New Court of Appeals Rule Allows Community Justice Workers to Provide Legal Assistance
February 09, 2026
On February 5 the D.C. Court of Appeals issued Order No. M293-26 introducing new D.C. App. R. 49(c)(14), which establishes a framework allowing trained community justice workers (CJWs) to provide legal assistance to people who cannot afford an attorney.
The new rule — effective April 6, 2026 — defines CJWs as individuals who are not D.C. Bar members, including nonlawyers, but may engage in the limited practice of law under the supervision of a D.C. Bar member employed by an eligible nonprofit organization that provides free or low-cost legal services to residents of the District of Columbia. Eligible organizations must submit an application to the chief judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals to participate in the CJW program.
As explained in the court’s press release, nonlawyers who complete specialized training may help people with tasks such as explaining court procedures, giving legal advice, helping to complete forms, preparing documents, and offering limited in-court support.
The order marks the culmination of work by the D.C. Courts’ Civil Legal Regulatory Reform Task Force, tasked with studying strategies to address the gap between legal needs and available services for low- to moderate-income D.C. residents.
Assembled in July 2023, the task force explored other jurisdictions’ programs and studied the D.C. Bar Innovations in Legal Practice Committee’s draft report recommending the establishment of a program permitting trained, licensed nonlawyers to provide legal services in certain civil cases. The task force issued a report in July 2025, which was then offered for public comment until October of that year. The report reflected the research and polling conducted by the group and contained three primary recommendations:
- The D.C. Courts should establish a framework for CJW programs;
- The D.C. Courts should continue to study the idea of adopting a licensed legal practitioner (LLP) program;
- The D.C. Courts should encourage organizations to develop and seek approval of innovative approaches to allow people who are not members of the D.C. Bar, including nonlawyers, to provide legal services pursuant to Rule 49(c)(10) of the Rules of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
The court received more than 200 comments on the task force’s report; all but four were generally supportive of its recommendations, though some raised questions or recommended revisions to the proposals. Following a review of these submissions, the court adopted the recommendations, with some changes to address issues relating to attorney–client privilege, mandatory reporting, supervision, and the interaction of CJW programs with student-practice rules.
The court will continue to study proposals for LLP programs, which involve licensing nonattorneys for limited practice, without the need for a sponsoring organization or supervising attorney.
The court has also committed itself to encouraging the development of other innovative service delivery models permitted under existing court rules.
