Current Projects and Initiatives
1. Public Funding for Civil Legal Services -
Civil legal services play a critical role in ensuring
that low-income District residents can get help in
their time of need. The scarcity of these services
has had an even greater impact in recent years
due to cost of living increases, loss of affordable
housing, and significant demographic change. In
its first three years, the Commission secured $10
million in District funding to provide for more legal
services in underserved areas and in
housing-related cases, as well as to establish a
shared legal interpreter bank. A portion of the
funding pays for the District's first loan repayment
program for legal services lawyers.
2. Private Funding for Civil Legal Services -
The Commission is analyzing the results from a
survey it administered to legal services providers
about law firm donations. This data will be used to
establish benchmarks for law firm giving, as has
been done in other jurisdictions.
3. Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts
(IOLTA) - The Commission is collaborating with
the D.C. Bar Foundation to increase the amount
of IOLTA funds that the Foundation receives and
grants to legal services providers.
4. Legal Needs Assessment - The
Commission will soon release a comprehensive
report documenting the civil legal needs in the
District and legal services providers' capacity to
meet those needs. As part of this assessment,
the Commission held listening sessions with
community groups across the City.
5. Pro Bono - The Commission and D.C. Bar
launched an initiative in the summer of 2007 to
increase the amount of pro bono work done by
the 51st - 100th largest law firms in the District.
6. Support Center - The Commission is
working with legal services providers to increase
their capacity to do impact litigation, as well as
policy and legislative advocacy. This initiative
also will make subject matter experts in the main
poverty law areas available as a resource to the
entire legal services community.
7. Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) -
The Commission is working with OAH to increase
legal representation and provide legal information
to low-income litigants who appear before the
agency.
8. Intake and Referral - The Commission is
taking steps to increase the coordination among
the legal services providers in order to enhance
the intake and referral process.
1. Public Funding for Civil Legal Services -
Civil legal services play a critical role in ensuring
that low-income District residents can get help in
their time of need. The scarcity of these services
has had an even greater impact in recent years
due to cost of living increases, loss of affordable
housing, and significant demographic change. In
its first three years, the Commission secured $10
million in District funding to provide for more legal
services in underserved areas and in
housing-related cases, as well as to establish a
shared legal interpreter bank. A portion of the
funding pays for the District's first loan repayment
program for legal services lawyers.
2. Private Funding for Civil Legal Services -
The Commission is analyzing the results from a
survey it administered to legal services providers
about law firm donations. This data will be used to
establish benchmarks for law firm giving, as has
been done in other jurisdictions.
3. Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts
(IOLTA) - The Commission is collaborating with
the D.C. Bar Foundation to increase the amount
of IOLTA funds that the Foundation receives and
grants to legal services providers.
4. Legal Needs Assessment - The
Commission will soon release a comprehensive
report documenting the civil legal needs in the
District and legal services providers' capacity to
meet those needs. As part of this assessment,
the Commission held listening sessions with
community groups across the City.
5. Pro Bono - The Commission and D.C. Bar
launched an initiative in the summer of 2007 to
increase the amount of pro bono work done by
the 51st - 100th largest law firms in the District.
6. Support Center - The Commission is
working with legal services providers to increase
their capacity to do impact litigation, as well as
policy and legislative advocacy. This initiative
also will make subject matter experts in the main
poverty law areas available as a resource to the
entire legal services community.
7. Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) -
The Commission is working with OAH to increase
legal representation and provide legal information
to low-income litigants who appear before the
agency.
8. Intake and Referral - The Commission is
taking steps to increase the coordination among
the legal services providers in order to enhance
the intake and referral process.
For additional information about the Commission's
work, please see our annual reports:
2007-2008 Annual Report
2006-2007 Annual Report
2005-2006 Annual Report
work, please see our annual reports:
2007-2008 Annual Report
2006-2007 Annual Report
2005-2006 Annual Report
Current Projects and Initiatives
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