DC Volunteer Lawyers Project (DCVLP) was established in 2008 to create, support and utilize a network of volunteer lawyers to provide pro bono legal services to domestic violence victims and at-risk children.
Today, our 225 active volunteer attorneys, supported by our small but experienced team of Supervising Attorneys, give a voice in court to over 400 clients each year. They help victims escape abusive relationships, and children find safe and stable homes. With our partner organizations the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH) and My Sister’s Place, we also sponsor a weekly Domestic Violence Resource Clinic where more than 300 victims annually access legal, housing and counseling resources.
Our goals are to:
a) help domestic violence victims escape abusive relationships and establish new, independent lives;
b) help at-risk children – living in homes where abuse, neglect, domestic violence, mental illness or drug abuse is present – find safe and stable homes with a non-violent parent, relative or friend.