Legal Aid DC

Legal Aid DC, the District's oldest and largest civil legal services organization, has given free legal help since 1932. Apply online anytime at legalaiddc.org/help, or call the intake line at 202-628-1161. Intake hours are limited to certain days, so check the site before you call.

The programs handle the cases that keep a household stable. Legal Aid DC helps with housing and eviction, child custody and child support, domestic violence, public benefits, foreclosure, debt collection, immigration, and criminal record sealing. It handles civil matters, not criminal defense, with record sealing as the exception.

If you are not sure where to turn, there is a referral line. Call the DC Resource Bridge at 202-933-HELP to be referred to an organization that can help with your legal issue. Most phone intakes for Legal Aid are handled through the DC Resource Bridge.

There are also direct hotlines run by DC legal services groups. For a debt matter, call the Debt Collection Defense hotline at 202-851-3387. For a rental housing matter, call the Landlord Tenant Legal Assistance Network at 202-780-2575. For a family law matter, call the Family Law Assistance Network at 202-844-5428, and for child support, the Child Support Resource Center at 202-791-3996.

For domestic violence, there is a fast path. You can go to the D.C. Superior Court or call the Domestic Violence Intake Center, at 202-879-0152 in Northwest or 202-879-1500 in Southeast.

You can also visit in person. Legal Aid welcomes walk-in clients at its Downtown office at 1331 H Street NW, Suite 350, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 4pm, and at its Anacostia office at 1911 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE on Mondays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 4pm. Legal Aid serves low-income residents, and income guidelines apply, so if money is tight, apply rather than assume you earn too much. If you have an eviction notice or a court date, call as early as you can, and dial 2-1-1 for local rent funds.