PROBATE AND ESTATE PLANNING
Everyone deserves to plan for the future and consider the legacy they wish to leave behind. Estate planning is not regularly discussed in many families, yet planning is key to ensuring you receive the dignified care you deserve during your lifetime and can leave a legacy, express your wishes beyond your lifetime, and pass on cherished belongings and family homes for future generations. We believe these important tools should be available to families regardless of the value of a person’s belongings, and we are committed to making these services accessible to families by expanding proactive estate planning across DC.
At DC Affordable Law Firm, we provide “health and wealth” estate planning services, such as drafting Wills or Powers of Attorney, and also represent clients in administering estates when loved ones die without plans in place. We are proud to partner with DC’s Department of Housing and Community Development to run the District’s first Heirs’ Property Assistance Program, through which our attorneys help families gain clear title to intergenerational homes.
FINANCIAL POWERS OF ATTORNEY
We prepare legal documents that allow a trusted person to manage financial decisions on an individual’s behalf during times of unavailability or emergency.
For more information on DCALF’s Family Preparedness services, please contact our bilingual intake line at (202) 844-5430.
MEDICAL POWERS OF ATTORNEY
We can help draft legal documents that allow a trusted person to legally make decisions for you regarding your care if you are ill or incapacitated.
PROBATE
We can help you through the multi-step process of administering an estate after the death of a loved one. Probating an estate can be a crucial step in resolving heirs’ property issues or preventing heirs’ property issues from occurring.
WILLS
We can help you draft a Will or create the correct legal instrument so you may bequeath property, name the executor of your estate, designate guardianship of any minor children, and more.
“SECURING YOUR LEGACY” COMMUNITY EDCUATION AND INTAKE EVENTS
Join DC Affordable Law Firm for the Securing Your Legacy event series — a free community program designed to help DC residents protect their homes, plan for the future, and build lasting legacies for their families and loved ones.
Through engaging workshops, one-on-one support, and free legal services intake opportunities, participants can learn how to safeguard family property, prepare important estate planning documents, navigate probate and estate administration issues, and make informed decisions about their health, finances, and future.
The series also offers free “property check-ups” for DC homeowners, helping residents better understand issues related to homeownership, title, heirs’ property, and preserving generational wealth.
Hosted by DC Affordable Law Firm in partnership with DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking and community legal services partners, these events bring trusted resources directly into DC neighborhoods to help families create stability, protect what matters most, and strengthen opportunities for future generations.
Each event is free and open to DC residents, with opportunities to receive community education, connect with legal advocates, and apply for free estate planning and estate administration legal services (income restrictions apply).
Securing Your Legacy is held three times per year, typically in March, June, and October. Visit DCALF’s Event page to learn more and register to attend the next Securing Your Legacy event>>
“FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE: BUILDING HOMES, WEALTH, AND LASTING LEGACIES IN DC”
In May 2026, DC Affordable Law Firm, birdSEED Foundation, Tzedek DC, and Yachad launched Foundations for the Future: Building Homes, Wealth, and Lasting Legacies in DC, a $3.8 million dollar demonstration project funded by the Greater Washington Community Foundation Health Equity Fund designed to create sustainable pathways to homeownership, financial resilience, and intergenerational wealth for Washingtonians.
Foundations for the Future is rooted in a simple but powerful idea: housing is one of the most important drivers of health, stability, and generational opportunity. By combining financial empowerment, direct capital, legal advocacy, estate planning, and healthy housing remediation into one coordinated strategy, we are building a model that helps families not only purchase or preserve homes, but grow wealth and protect and pass those assets on to future generations. Begin your journey with Foundations for the Future — learn more and apply to be a program participant>>
PROBATE LEGAL ASSISTANCE NETWORK (“PLAN”)
DC Affordable Law Firm partners with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center and Legal Counsel for the Elderly to run the Probate Legal Assistance Network — or “PLAN.” PLAN provides free, same-day advice or brief probate assistance to modest- and lower-income families through an office located within the Probate Self-Help Center at DC Superior Court.
Click to learn more about PLAN and PLAN’s hours of operation>>
“Through DCALF, I have been able to receive the quality legal representation that my child and I deserve while concurrently having the capability to support my family.”
— Chris, DCALF client