DC Courts Issue Order Advancing Community Justice Worker Program and Other Innovations to Expand Access to Civil Legal Help

The District of Columbia Courts today issued an order to expand access to legal help for people handling civil cases without a lawyer. The order establishes a framework that will allow trained community justice workers to provide legal assistance to people who cannot afford to hire a lawyer.

The new framework responds to a longstanding challenge: many people facing serious civil legal issues cannot afford an attorney and must navigate the court system on their own. These cases often involve housing, family stability, and financial security.

“This initiative reflects the DC Courts’ deep commitment to ensuring that everyone who comes to us can meaningfully participate in their case,’ said the Honorable Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, DC Court of Appeals Chief Judge. She added, “Too many people facing critical issues – like eviction, child custody or safety from abuse – have had to do so without legal help. This program will expand support where it is needed most.”

Community Justice Worker programs allow trained and supervised non-lawyers, working through approved organizations, to provide limited legal services in civil matters to people who cannot afford an attorney. The Court’s action creates a formal structure for authorizing and overseeing such programs in the District.

Under the order issued today, non-lawyers who complete specialized training may help people with tasks such as explaining court procedures, giving legal advice, helping complete forms, preparing documents, and offering limited in-court support. Community Justice Workers will operate under the supervision of licensed attorneys and approved legal service providers.

“It’s true,” said the Honorable Milton Lee, Chief Judge of DC Superior Court, “whether it’s in landlord and tenant, small claims, probate, divorce, custody, protection orders, that entire arena where there is no constitutional right to a free attorney.” Chief Judge Lee added, “This is the Courts’ effort to level playing the field among the thousands of litigants that come through our doors every year.”  

The program grows out of work done by the Civil Regulatory Reform Task Force, which studied the gap between legal needs and available services for low- to moderate-income DC residents with civil matters in court.

“This effort reflects an extraordinary level of collaboration across the justice system and the community,” said Jim Sandman, a member of the Task Force and Vice Chair of the D.C. Access to Justice Commission. “Judges, court staff, legal aid organizations, the private bar, and community partners all worked together to solicit extensive feedback from the community and then to design a model that expands access to help while maintaining strong standards for training, supervision, and accountability.”

Added Nancy Drane, another Task Force member, “the thoughtful community feedback received was invaluable – over 20 focus groups held; survey responses from more than 400 community members and 1,500 legal and social service professionals; and hundreds of comments provided to the court after the task force’s recommendations were released.”  

Community organizations have also expressed strong interest in participating in the new program.

“For years, we have seen people struggle with legal problems simply because they do not have access to affordable help,” said Ariel Levinson-Waldman, Founding President and Director-Counsel, Tzedek DC. “Allowing financial counselors with whom we work, following appropriate training, to convey basic legal information and advice under a supervising attorney as community justice workers could offer a pathway to increasing our capacity to serve more residents at risk of debt- and other consumer-related legal problems and promote economic and financial empowerment for low-income D.C. residents.”

 “Our organization has long centered our mission on whole-person solutions that address both health care and health-related social needs,” said Karen Dale, Market President, AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia. “The emerging Community Justice Worker model aligns seamlessly with this vision. By embedding trained community navigators within neighborhoods, clinics, and social service organizations, we can empower residents to access the civil legal supports that influence health, such as stable housing, benefits access, employment rights, and family stability." 

National experts say the District’s approach reflects a broader shift in how courts across the country are addressing unmet civil legal needs.

“The District of Columbia’s action places it among a growing group of jurisdictions modernizing their rules to better serve the public,” said Nikole Nelson, CEO of Frontline Justice, a national organization whose mission is to mobilize, support, and equip trusted community advocates to become frontline legal helpers. “Community Justice Worker programs are one of the most promising tools we have to close the justice gap while maintaining strong consumer protections and professional oversight. DC’s framework is thoughtful, rigorous, and likely to serve as a model for other courts.”

With this action, the District of Columbia joins a growing number of states and jurisdictions adopting innovative regulatory approaches to address the civil access-to-justice gap, including authorizing new service models that safely expand who can provide limited legal assistance.

In addition, the Court will continue to evaluate whether a Limited License Practitioner program could further expand access to justice, and it will encourage courts, legal services providers, and community partners to explore other innovative service delivery models permitted under existing court rules.

Attached to this press release is Order M293-26 Civil Legal Regulatory Reform Task Force Proposal filed on today’s date, Thursday, February 5, 2026.

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The Court wishes to acknowledge the leadership of the task force co-chairs, Hon. Roy W. McLeese III and Hon. Alfred S. Irving, Jr., in bringing forward these important recommendations. They each spent considerable time on this over two years and displayed extraordinary leadership in navigating a range of challenging issues. Those that we serve will undoubtedly benefit from their work and commitment to this remarkable endeavor.