-to-three years post-graduate experience. All fellows will be enrolled in Georgetown’s LL.M. program, earning a fully funded LL.M. (Advocacy) upon successful completion of the 15-month program. Through their employment at DCALF, fellows will earn a competitive public interest salary.

Fellows receive intensive training during the first eight weeks of Georgetown’s Fall semester. The training covers a range of topics, including lawyering and litigation skills, substantive law in DCALF’s primary practice areas (family law, immigration law, and probate/estate planning), and law firm management and practice. Fellows also have opportunities to explore the access to justice crisis in DC, how to engage in client-centered and trauma-aware lawyering, how to challenge assumptions and practice cultural humility, and how to support DCALF’s work toward anti-racism, equity, and inclusion. Following eight weeks of training, fellows engage in direct representation of clients in DCALF’s practice areas, gaining invaluable direct representation experiences and mentorship from veteran attorneys. DCALF Fellows receive additional, relevant trainings following the fall semester, after they are anchored in the practice of law. DCALF fellows graduate with a range of lawyering and litigation skills, an appreciation for the importance of access to justice, and the ability to represent clients with professional competence, zeal, and compassion.

Post-Fellowship Employment Outcomes

DCALF alumni have gone on to work for a variety of public and private employers, including:
• Legal Aid DC
• D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center
• Children’s Law Center
• D.C. Volunteer Lawyers Project
• Amica Center for Immigrant Rights (formerly CAIR Coalition)
• Disability Rights D.C.
• Tzedek DC
• Public Defender and U.S. Attorney’s Offices
• D.C. Superior Court (clerkships)
• Family, estate planning, and immigration law firms
• University Title IX offices

For more information on DCALF and the organization’s specific practice areas, please visit its website: https://www.dcaffordablelaw.org/.