Our Mission
DC Affordable Law Firm delivers accessible justice to modest-income DC residents who do not qualify for traditional sources of free civil legal services and cannot afford standard representation. Our innovative programming expands access to justice by empowering community members with unmet legal needs while also launching the careers of public interest lawyers committed to accessible justice. Through our dignified no-cost and low-cost representation options, DCALF bridges the gap in legal services, changes DC’s legal landscape, and makes accessible justice a reality.
For 10 years, DC Affordable Law Firm has made justice more accessible in DC. This is our story.
DC Affordable Law Firm is Bridging the Gaps in DC’s Civil Justice System
For many DC residents, justice is out of reach.
Our legal system is deeply flawed. Although justice should be accessible to all, navigating our system often requires a lawyer to secure a just outcome—and whether or not someone has a lawyer often comes down to income and their ability to afford representation. With the high costs of private legal counsel in DC, and a Federal Poverty Line that has not pace with the cost of living, many who are “above the line” earn too much to qualify for aid yet too little to afford market-rate services, leaving more than one in five DC residents in a “justice gap” without access to representation when they need it. As a result, 9 out of 10 modest- and low-income DC residents are forced to navigate complex legal proceedings alone, facing some of life’s most serious challenges — like child custody battles, the threat of deportation, or the loss of a family home — without a lawyer by their side. Far too many hardworking individuals face life-altering legal challenges alone, not because their cases lack merit, but because the cost of counsel places justice out of reach.
DC Affordable Law Firm (DCALF) exists to close one of the most persistent and consequential gaps in our city — the divide between those who can afford legal representation and those who cannot — and to change that reality. We work to ensure that income is never the deciding factor in whether someone can protect their family, their home, or their future. In 2015, DCALF was born from a collaboration between Georgetown University Law Center and the law firms of ArentFox Schiff and DLA Piper, and has since expanded to include The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and a wide, growing array of partners who share DCALF’s commitment to breaking down barriers to justice.
DCALF serves hardworking DC residents whose incomes — up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level — put them just beyond the limits of traditional legal aid, yet still in critical need of free or affordable legal help. The majority of DCALF clients are hardworking DC residents employed in essential but lower-wage professions — such as public education, home healthcare, childcare, and nonprofit work — who, but for DCALF, might otherwise find themselves priced out of the legal help they need.
Through innovative programming, DCALF expands access to legal representation in critical areas of need — dismantling deep-rooted inequities in the justice system by closing persistent gaps and creating pathways to safety, stability, and economic security for DC residents. We provide direct representation in family law, probate and “health and wealth” estate planning, and humanitarian immigration — practice areas with high rates of unrepresented litigants, where access to counsel can profoundly shape a person’s safety, stability, and long-term economic future. By focusing on areas of law that directly impact economic security and delivering free representation to 99% of clients, DCALF is changing the meaning of affordability, empowering clients to redirect limited resources toward essential needs instead of legal fees — while securing outcomes that meaningfully strengthen their financial futures.
For our client communities and their families, a DCALF lawyer can mean the difference between staying in the country, keeping a family home, escaping an unsafe marriage with rights intact, or planning for the future with security. Learn more about DCALF’s services>>
DCALF’s post-graduate fellowship programs are a core strategy in bridging critical legal service gaps.
With over 70 public interest careers launched, thousands served through fellows’ direct legal work, and more than 72% of alumni continuing in public interest or related fields, DCALF’s unique, award-winning fellowship programs prove both effective and enduring—building a legacy of service and systemic impact.
In sum, DCALF’s vision is twofold – to eliminate inequities in DC’s civil justice system while empowering the next generation of public interest attorneys committed to building a more equitable future.
The DCALF Signature LL.M. Fellowship Program
Our unique signature fellowship program was born of a collaboration between Georgetown University Law Center and the law firms ArentFox Schiff and DLA Piper, and has since expanded to include social justice warriors from The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law.
Since our inception, DCALF has excelled in intentionally building a consistent pipeline of passionate, diverse, public interest talent through our distinctive Signature LL.M. Fellowship program. Over the course of this 15-month fellowship, participants in DCALF’s Signature LL.M. Fellowship Program — recent law graduates from Georgetown University Law Center and the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law — gain invaluable work experience and mentorship from veteran attorneys, all while earning a competitive public interest salary and a no-cost LL.M. Degree from Georgetown University Law Center for successful completion of the 15-month fellowship program.
Fellows start their careers at DCALF with custom-designed, immersive, full-time, simulation-based training steeped in the fundamentals of litigation, client-centered lawyering, and two of DCALF’s three practice areas. Unlike many post-graduate opportunities available to first-year associates, DCALF fellows actually practice law — fellows appear in court, negotiate settlements, draft legal documents, work directly with clients, engage in all phases of litigation, and carry a full and active civil caseload, receiving expert supervision and invaluable mentorship throughout their fellowship. This Fellowship offers a unique and exciting opportunity for law graduates to be on the frontlines of public interest law — delivering critical legal support in areas where access to representation can profoundly impact an individual or family’s safety, stability, and economic well-being, while developing a broad and practical set of litigation and client advocacy skills essential to a successful career in direct legal services.
With over 70 public interest careers launched, thousands served through fellows’ direct legal work, and more than 72% of DCALF Fellowship alumni continuing in public interest, public service, or areas of practice learned at DCALF, DCALF’s unique, award-winning fellowship program proves both effective and enduring — building a legacy of service and systemic impact.
Learn more about DCALF's commitment to fellowships in our 10th Anniversary video, featured above, which includes testimonials from DCALF Fellowship Alumni, Jenadee Nanini (2017-2018), Tonée Earle (2021-2022), and Samuel Wilkins (2019-2020).
Applications for the 2027-2028 DCALF Signature LL.M. Fellowship Program for Georgetown Law and UDC Law 3L/4L students and recent graduates will be accepted beginning in Fall 2026.
This award-winning Fellowship empowers graduates of Georgetown Law and UDC Law to launch impactful public interest careers, deliver vital legal services in DC, and earn a fully funded Georgetown Law LL.M. through a 15-month, justice-centered program combining hands-on service with advanced legal training.
View the October 2025 Signature Fellowship Virtual Open House to learn more>>
Open Horizon DCALF Heirs’ Property and Estate Planning Fellowship
In Fall 2025, DC Affordable Law Firm proudly launched the inaugural Open Horizon DCALF Heirs’ Property & Estate Planning Fellowship, marking an exciting new chapter in DCALF’s decade-long tradition of developing the next generation of public interest attorneys through post-graduate fellowships. This two-year fellowship annually welcomes one graduate of Howard University School of Law’s Estate Planning and Heirs’ Property Clinical Program to DCALF’s expanding Probate and Estate Planning Team — advancing a rapidly growing area of practice at the heart of our mission to bridge gaps in legal services and advance economic justice.
The Open Horizon DCALF Heirs’ Property & Estate Planning Fellowship offers a rare and exciting two-year post-graduate opportunity for a Howard Law Estate Planning and Heirs’ Property Clinic Alumnus to work at the forefront of public interest law — preserving intergenerational homes, protecting family wealth, and promoting economic justice for DC’s historically underserved communities. As a vital member of DC Affordable Law Firm’s Probate & Estate Planning Team, Open Horizon DCALF Fellows gain deep, hands-on training and experience while delivering impactful legal advocacy to DC families navigating probate and estate planning challenges. The first Fellow will joined DCALF in Fall 2025, for a Fellowship concluding in Fall 2027, with additional Fellows joining the program in Fall 2026 and Fall 2027.
This unique opportunity is funded by Open Horizon, a family foundation that collaborates with nonprofit partners to co-create opportunities to advance racial and social justice through organizational support in the areas of Economic Justice, Education Justice, and Health Justice.
Read the August 2025 Open Horizon DCALF Heirs’ Property and Estate Planning Fellowship Press Release>>
Applications for the 2027-2029 Open Horizon DCALF Heirs’ Property and Estate Planning Fellowship Program will open in August 2026.
Alumni of Howard Law’s Estate Planning and Heirs’ Property Clinic may apply for a 2026 Summer Law Clerk position with DCALF’s Heirs’ Property and Estate Planning program, beginning in March 2026. Please contact Howard Law’s Clinical Faculty to learn more about this opportunity, or visit the Employment page of DCALF’s website to apply.
Our Logo
In 2025, DC Affordable Law Firm collaborated with The Brand Guild on a brand update inspired by the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge’s stunning arches, which connect parts of DC across the Anacostia River.
Opened in 2021, the Frederick Douglass Bridge is more than infrastructure; it is a powerful symbol of hope, connection, and equity — linking communities long divided by race and economics.
The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge was chosen as the inspiration for our visual imagery, as it reflects the very essence of DCALF’s mission: to break down barriers, bridge gaps in access and opportunity, and help families build lasting security through life-changing legal outcomes as we strive to build a more equitable DC.
DC Affordable Law Firm is honored to be selected again as a Spur Local nonprofit, joining a distinguished group of organizations making a lasting impact across the region. Learn more about this meaningful recognition by visiting the Spur Local website.
