Task Force Seeks Comment on Recommendations for Closing Civil Justice Gap

August 04, 2025

The Civil Legal Regulatory Reform Task Force at the District of Columbia Courts is seeking public comment on its report recommending ways to address the gap in access to civil legal services, one that pro bono attorneys alone cannot resolve.

Formed in 2023, the task force has been directed by the D.C. Courts to study 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. In doing so, the task force also explored other states’ nonlawyer assistance programs and solicited feedback on its ideas from the D.C. community.

The task force’s report details three recommendations. First, it recommends that the D.C. Courts establish a framework for community justice worker (CJW) programs. In CJW programs, trained nonlawyers — such as public health workers, clergy members, law students, and teachers — assist low-income individuals with legal matters, working under the auspices of a legal services organization and under the supervision of an attorney working for such an organization. 

Second, a majority of the task force recommends that the D.C. Courts direct further study of the Licensed Legal Practitioner (LLP) model, under which appropriately trained nonlawyer legal practitioners serve the public directly, typically without attorney supervision. And third, the task force recommends that the D.C. Courts 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.

Comments must be submitted by October 31, 2025, via email to [email protected] or by mail to:

Executive Office of the D.C. Courts
ATTN: CLRRTF
500 Indiana Avenue, N.W.
Suite 6680
Washington, D.C. 20001